h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

June in England can be glorious. This is a day of blue skies, dotted with fluffy white cumulus clouds. We drive to a place we know at the foot of the South Downs and walk up. It is quite a steep climb, between ash, oak and beech trees, in their full foliage. Wild garlic still covers the ground beneath, but is turning brown. Our path takes us over a stile, across a meadow, then up steps through a stretch of wood. We come out into a clearing full of flowers, where the grass is dotted with Common Spotted Orchids, Twayblades, Butterfly Orchids and a few White Helleborines. We turn a corner onto a bridleway which is still deep in mud. Although the Downs themselves are chalk, the lower slopes coat the rock with the heavy clay of the Low Weald.
Having climbed another stile, we emerge onto open downland. The sky is clear enough for us to see not only over the Low Weald, and across the sandstone of the High Weald, but as far as the chalk of the North Downs. We can hear skylarks trilling high above and the flowers attract butterflies, including Common Blue, Small Heath, Wall Brown and Small Blue. Towards the top of the hill, we cross banks and ditches which are remnants of ancient defences. From the summit, we can see the sea shining to the south and the Downs stretching westward into the distance.
Contouring round the hill, we find a slope where Fragrant Orchids bloom. Further down we find the Man Orchid, which is not much to look at but is quite uncommon. Soon we are returning to woodland, where the cool green contrasts with the bright sun outside. This has been a good walk.

Sounds beautiful.

My little corner of Boston is nestled against the Charles River floodplain. My Trilliums have already bloomed and faded, but the leaves are still green. Both of my Jack-in-the-pulpits are up. My Coreopses are about to blossom. The knockout roses are blooming with a vengeance. The irises are in full bloom, but their season will soon be past.

white trillium:
http://www.ediblewildfood.com/white-trillium.aspx

Jacki n the pulpit:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=artr

Coreopsis:
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=243938

Knockout roses:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/knockout-roses/prune-knockout-roses.htm

The Jack in the Pulpit flowers look really weird!

We have arums but they're not the same - and I think they're poisonous.

My roses are doing well too