A Year in the Valley

Wild strawberry or alpine strawberry?  What’s the difference?  The difference is that alpine strawberries don’t produce runners.  We have wild strawberries in the top garden, they also like grassy banks and scrubland, but I have never seen one in the watermeadow before.  This was growing at the foot of the bank under the sea buckthorns.  The ground is a little raised compared to the middle of the meadow.  Anyhow it survived the floods.  It prefers sunny and dry locations but will tolerate partial shade.  The flowers bloom from April onwards and tiny strawberries appear afterwards.  It has leaves with toothed edges and five-petalled flowers with a yellow centre, which will turn into the tiny fruit.  This is related to the cultivated strawberry, and they are in the rose family.