I was driving into Wakefield on Friday evening and, as the traffic slowed, I was scanning the patches of Danish scurvy grass in the middle of the road when I spotted some conspicuous patches of pink flowers. I returned the next morning to have a closer look before the traffic got too busy and I found that the flowers belong to common storksbill (Erodium cicutarium).
Common storksbill is an invasive species normally favouring sandy soils but can grow in a variety of soils. According to Wkipedia, the whole plant is apparently edible and has a similar taste to parsley However, another plant site says ‘may be toxic’!
common storksbill (Erodium cicutarium)
common storksbill (Erodium cicutarium)