Blue fleabane
Blue Fleabane, Erigeron acer
I’ve made a conscious effort this year to improve my botany skills. That’s just a posher way of saying I’m endeavouring to put a name to some of the plants I see when I’m out looking for insects. A number of the people that have helped me with my various surveys are good botanists and so have got used to me pointing to a flower and asking ‘What’s this?’.
At the weekend while out counting bees on Salisbury Plain we spotted this rather unusual looking wildflower which I was informed is called Blue Fleabane Erigeron acris (formerly Erigeron acer). I was struck by its unusual and delicate pale lilac and yellow flowers. Apparently it’s a member of the Daisy family, Asteraceae. It’s a herb thought to be helpful in treating tooth-ache and arthritic pains.
entomacrographic 
Thanks for your article. I have the same problem-I see something intriguing and then can’t find out what it is.Keep helping me out!
rgds
Jim Kirby
Hi Jim, In regard to botany it may be a case of the blind leading the blind. I’m struggling with the fact that there are over 4,000 species of beetle in Britain. I dread to imagine how many plants there are :0)