Grape hyacinth
Muscari sp.
Grape Hyacinth · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · 2 April 2026
Tight clusters of blue-purple bells stacked up a single spike, each one rimmed in white at the mouth. A bulb of the Mediterranean hillsides and Turkish meadows, and one of the easiest spring bulbs to naturalise, spike after spike planted here closely enough to blur into a solid haze of blue.
The "grape" in the name is straightforwardly about the resemblance to a small bunch of the fruit. The Turks grew it in the Ottoman gardens alongside the tulip, and it came to Europe on the same road.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
Every photograph comes with notes on what it is.
Selected
Favourite shots. Filter by subject, or .
Places
Everything, by where it was taken.
Species
Larger catalogue of photos organized by species of animal or plant.
Catalogue
Every photograph, newest first. Narrow it by period, place or species; the three work together.
Updates
Coming soon. Sign up at the bottom of the page for updates.