The Spraying Man from the Council with the canister of poison on his back had to come to a quick halt as he approached the path outside my house because I was standing there, gardening gloves in hand. My foot was tapping impatiently and he was getting my turn-it-up-to-11 Hard Stare.

He may have been doing his job, but the little borage, willow herb and hairy bittercress which had taken refuge in the crack between the pavement and garden wall and were making a fine job of growing and getting on with photosynthesis, had given a little cry of distress when they saw him approaching. Yes they do talk, though their voices are squeaky and can only be heard by the finely-turned ears of a true wildflower lover. That’s me by the way.

I politely asked if he would give my pavement a miss, as the plants took exception to being poisoned outside their own home. Plus they had a few diary dates with the local bees who had agreed to carry out a bit of pollinating in exchange for a sip of nectar. He politely agreed, probably to get out of the way of the Mad Plant Woman, giving my patch a wide berth. Good, I said. Good, squeaked the plants. Buzz, added the bees.

There’s no reason to poison plants, so what if they grow where we don’t want them to? Who doesn’t want to look out of the window and see the beautiful blue of a borage flower? And hairy bittercress, yes, it’s hairy, yes it’s bitter, but it’s cress and you can eat it, though I’d definitely avoid the clump where the dogs wee.

Once a plant has a name, it has a personality, it has a story to tell, it has a right to get on with its little life without being troubled by Poison Man. I love wildflowers, they are uncomplicated, unpretentious, modest, unlike some of the blousy, showy garden flowers. Don’t get me wrong, I love them too, in their place, but wildflowers cast caution (and seeds) to the wind and grow wherever they can. They pop up in the unlikeliest of places, hanging on to walls (I give you ivy-leaf toadflax) or grow on the top of walls (hello buddleia) or jump from gardens into the wild (good on you red valerian)

Each June the Wildlife Trusts issue a 30 Days Wild challenge . It’s very easy, just do something wildlife-related throughout the month. I’ve been doing it a few years, usually taking photos of the Great Outdoors, so this year I decided to re-challenge the challenge. Every five days I challenged my running club mates in Hyde Park Harriers to spot named wildflowers. We all run past them without giving a second thought, so I asked them to spot a few and enjoy them. Quite a few did and I was delighted when they photographed their finds and confessed they enjoyed the hunt. Next year, I may challenge them to stop the Spraying Man from the Council!

Pictured, a few of the wildflowers: Herb Robert, Ivy-Leaf Toadflax, Pineappleweed, Feverfew, Red Valerian, Goosegrass, Burdock, Bindweed, Elder