COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING
life
Orange Tip
Alexanders
Morels Mushrooms
The males begin to emerge early April,
with the female following a week later.
Orange Tips visit a variety of spring
flowers, that include bluebell, blackthorn,
primrose, garlic mustard, but their
favourite tends to be the nectar of cuckoo
flower. Only the males have the orange tip
to their wings. Because the larvae will not
leave the plants on which they hatch, for
their own survival they have to eat other
larvae to survive.
Alexanders is a member of the carrot
and hogweed family and in the past was
a valued late winter green, cooked like
spinach. The young shoots can be eaten like
celery and the flower buds added to salads.
Growing to 150cm (5ft) tall, it is found
along hedgerows and road sides and has
become very invasive.
The morels are one of the most, sort after
edible funguses by gourmet cooks at this
time of year. They tend to grow alone,
but two or three can sometimes be found
together. Growing amongst s