A 2009 plant-hunter's diary

[davidbr]

Oh, and is there any reason why we can't post images on this forum that've been uploaded to sites like Photobucket?

I've tried to upload pictures of some of these plants to the Image Gallery, but even though I've tried under several different categories all I get is a blank picture and "No thumbnail" message

Most other forums allow outside images - why not this one? It'd be so, so much easier

[davidbr]

I've managed to upload a shot of one of the Alpine Squills, Scilla bifolia, but the other five I was trying for either disappeared altogether or were displayed as the dreaded "No thumbnail" (and no picture, either )

So - apologies, but I give up on posting photos of the plants mentioned in this thread unless/until I'm allowed to link from external sites. I can upload these to Photobucket in ten seconds flat, problem-free

Alpine Squill, Scilla bifolia; well naturalised at Frenchay Churchyard, north Bristol, 7th March 2009

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by davidbr

Alpine Squill, Scilla bifolia; well naturalised at Frenchay Churchyard, north Bristol, 7th March 2009

The stamen shape and positioning plus the partially fused tepals forming a bell-shaped tube at the base of the flower indicate that this is a Chionodoxa. In fact it is Glory of the snow (Chionodoxa forbesii). Here is a pic of Alpine Squill to compare


Looks like you have been having some interesting finds recently.

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi davidbr,

Originally Posted by davidbr

Oh, and is there any reason why we can't post images on this forum that've been uploaded to sites like Photobucket?....

StuartDH has given the reasons a few times, and they are displayed within the FAQ section. - The main reason is to prevent WAB from becoming "infected" with dead links, should any of these external site pages disappear.

Originally Posted by davidbr

....apologies, but I give up on posting photos of the plants mentioned in this thread unless/until I'm allowed to link from external sites. I can upload these to Photobucket in ten seconds flat, problem-free....

If you submit your pics. in the format required by WAB, I'm certain that you won't have any problems. I've uploaded more than a hundred, and haven't had a problem yet.

OK, so you might have to resize your pic, etc. but is that really such a no-no? My "out of camera" .jpeg's are usually about 5Mp. so I always have to resize any that I'm uploading to WAB. The process takes no more than a minute for each pic. (I use Photoshop Elements). I don't consider it too much hassle considering the small numbers of pics involved at any one time.

I put a thread up recently, which gives full step by step details of how to successfully upload to WAB. Why don't you give it a try and see how things go. Surely it doesn't make sense just to give up and lose out on potential future help (both for and from other contributors).

Here's the link to the thread: - http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...otos-info.html

Regards
Mike.

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by Tiggrx

The stamen shape and positioning plus the partially fused tepals forming a bell-shaped tube at the base of the flower indicate that this is a Chionodoxa. In fact it is Glory of the snow (Chionodoxa forbesii). Here is a pic of Alpine Squill to compare


Looks like you have been having some interesting finds recently.

Thanks, Tiggrx - C. forbesii never even occurred to me; I'd never seen it naturalised before, but in a garden setting it'd always seemed to form recognisable clumps. I guess when it's competing with the grass of a churchyard, adaptations have to be made It's just as well I'm delaying reporting any of these until the end of spring, really

I had Glory-of-the-Snow down as one of my main spring targets, too, so I can cross that one off - now all I've got to do is track down a genuine Scilla bifolia I ought to be able to add Greek Squill, S. messeniaca, this week at least; it should be in flower by now at Smallcombe Wood, near Bath.

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

Hi davidbr,

StuartDH has given the reasons a few times, and they are displayed within the FAQ section. - The main reason is to prevent WAB from becoming "infected" with dead links, should any of these external site pages disappear.

Ah, fair enough. It's just that I use photobucket for other forums and have never had any problem with it, so it'd have been a lot easier to be able to do the same on here. Rules are rules, though, I guess...

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

If you submit your pics. in the format required by WAB, I'm certain that you won't have any problems. I've uploaded more than a hundred, and haven't had a problem yet.

OK, so you might have to resize your pic, etc. but is that really such a no-no? My "out of camera" .jpeg's are usually about 5Mp. so I always have to resize any that I'm uploading to WAB. The process takes no more than a minute for each pic. (I use Photoshop Elements). I don't consider it too much hassle considering the small numbers of pics involved at any one time.

I put a thread up recently, which gives full step by step details of how to successfully upload to WAB. Why don't you give it a try and see how things go. Surely it doesn't make sense just to give up and lose out on potential future help (both for and from other contributors).

Here's the link to the thread: - http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/fo...otos-info.html

Regards
Mike.

It's not really a matter of giving up, Mike - it makes a mess of the galleries and I'm sure other members would find it annoying for me to continually post "images" with no viewable picture, even if it was a genuine mistake.

I'm aware of the size considerations and always make sure to resize them before trying the upload; no, it doesn't take very long, like you my files are usually around 5MB when I download them off-camera, and I usually reduce that to somewhere in the region of 750KB before attempting to put anything on this site.

It's after having done all that, though, that I'm getting the problems; not every time, I do manage to get some to go through OK, but that just makes it even more baffling because I can't understand why some work and others don't? They're all pretty much the same, after all

[davidbr]

Mid to late March

Although the weather hasn't always been brilliant (apart from that fine spell a week or so ago...) and my travelling abilities are still restricted, March has actually been a pretty satisfying month as far as my plant-hunting exploits are concerned; with April due in tomorrow, I've now added 81 species to last year's totals since January 1st, making a round total of exactly 900 in the photo folder

Quite a few of the month's finds came from the [b]Avon Gorge[/i], where although I struggled to find some native rarities, a whole series of unexpected aliens more than made up for the disappointment! Bristol Rock-cress (Arabis scabra) was flowering well on limestone along the River Avon towpath, together with Spurge-laurel (Daphne laureola) & Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) in nearby Leigh Woods nature reserve; all three were new, as was the Round-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium rotundifolium) growing by the entrance to Leigh Woods church, but as I said it was the introduced species providing most of the interest...

