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Membership builds our community and gives us a predictable income, which lets us plan and sustain longer projects that can have a greater impact. The more members we have, the more we can do to protect the Sussex countryside and coast.
Overview
Viper’s-bugloss is a hairy plant with dense spikes of bright blue, funnel-shaped flowers. It is found on chalk grassland, sand dunes, cliffs and disturbed ground, and is in bloom from May to September.
Viper’s-bugloss provides food for a range of insects, including Buff-tailed and Red-tailed Bumblebees, Large Skipper and Painted Lady butterflies, Honeybees and Red Mason Bees.
Key Facts
- Viper’s-bugloss has upright spikes of vivd blue flowers in dense clusters; hairy, spotted stems; and narrow, pointed leaves.
- Viper’s-bugloss may have got its common name, ‘Viper’, from its spotted stem, which is said to resemble a snake’s markings, or from the shape of its flowers, which look like the head of a snake. ‘Bugloss’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘ox’s tongue’ and refers to the rough, tongue-shaped leaves.
- Height: up to 80cm
Status
Common.
Seasonality
May to September
