On this morning's hedge-bothering walk I stopped to admire a
patch of valerian growing locally.
It's easy to miss this at the moment, if you aren't paying attention it can blend in with the meadowsweet that is everywhere now, but a closer look and it's quite different...

This is Valeriana officinalis, a native of Europe and northern Asia, (not the pink and red cetranthus which is Mediterranean in origin and familiar as a garden plant).Valerian has been used since classical times as a soporific, it's mentioned by Galen and Dioscorides for example

and even today it's often found in herb tea blends aimed at promoting sleep. It's root, which has a pungent smell that is quite different from the fragrant flowers, is also irresistible to cats and rats. It's possible that valerian is how the Pied Piper lured the rats of Hamelin!

I use it a lot with catnip in cat toys, the combination is really effective as my permanently addled quality control cats will tell you

I won't be harvesting this patch, not enough of it, but it's lovely to see a plant I use a great deal growing happily away.