Bog cotton plants
Yesterday I took my bike (and camera!) up into the Pentlands. I found myself at Balerno farmers market first thing, photographing some musicians playing in the open air. It was a glorious hot sunny morning, so I decided to head up to Harlaw reservoir afterwards.
After a dismally cold and windy spring, all the wildflowers are suddenly playing catch-up. There was color everywhere, with cow parsley on the verges, and the trees are still have that bright green and fresh feel about them.
This was my favorite photo – a huge area of bog cotton blowing about in the breeze.
One of the things I love about taking photos is that I like to find out more about the things I have photographed. After taking this, I discovered that Bog Cotton is no longer used, but it has been used for various things in the past. These include paper-making, stuffing pillows and mattresses, and treatment of digestive disorders, apparently. And I also found an amazing wild flower identification website.