A 2009 plant-hunter's diary

[KeenTeen17]

You've been very busy! . Great job - theres no way you found that Fen Orchid by chance! Its impossible to get nowadays . If you did though well done

Anyway thanks for IDing the Giant Scabious. Found some today next to a road and didn't know which it was.

[davidbr]

Horsey Mere added this Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) bush, on a bank by the car park...

(Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna)

and Cowbane (Cicuta virosa) was in full flower at the RSPB's Strumpshaw Fen reserve

(Cowbane, Cicuta virosa)

A couple of plants of Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia), the first I'd ever seen, added a splash of blue to a poppy-filled field at Hickling...

(Phacelia, Phacelia tanacetifolia)

and finally, a couple of roadside finds; a large stretch of Dwarf Elder (Sambucus ebulus), and a couple of enormous plants of Globe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus)

(Dwarf Elder, Sambucus ebulus)

(Globe Artichoke, Cynara cardunculus)

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

You've been very busy! . Great job - theres no way you found that Fen Orchid by chance! Its impossible to get nowadays . If you did though well done

Anyway thanks for IDing the Giant Scabious. Found some today next to a road and didn't know which it was.

Honestly, I had no idea they were there

There's a kind of marshy clearing in the middle of this reserve, and I'd gone into it to photograph some Round-leaved Wintergreens (of which there were dozens). I was also staring at the ground to try and find a half-decent specimen of Marsh Valerian out of all the ones that'd gone over, and that's when I spotted the three orchid spikes down by my feet My record's not great when it comes to orchids, so no-one was more surprised than me

That Giant Scabious was definitely one of the highlights - it's a really impressive-looking plant

[davidbr]

North-west Norfolk (King's Lynn area): 19th - 23rd June

Leaving the Broads behind, we'd be based in the village/town of Terrington St Clement for the next few days, a few miles west of King's Lynn. The drive across-county added Trailing Snapdragon (Asarina procumbens) & Pale Corydalis (Pseudofumaria alba) at a well-known site in the village of Cawston (it's in the Flora of Norfolk book, anyway... ), and the complete surprise find of a beautiful Martagon Lily (Lilium martagon) by the side of a road

(Trailing Snapdragon, Asarina procumbens)

(Martagon Lily, Lilium martagon)

At first sight the area immediately around Terrington didn't seem promising; the vast, hedgeless, flat fields looked to have less life than the surface of the moon A few good "escapes" did turn up, though; Californian Honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata), Alternate-leaved Butterfly-bush (Buddleja alterniifolia) and (with thanks to aeshna for the ID... ) Chilean Potato-vine (Solanum crispum)

[/quote] (Chilean Potato-vine, Solanum crispum)

(Californian Honeysuckle, Lonicera involucrata)

(Alternate-leaved Butterfly-bush, Buddleja alterniifolia)

[davidbr]

The highlight of this section of the trip was probably the visit to Snettisham, on the Wash coast; better known as a bird reserve, the shingle bank here has an excellent, varied flora. The display of Hoary Mullein (Verbascum pulverulentum), a local rarity, was worth seeing on its own

(Hoary Mullein, Verbascum pulverulentum)

Sea Kale (Crambe maritima), Sea Bindweed (Calystegia soldanella), Sea-holly (Eryngium maritimum) & Shrubby Sea-blite (Suaeda vera), four new native "ticks", were easily found, but the shingle bank also had an excellent range of aliens that'd probably escaped from chalets & caravan parks. Red-hot-poker (Kniphofia uvaria) seemed to be genuinely naturalised, and amongst others I also found Jerusalem-sage (Phlomis fruticosa) & Garden Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)

(Jerusalem-sage, Phlomis fruticosa)

(Garden Candytuft, Iberis umbellata)

Further along the coast at Holme Dunes, we were able to enjoy a fine display of orchids; Common Spotted, Southern Marsh & Bee, but also Early Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) and what seems to be its' hybrid with Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza x kerneriorum)

(Early Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnata)

(Common Spotted/Early Marsh Orchid hybrid, Dactylorhiza x kerneriorum)

There was also a single plant of Orange Mullein (Verbascum phlomoides) along the approach track to the dunes

(Orange Mullein, Verbascum phlomoides)

[davidbr]

