Meadow Cranesbill: Wild Grace in a Summer Landscape

28 Jun

For me Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense) is one of Britain’s loveliest native wildflowers — a flash of blue that appears in high summer across verges, meadows, and beside limestone walls. Here in Malmesbury, I often find it blooming beside old paths and field edges, its colour vivid against the softness of grasses. It's a flower I return to again and again in my paintings.

A Natural Elegance

Delicate yet resilient, Meadow Cranesbill grows up to 60cm tall, with deeply divided leaves and generous, five-petalled flowers in lavender-blue and violet. Its elegant stems sway gently in the breeze, making it a joy to observe — and paint.

Loved by bees and pollinators, it plays a key role in our meadow ecosystems, offering nectar in midsummer and seeding itself quietly, ensuring its return year after year.

Names, Lore, and Place

The name "cranesbill" refers to the long, beak-shaped seed pods that form after flowering. In folklore, it was associated with healing and gentleness. It’s also known as Wild Geranium, Meadow Geranium, or Midsummer Geranium.

I’ve often spotted it flowering on the verges near Malmesbury Abbey, or peeking out of the dry stone walls nearby. In these images — Cranesbill is in bloom against timeworn stone they capture something of the deep connection between wild nature and ancient human place. That sense of continuity and renewal lies at the heart of the paintings I'm working on now.

The Ongoing Inspiration

Meadow Cranesbill is more than a botanical subject for me — it's a symbol of rootedness and return. This summer, it’s one of the main inspirations behind my current studio work.

As National Meadows Day approaches, I’m finding joy in this process of reconnection — to the plants, the place, and the quiet beauty of things that grow, fade, and return.

My latest paintings are on my available work page.

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