Escaping alien, Spinney Hill, Warwick
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Escaping alien, Spinney Hill, Warwick by Robin Stott as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Escaping alien, Spinney Hill, Warwick
Image: © Robin Stott Taken: 18 Aug 2021
The fashionable 'annual', Verbena bonariensis, was a component of the landscaping of the new Woodside Care Village. Seeding successfully amid the luxury of compost and irrigation, seedlings have established on the untidy boundary with the street: edge of tarmac, footings, base of railings. Their seeds in turn will find their way to the sites where it thrives – stony ground, rubble, cracks and joints in paving. In these shallow substrates it forms a swollen root that can overwinter. Originally from Argentina (bonariensis refers to Buenos Aires) it has spread round the world; in many countries it is treated as an invasive alien. Locally it pops up in all sorts of places. In the garden the mauve heads of flowers sway and float above other plants, attracting bees and other insects. It's been around in designed gardens, such as Great Dixter in East Sussex, since the late 20th century but it has escaped. One to watch.
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Image Location
Latitude
52.292793
Longitude
-1.571239