I'm not sure where they all come from, but both Turkish Squill (Scilla bithynica) & Greek Squill (S. messeniaca) were naturalised in grassy verges of the quiet residential (posh!) streets of Leigh Woods, plus Creeping Comfrey (Symphytum grandiflorum), Garden Tulip (Tulipa gesneriana), Garden Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis), Two-spined Acaena (Acaena ovalifolium) & Nonesuch Daffodil (Narcissus x incomparabilis). Over the other side of the Gorge, it took a couple of trips but I eventually managed to find the Perennial Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) that's supposedly been established here for over twenty years!

The star find, though, was undoubtedly a beautiful red specimen of Lenten-rose, (Helleborus orientalis), at the top of the Leigh Woods nature reserve, right next to the main North Road! Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) is also established in this area, but I've had no success (as yet...) in finding the Green Hellebore (H.viridis) for which the reserve's well known!

As you cross the Bristol Suspension Bridge the council have made attempts at planting flowerbeds on either side; whilst the shrubs here are obviously planted, there are a few interesting naturalised species to be picked out. Chinese Bramble (Rubus tricolor) is taking over on the Leigh Woods side of the bridge, where there's also a well-established clump of Star-of-the-Veldt (Osteospermum hyoseroides); Bulbous Comfrey (Symphytum bulbosum) & Purple Rock-cress (Aubretia deltoidea) were also found here, and I re-visited the Waterer's Cotoneaster (C. x watereri) & Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis) bushes I found last summer naturalised near the Observatory.

Since I started photographing plants last June, I've found the suburban lanes of Bristol to be home to an often fascinating variety of escapes - Spring's proved to be no different, with Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius) being the real shock find (enabling me to abandon plans for a difficult-looking trip to the well-known locality at Stow-on-the-Wold ) I've also managed to come across another couple of plants of Lenten-rose (Helleborus orientalis), of the green-flowered form this time, plus Grape-hyacinth (Muscari neglectum) making a nice & distinctive change from the Garden Grape-hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) that seem to add a splash of blue to just about every patch of waste ground!

The site of a former estate at Pur Down, near the M5 motorway, allowed me to add [b]Wellingtonia[/b[ (Sequoiadendron giganteum) & Atlas Cedar ([i]Cedrus atlantica[/i[), both ancient plantings, plus Wrinkled Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum), though I'd also come across a couple of seedlings of the latter species in flowerbeds around the city. The woods around here make a fine sight at this time of year, with drifts of Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) mingling with the yellow of Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria); there'll also be masses of Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in a few weeks time!

In the centre of town, amongst plenty of naturalised daffodils along the banks of the River Avon were a couple of "rarities", Paperwhite Daffodil, Narcissus papyraceus, & Poet's Narcissus (Narcissus poeticus), with American Winter-cress (Barbarea verna) coming into flower. Plus the Peach tree, Prunus persica, I posted in the "Flower of the Day" thread yesterday and a couple of plants of New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax), presumably garden throw-outs.

Finally, the St. Werburgh's area of Bristol is an unlikely haunt for unusual plants (being more famed for drugs & muggings...!) but it proved profitable last summer, and a spring exploration turned up a few garden & allotment escapes - in the form of Garden Rocket (Eruca vesicaria), Creeping Speedwell (Veronica peduncularis) & Hidcote Comfrey ([i]Symphytum "Hidcote Blue"); I wish I could find a proper scientific name for the latter species!

[davidbr]

A few pictures of my March finds that I've managed to upload...



Bristol Rock-cress (Arabis scabra); Avon Gorge, 19th March



Balkan Anemones (Anemone blanda); Mells Manor, Somerset, March 20th



Common Whitlowgrass, Erophila verna; New Avon Cut, Bristol City Centre, 25th March



Corsican Hellebore, (Helleborus argutifolius); Muller Road, Filton, 19th March

[davidbr]

Creeping Speedwell (Veronica peduncularis); St Werburgh's, 27th March



Lenten-rose (Helleborus orientalis); Leigh Woods, Avon Gorge, 19th March



Lenten-rose (Helleborus orientalis; Filton Avenue, Filton, 27th March



Garden Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis); Frenchay Hospital nature reserve, 21st March

[davidbr]

Netted Iris (Iris reticulata); Clifton Down, 14th March



Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica); Mells Manor, 20th March



Rosemary (Rosmarina officinalis); Frenchay, 25th March



Turkish Squill (Scilla bithynica); Leigh Woods, Avon Gorge, 19th March

[davidbr]

Snake's-head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris); Frenchay Hospital nature reserve, 21st March



Winter Savory (Satureja montana); Mells Manor, Somerset, 20th March (This is supposedly the only site in the UK for this species, where they've been established for over a hundred years, but that spell of freezing weather looks to have hit this Mediterranean introduction hard - a few new shoots was all that was on offer!)



Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans); Bristol Suspension Bridge, March 14th



Wrinkled Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum); Stoke Park woods, Pur Down, 25th March



Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa); Stoke Park woods, Pur Down, 25th March

And, lastly...



Peach (Prunus persica); New Avon Cut, Bristol city centre, 30th March!!