07/05/2026
Back to my annual visit to ancient Howe Park Wood.
Wood Speedwell is featured in the photo, this is one of the woodland’s quiet residents — tiny flowers, ancient-woodland tastes, and a name that wishes travellers well on their journey.
Despite the name “speedwell,” it has nothing to do with speed. The old name probably came from the idea that the flower would “speed you well” on your journey. If fact if you speed, you probably won't see it !
Wood Speedwell loves ancient woodland and shady hedgebanks, so spotting it can be a clue that a woodland is very old and relatively undisturbed, like at Howe Park Wood.
It belongs to the Veronica family — named after Saint Veronica. Many speedwells have tiny bright-blue flowers, but Wood Speedwell’s blooms are often paler lilac with dark veins, like in the photo.
Its leaves are soft and hairy, helping it cope with damp woodland conditions.
In folklore, speedwells were sometimes tucked into travellers’ clothing for good luck and safe journeys.
The flowers are surprisingly small — usually under 1 cm across — so many people walk straight past them without noticing.
It flowers mainly from April to June, just as woodland canopies begin closing overhead — making the most of the spring sunlight before the trees fully leaf out. My photos were taken on a dull morning, before they hadn't opened properly with the sunshine.
