Hiding its face

It's a bit like reading a word for years but never hearing it said so it's a big surprise when you hear it pronounced properly. That's how it was for me today when Polly found a Hidden Violet Viola cleistogamoides. I've seen photos and read descriptions but never would have recognised this little beauty if I'd been by myself. It's a tiny plant, the flowers face downwards and it's the leaves you notice first. My highlight of the club excursion to a private property near Anglesea - although it was hard to beat the killer view of an Australian Owlet-nightjar sitting on a low branch.