There is something rather wonderful about this little thing. It’s a wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) and it serves as a small and beautiful reminder that great things can come from the most inhospitable places. I had never seen a wild strawberry before I came here and this place isn’t known for its benign spirit and therefore its bountiful harvest. It’s wet. It has been really cold – much colder than Cornwall should be. It’s windy.

The plant lives in crevices in granite. It sends out runners, just like its cultivated cousins, and they find a little spot then put down roots. There is almost nothing for them to grab onto and almost no nutrients BUT they pop up year after year, flowering like crazy and producing small but perfectly succulent fruit. They’re late this year, as is everything, but they’re here now and loving a day of beautiful sunshine between clouds and rain.

It seems that nothing can stop its ability to survive – our local council came along last year and repointed a granite wall that was previously covered in them. The wall was bare last summer but this year, they are popping out from the tiniest cracks between granite and mortar. Go strawberry – don’t take no for an answer…oh and I’ll be stopping by to sample your wares soon!