Foxglove - Digitalis purpurea

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Description

Medium to tall, leafy, hairy plant to 1.5 metres. Stems generally unbranched. Flowers pink, purple (or ocasionally white), patterned with darker spots or rings inside and borne in a spike. Flowers are 40 to 55 mm long, tubular bell shaped, hairy on lower lip inside.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Open woodland and scrub.

When to see it

June to September.

Life History

Biennial or short lived perennial.

UK Status

Common throughout Britain

VC55 Status

Fairly frequent but rather localised in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 178 of the 617 tetrads.

  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    04 June 2007
  • HAPeacock
    Billa Barra
    21 July 2012
  • Lostash
    Bradgate Park
    01 June 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    21 June 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Higham on the Hill
    11 June 2015
  • David Nicholls
    Hill Hole Quarry
    02 June 2011
  • Graham Calow
    Coventry Road, Sapcote
    30 May 2017
  • Graham Calow
    Elmesthorpe
    27 May 2016
  • Graham Calow
    Elmesthorpe
    27 May 2016

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species data profile ?

Species profile

Common names
Foxglove
Species group:
flowering plant
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Plantaginaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
305
First record:
26/04/2007 (Dave Wood)
Last record:
06/04/2026 (Cunningham, Sally)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records

  • David Gould
    Croft Pasture, Leics
    27 June 2016
  • Graham Calow
    Near Wigston Parva Old Churchyard
    11 June 2016
  • Graham Calow
    Jubilee Walk Leire
    13 June 2012
  • Graham Calow
    Croft Hill
    11 June 2011
  • David Nicholls
    Martinshaw Wood
    30 June 2011
  • Lostash
    Bradgate Park
    01 June 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    18 June 2013
  • Paul Roberts
    Rutland Water
    09 July 2013
  • Lostash
    Bradgate Park
    01 June 2014
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    21 May 2014
  • Mike Higgott
    Hunt's Hill
    10 July 2013
  • Graham Calow
    Sapcote
    21 June 2014
Photo of the association

Aphis armata

The foxglove aphid Aphis armata does not host alternate. It only feeds on Foxglove.The apterae are black. Immatures often have discrete wax spots, but apterae rarely have such spots. The middle abdominal tergites in apterae are usually without dark sclerotic bands. The only reliable characteristic to differentiate the species from Aphis fabae is that the oviparae have hardly any swelling of the hind tibiae, whilst in Aphis fabae the oviparae have the hind tibiae strongly swollen. The body length of apterae is 2.2 to 2.9 mm.

Photo of the association

Aulacorthum solani

Aulacorthum solani feeds on a number of different plants, noteably Foxgloves and Potatoe plants. Adult apterae are green/yellowish with dark-tips to siphunculi.