Red campion (Silene dioica) at the top of the Massney Braes.
Although at the beginning of June the white of Queen Anne's Lace is the dominant plant surrounding the local footpaths and verges, vivid patches of colour are given by red campion.
Silenus, the drunken, merry god of the woodlands in Greek mythology, gave his name to Silene dioica, the Red Campion. The second part of its scientific name, dioica, means 'two houses', and refers to the fact that each Red Campion plant has flowers of one sex only, so that two plants are needed to make seed. Female flowers have no stamens, while male flowers have only a small, non-functioning ovary.
The flower has five deeply notched petals, narrowed at the base and an urn-shaped calyx.
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