Nature on our doorsteps: Piggy-back plants

There are different ways in which flowering plants make sure that they get the sunlight they need to flower and attract pollinating insects.

Some plants grow tall, sturdy, or woody stems that send flowers high into the sunlight.

To produce strong stems like these, however, plants need to invest a lot of energy.

Some plants prefer not to use their energy in this way to create robust stems, but to use it instead to produce lots of little flowers.

This also increases their chances of setting more seed for next year.

These plants, however, still need to make sure they stretch up to the sunlight, and so they piggy-back on their neighbours. By doing this, they are not left behind to be shaded over by surrounding plants.

Two hedgerow plants are in flower at the moment that have taken slightly different approaches to the piggy-back technique.

Greater Stitchwort piggy-backs on surrounding hedgerow plants

Greater Stitchwort has lots of lovely white, star-like, flowers that are currently brightening the bases of banks and hedgerows. Although the plant’s stems are thin and straggly, they grow very quickly.

This allows Stitchwort to keep pace with the rapidly growing grasses and plants growing around them. As its neighbours grow upwards, Stitchwort is physically supported and carried along by them, where it can then pop its white flowers out into the sunlight.

Another family of plants that uses the piggy-back technique is the Vetch group. Vetches are part of the pea family of plants, and these also have weak straggly stems.

The tips of Vetch’s leaf stems, however, have long thin tendrils that grasp at anything nearby. As these tendrils curl tightly around neighbouring grasses and plants, Vetch is brought along for the ride.

This will ensure that Vetch’s flowers are on show to passing insects like the ginger-backed Common Carder Bumblebee.