Natural England
 

Pick List

Here are the items you have selected. You can browse this list or print it. Return to Search to add to the list. Use 'remove' to delete items.

Autumn squill - Scilla autumnalis
Badger - Meles meles
Bell heather - Erica cinerea
Borage - Borago officinalis
Buff-tailed bumble bee - Bombus terrestris
Butterfly bush - Buddleia davidii
Cardoon - Cynara cardunculus
Clustered bellflower - Campanula glomerata
Columbine - Aquilegia vulgaris
Common comfrey - Symphytum officinale
Common figwort - Scrophularia nodosa
Common mallow - Malva sylvestris
Common sea-lavender - Limonium vulgare
Cowslip - Primula veris
Cross-leaved heath - Erica tetralix
Dead-nettle - Lamium orvala
Dropwort - Filipendula vulgaris
Escallonia - Escallonia sp.
False dittany - Ballota acetabulosa
Foxglove - Digitalis purpurea
Globe thistle - Echinops ritro
Gorse - Ulex europeaus
Harebell - Campanula rotundifolia
Hazel - Corylus avellana
Hoary stock - Matthiola incana
Ivy - Hedera helix
Lesser celandine - Ranunculus ficaria
Lungwort - Pulmonaria officinalis
Meadow crane's-bill - Geranium pratense
Monk's-hood - Aconitum napellus
Myrtle - Myrtus communis
Nectaroscordium siculum - Honey garlic
Onion - Allium christophii
Pincushion flower - Echium pininana
Purple-loosestrife - Lythrum salicaria
Ragged-robin - Lychnis flos-cuculi
Red clover - Trifolium pratense
Red-tailed bumble bee - Bombus lapidarius
Sainfoin - Onobrychis viciifolia
Scorpion weed - Phacelia tanacetifolia
Sea-holly - Eryngium amethystinum
Spurge-laurel - Daphne laureola
Sweet scabious - Scabiosa atropurpurea
Teasel - Dipsacus fullonum
Tree-mallow - Lavatera arborea
Viper's-bugloss - Echium vulgare
Virginia creeper - Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Water figwort - Scrophularia auriculata
White clover - Trifolium repens
Wood mouse - Apodemus sylvaticus
Woolly lamb's ear - Stachys lanata
Yellow-necked mouse - Apodemus flavicollis
Yellow-rattle - Rhinanthus minor
Zigzag clover - Trifolium medium

Foxglove - Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove - Digitalis purpureaFoxglove - Digitalis purpurea
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature
UK distribution - East Anglia, Midlands, North, South East, South West

Foxgloves have broad, wrinkled leaves which form a basal rosette. The magenta bells are large and appear in June on tall, erect stems. The long spikes of flowers open from the bottom upwards. On the inside of the flower there are dark purple spots edged with white. These guide bees and other insects towards the nectar, deep inside the flower. Foxglove is a biennial, common on disturbed ground on banks, woodland clearings, sea-cliffs and heaths. It can be very abundant in recently cleared forestry plantations.

Foxgloves are an easy-going traditional cottage garden plant that will grow in full sun or shade and do well in most soils. They look particularly attractive when they are allowed to self seed and naturalise, creating drifts of tall flowering spikes and are very attractive to bees and some moths. This is the natural source of the drug digitalis, which is used to treat heart conditions.

Animals

Buff-tailed bumble bee, Common carder bumble bee, Honey bee, Lesser yellow underwing moth, Moths, Red mason bee, Red-tailed bumble bee, White-tailed bumble bee, Wool-carder bee

FoliageGreen
FlowerPink, June to August
MoistureDry (Dry)
SunlightFull sun to Part-shadeFull sun to Part-shade (Full sun to Part-shade)
OriginNative