Bluebells and Thistles

The Scots seem to have acquired icons in a way the English have never done. In fact, the Diary has difficulty in thinking of anything English which could be called iconic other than its flag, the cross of St George - who wasn't English. Scotland, by comparison has two flags - the Saltire and the lion rampant - haggis, tartans, kilts, bagpipes, whisky, scottie dogs, hielan' coos, kippers, heather, and two flowers, both of which happen to be in full bloom at the moment.

One is the bluebell - the Scottish bluebell, called a harebell in England. It's a flower which has given rise to songs like The Bluebells of Scotland, and is associated with fairies and witches. On West Ardnamurchan, the bluebells happen to be having a good year, usually growing in small clusters either out in the fields....

or more spaced-out along steep banks. They have a wonderfully delicate flower, with petals as thin as tissue paper, in a variety of darker and lighter blues.

The other is the thistle. This year's damp summer weather hasn't suited the thistle flowers, many of which seem to have died back quickly.

The thistle has survived some 500 years as a Scottish symbol, first appearing on coins minted in the reign of James III around 1470, and later being used as the symbol of a noble order, the Order of the Thistle, membership of which is entirely Scottish and lies with the sovereign. Quite why the thistle has become so important appears to be a mystery, but it's a high accolade for a plant which is, after all, a weed.