I couldn't find any Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris) at Holme, but that didn't matter because inland at the NWT's Narborough Railway Line reserve, half a dozen plants were growing in what looked to be bone-dry conditions It's obviously a known site, though, because there's a photo of them in my Flora of Norfolk book

(Marsh Helleborine, Epipactis palustris)

The boggy reserves in the area weren't as productive as I'd hoped, but I did manage to find Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) at Dersingham & Lesser Marshwort (Apium inundatum) at Roydon Common. Sorry, the latter isn't a great photo; it's a very low-growing plant and at the time, my back was playing up a bit

(Cranberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos)

(Lesser Marshwort, Apium inundatum)

Oh - and a plant of Memorial Rose (Rosa luciae) that had scrambled a good forty feet up a tree on the common

(Memorial Rose, Rosa luciae)

And then, a moment that proves you really can find good plants anywhere. By the side of the A149 main coast road, topsoil had clearly been used to resurface a verge and, as a result, an extraordinary range of "casuals" had sprung up! Larkspur (Consolida ajacis), Garden Orache (Atriplex hortensis), Small Balsam (Impatiens parviflora) & Corn Marigold (Chrysanthemum segetum) were all new, whilst other goodies here included Annual Toadflax (Linaria maroccana) & Small Toadflax (Chaenorrhinum minus)

(Larkspur, Consolida ajacis)

(Garden Orache, Atriplex hortensis)

(Corn Marigold, Chrysanthemum segetum)

[davidbr]

North Norfolk coast: 23rd - 27th June

By now I was well on track to meet my target of 100 additions, so when we moved on to Salthouse things slowed down a bit. Greater Sea-kale (Crambe cordifolia) was an excellent find in the Cley NWT reserve car park; even though hundreds of people must have walked past it every day, the reserve staff had no idea this potential county first grew on their doorstep

(Greater Sea-kale, Crambe cordifolia)

Nearby, in a brackish saline pool by the Cley beach car park, was (assuming I've ID'd it correctly...) perhaps one of the most boring plants in the world. Beaked Tasselweed (Ruppia maritima), against my shoe because that was the only way I could get a decent photo

(Beaked Tasselweed, Ruppia maritima)

Frosted Orache (Atriplex laciniata) was a pleasant surprise on the sandy beach at Titchwell, I also spotted a couple of traditional blue Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) plants by the A149 at Burnham Norton and, at the Holt Lowes SSSI, a single Great Sundew (Drosera anglica) amongst dozens of the common D. rotundifolia)

(Frosted Orache, Atriplex laciniata)

(Larkspur, Consolida ajacis)

(Great Sundew, Drosera anglica)

[davidbr]

Thanks to a bit of local help from a photographer I bumped into, I was able to track down Yarrow Broomrape (Orobanche purpurea) on the cliffs at Sheringham.

(Yarrow Broomrape, Orobanche purpurea)

Sand Catchfly (Silene conica) was a very welcome find here, too, since I'd missed this supposedly frequent plant of Breckland a week or so earlier

(Sand Catchfly, Silene conica)

There were also a few good escapes here; Garden Lavender (Lavandula x intermedia), seemingly well-established (it's listed on an information board, at least... ) and Maltese-cross (Lychnis chalcedonica), competing with the long grass.

(Garden Lavender, Lavandula x intermedia)

(Maltese-cross, Lychnis chalcedonica)

[davidbr]

Nearby, at Beeston Common, was a fantastic display of orchids; dozens of Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris) in full bloom, and three Lesser Butterfly Orchids (Platanthera bifolia). All three sundews were also easy to find here.

(Marsh Helleborine, Epipactis palustris)

(Lesser Butterfly Orchid, Platanthera bifolia)

(Fragrant Orchid, Gymnadenia conopsea)

And lastly, on the journey back to Bristol, two final additions; Gallant-soldier (Galinsoga parviflora[/i]) and, a real surprise back at Grafham Water, Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria) at the edge of the car park

(Gallant-soldier, Galinsoga parviflora)

(Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeria)

[Vectisbirder]

What a super thread! Ok, I will admit that plants aren't really my 'thing' although I love a pretty flower as much as the next person, but your enthusiasm is infectious and your photos are excellent. Good luck with the quest.