Two flowers that have escaped from gardens are now growing everywhere in the countryside, and are especially noticeable on railway embankments. These are goldenrod and Michaelmas daisy. Goldenrod is very striking, with its tall, slightly drooping stalks and its spikes of golden-yellow flowers. It is a North American flower, and is called by botanists Canadian goldenrod to distinguish it from our native species. Our goldenrod is shorter and more stiffly upright, with distinctly larger flowers and is found mostly on Scottish heaths. Michaelmas daisies are also American in origin, and the flowers have a more delicate beauty than goldenrod, with their ring of purple rays and yellow centres. They sometimes take over a whole field, which looks as if it is covered with giant heather. There is an equivalent European species found only on the Continent. Here, the closest relative is sea aster, which is very similar but taller.