South Somerset, 1st - 5th June 2009
Having gotten hold of a copy of
The Atlas Flora of Somerset, I'd decided to start June with a week based in the Minehead area in the hope of tracking down sites for a good range of interesting species. Unfortunately, with the book having been published in 1999, quite a few of the plants seem to have since died out - as is so often the case, though, when I missed my main target I'd usually end up finding something else just as interesting
All in all, over the five days, I added 52 species to the list (plus 10 still to be identified...) - here's some of the highlights
Heading straight down the M5 from Bristol, we hopped off at Taunton to pay a visit to Ash Priors Common, where a beautiful clump of
Siberian Iris (
Iris sibirica) was hard to miss.
(
Siberian Iris, Iris sibirica)
A real bonus here was several dozen spikes of
Heath Spotted Orchid (
Dactylorhiza maculosa) in a clearing in the centre of the common; I'd no idea they grew here until I read the reserve information board
Common Spotted Orchids (
Dactylorhiza fuchsii) were, well, common, and there were also quite a few plants that, with KT's help on the forum, I've since ID'd as the Common Spotted/Southern Marsh Orchid hybrid,
Dactylorhiza x grandis 
(
Heath Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza maculata)
Just as we were about to give up, I eventually managed to find the "pond" on the edge of the common, as mentioned in the book. It was as dry as a bone, but
Giant-rhubarb (
Gunnera tinctoria) was indeed sending its giant leaves up through the nettles whilst, almost smothered by the same nettles, was
Ornamental Rhubarb (
Rheum palmatum)
(
Giant-rhubarb, Gunnera tinctoria)
(
Ornamental Rhubarb, Rheum palmatum)
There was no sign of any Caucasian Crosswort nearby in the churchyard at Fitzhead, but I did find a specimen of
Olympic St John's Wort (
Hypericum olympicum) by the side of the road, so it wasn't a wasted diversion
(
Olympic St John's Wort, Hypericum olympicum)