13th April 2009 (Monday)
I just couldn't face the Bank Holiday crowds that were sure to have congregated on the coast, so decided to use today to catch up with work I'd been putting off; plus a walk to the railway station on my doorstep, Abbey Wood, to see how a few of the favourites were getting on
Thankfully it was nice and quiet this morning (it's largely a work-day station, taking staff to and from the MOD headquarters next door, so weekends and the like find the place deserted); the
Winter-cress (
Barbarea vulgaris) &
Wood Forget-me-not (
Myosotis sylvatica) had turned the pathside a picture of yellow & blue, and a couple of patches of
Three-cornered Leek (
Allium triquetrum) &
White Comfrey (
Symphytum orientale) were in full flower too.
The abundance of
Stinking Hellebore (
Helleborus foetidus) here really has to be seen to be believed; last summer I only noticed a handful of plants, but now there must be upwards of 20 and it's almost the dominant species on some parts of the railway bank
A couple of plants of
Flowering Currant (
Ribes sanguineum) had also sprung up, just about close enough to be able to manage a half-decent photo
(
Flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum)
I was also pleased to find that the single bush of
Hairy Canary-clover (
Dorycnium hirsutum) I'd found last summer had now become two; they won't flower for a month or so yet, but looked in good health - from what I've read, this could be one of the only sites in the UK for this plant. Some
Sweet Cicely (
Myrrhis odorata) was in flower nearby, and a small plant of
Lamb's-ear (
Stachys byzantina) amongst the rough grass was a new find for the site; for such a distinctive plant, I was left wondering how I'd managed to miss it before
(
Sweet Cicely, Myrrhis odorata)
(
Lamb's-ear, Stachys byzantina)
Not bad for a railway station on the edge of a city, really!