Autumn Flowering Daffodils 2017


Wendy and I made over 20 visits together to Spain, Portugal and France to see daffodils growing in the wild. These included two trips to see those that flowered in the autumn and two unsuccessful winter searches around Luarca in Northern Spain for ‘Cedric Morris’. It is therefore extremely strange to be making an autumn trip without her, though accompanied by eldest son Noel and his wife Anne and for the first time ever not having to do the driving the blow has been softened.

There are five species here in Spain and four named hybrids between them and after only three days searching we have been able to see all five of the former and two of the latter. Time therefore to call to a halt and do some sightseeing. Another first.

The photo above is of the location above Malaga where Narcissus elegans grows. We saw very few open flowers but thousands in bud including the one photographed which had 16 florets.

Attached are a few photographs, perhaps not up to their usual standard as this is being penned on my tablet but they can be sorted out on my return to the UK. click on a photo to enlarge it.
Daffodil, Snowdrop and Tulip Yearbook 2017 contains a wonderful article by Sally Kingston of an RHS trip last year which provides a lot of information about autumn flowering daffodils.
N. x alentejanus is the hybrid between N. cavanillesii and N. serotinus more commonly seen as a white flower but photographed here is a yellow form.
N. x perezlarae is the hybrid between N. cavanillesii and N. miniatus which is most common as a yellow form. Photo 1 is a very vigorous form with most probably N. miniatus as the seed parent. Photo 2 where N. cavanillesii is probably the seed parent shows both white and yellow forms which likely came from the same seed pod.
It is very difficult with spring flowering daffodils to determine the pollinator however with autumn flowering daffodils butterflies obviously are significant.
Many thanks to Theo Sanders for suggesting the locations we visited.

N. elegans
N. cavanillesii
N. miniatus
N. serotinus
N. viridiflorus
N. serotinus with butterfly
N. serotinus with butterfly
N. serotinus with butterfly
N. serotinus with butterfly
N. miniatus
N. x perezlarae 1
N. x perezlarae 2
N. viridiflorus with N. miniatus
N. x alentejanus
N. miniatus with N. cavanillesii

2 thoughts on “Autumn Flowering Daffodils 2017”

  1. What a successful trip. The photos really show the dry and arid terrain – a marvel that they thrive at all but clearly a treat for the butterflies.

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