Mountain Avens

Today's the day ........................ to live on the edge

This gorgeous little plant grows in the rockery in my back garden.

You would normally find it growing on limestone in arctic-alpine regions of the world. In Great Britain it occurs in the Pennines, at two locations in Snowdonia and more widely in the Scottish Highlands; in Ireland it occurs on The Burren and a few other sites. Apparently it is Iceland's national flower. Its posh name is Dryas octopetala which comes from the Greek octo (eight) and petalon (petal), referring to the eight petals of the flower.

When I said it grows in the rockery, what I really meant was that this little bit is actually growing on a cement slab at the base of the rockery.  The whole plant is advancing annually over any sort of surface it comes across - and because it obviously receives its nutrients from the mother root, it has no need of anything resembling soil to support it.  It's out there on its own pushing back the frontiers.

That's what I call - life on the edge ...........................