Good news! Salsify is flourishing again along Sea Lane. The flowers are purple/pink and the plant is tall with greenish/grey, long, thin leaves. It belongs to the Daisy family, the Compositae, and is related to Goatsbeard which is similar but with yellow flowers.The other name for Goatsbeard is ‘Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon’ because the flowers usually close at mid-day. So, if you want to see Salsify, look for it on a sunny morning. Its seeds form a conspicuous ‘clock’ which is brownish in colour. It also occurs in my front garden in Clover Lane, presumably accidentally transported there when I was taking photographs!. The root of Salsify can be used in cooking. It is thought that its appearance in the countryside is as a result of escapes from garden vegetable plots.