A 2009 plant-hunter's diary

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by davidbr

Oh, one more thing.

At Great Elm, Somerset on May 2nd I found & photographed a poplar by the river that is given by Atlas Flora of Somerset as Balm-of-Gilead, Populus candicans. The only trouble is, that name doesn't seem to exist

It's not on the BSBI database, nor Stace's Interactive Flora of NW Europe, and I can't figure out what the new name is, if any. Can anyone give me a clue?

This one has gone through a variety of name changes over the years. Stace has it as Populus x jackii.

[davidbr]

7th May 2009 (Thursday)

Generally a very successful day today; I managed to track down two out of the three plants I'd set out to look for and, completely unexpectedly, happened upon one of my main Spring target species in the last place I would have thought of

Purple Gromwell (Lithospermum purpureocaeruleum) is a speciality of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, and I'd managed to narrow down a specific location as a lane on the west side of Cheddar Wood (near the cheese-town). I wasn't overly hopeful, but a short walk up this lane and, success, several plants of L. purpureocaeruleum) alongside a wall; it really is a beautiful, strikingly-coloured plant, photos don't do it justice. Which is just as well, because the site annoyingly won't let me upload any

Next stop was a pull-in at the side of the A371, between Cheddar and Axbridge, to have a look at the cotoneasters that had naturalised themselves on the steep limestone road-bank. There were three (Wall (C. horizontalis), Himalayan (C. simonsii) & Waterer's (C. x watereri), plus a fourth I've yet to positively identify. I also came across a Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) in bud, plus nearby medium-sized specimens of Swedish Whitebeam (Sorbus intermedia) & Common Walnut (Juglans regia), as well as a rose that'd covered several yards of hedge but whose flowers hadn't yet fully opened (I've taken a specimen home to "develop", hopefully I'll be able to name it then... ) - a quite remarkable selection of woody aliens for a relatively small area. Oh - and a few specimens of Burnet Rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia), in full flower, a second "tick" of the day

(Burnet Rose, Rosa pimpinellifolia)

From there, it was off to the churchyard in Biddisham, a small village by the River Axe, in search of Yellow-flowered Strawberry (Duchesnea indica). This one was easy, too; there was loads of it established in the grass & on the old graves, in perfect photographic conditions too On a wall just outside the churchyard I also found a "toadflax" type plant that, with KeenTeen's help, I've managed to ID as Nemesia denticulata; it doesn't seem to have a common name or to be fully hardy, so presumably this casual will be a one-off

(Yellow-flowered Strawberry, Duchesnea indica)

(Nemesia denticulata, wall casual)

At another nearby village churchyard, Chapel Allerton, I failed to find Pale Corydalis (Pseudofumaria alba); supposedly naturalised on graves & old walls, the church had recently received a tidy-up so it may well have been eradicated. The Thick-leaved Stonecrop (Sedum dasyphyllum) established on some of the graves was a new find, though, as were some large Alliums in bud by the side of the road in the village itself. I'm fairly sure these are Broad-leaved Onion (Allium nigrum), and that's what I've counted them as for now, but as with the rose I found earlier I've taken a sample home to see what the flower looks like when it's fully out

(Thick-leaved Stonecrop, Sedum dasyphyllum)

(Broad-leaved Onion, Allium nigrum)

And, finally, back in Bristol with the rain beginning to spit, I made a quick tour of my local urban lanes to have a look at a patch of Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis); these were now in flower so photos were taken, but growing out of a tiny crack in a tarmac pavement I was amazed to find a couple of lovely examples of Neapolitan Garlic (Allium neapolitanum) Out of all the pictures I took, this is the only one the site would let me successfully upload; nevertheless, it's a very attractive plant and one I'd made a main target for this spring

[davidbr]

9th May 2009 (Saturday)

A Saturday morning isn't the ideal time to explore the centre of Bristol, but thankfully things were pretty quiet during the six to seven mile circuit along the River Avon from the city centre through the famous Gorge. To start with, in the city centre itself, I called in to check on the Veined Yellow-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium laxum) colony at Bathurst Parade, by the Waterfront - to my surprise they were all in flower, but in poor weather views weren't the best. A bonus here was several clumps of Garden Thyme (Thymus vulgaris); like the S. laxum plants, well established in paving-stone cracks by the Docks.

(Veined Yellow-eyed-grass, Sisyrinchium laxum)

(Garden Thyme, Thymus vulgaris)

Along the River Avon towpath several summer species were coming into flower; Hemlock Water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), Perennial Wall-rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) & Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa), plus a Fuschia (Fuschia magellanica) by the old Industrial Museum that I'd first found last July. Crossing the river into the Gorge itself, I came across a few new ticks for the list; Tree Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) self-seeding from probably planted, untended roadside bushes, a Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) meeting my requirements of being in a "natural environment" and a couple of bushes of American Elder (Sambucus canadensis), of the yellow-leaved cultivar, self-sown in a hedge.

(Tree Privet, Ligustrum lucidum)

(American Elder, Sambucus canadensis)

Heading up into one of my favourite local areas, the roadside verges of Leigh Woods village, I came up trumps again with a large clump of Fringecups (Tellima grandiflora); it's rare that an exploration of this area fails to turn up something unusual! Along those lines, Spotted Hawkweed (Hieracium maculatum) was a surprise in full-flower, as was a Leopard's-bane (Doronicum sp.) I've yet to specifically identify

(Fringecups, Tellima grandiflora)

(Spotted Hawkweed, Hieracium maculatum)

And lastly, across to the Clifton side of the Suspension Bridge, I managed to find & photograph the Gorge's two well-known introduced "garlics"; Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum) was everywhere, making a most attractive show, whilst Honey Garlic (Nectaroscordum siculum) was only just coming into bloom; it'll need another week or two before it's at its best

(Rosy Garlic, Allium roseum)

In total I'd added six new species and managed improved photographs of quite a few others; all in all, not a bad morning's work

[KeenTeen17]

well done David. I wish I had those in my town centres I think the only thing of note we have in one car park in Preston is Pellitory Of The Wall.

I'm quite jealous of the Neapolitan Garlic and Yellow Veined Eyed Grass

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

well done David. I wish I had those in my town centres I think the only thing of note we have in one car park in Preston is Pellitory Of The Wall.

I'm quite jealous of the Neapolitan Garlic and Yellow Veined Eyed Grass

You'd be amazed what you can find in the most unpromising-looking areas in towns, and I doubt yours would be any different - Bristol's nothing special, really, it does have the river but that isn't used for much more than leisure these days.

I've found that basically the more derelict and run-down an area looks, the better it is for plant-hunting Back lanes seem especially good, as does anywhere near a railway line and - my personal favourite - cemeteries.

The locals say they've known about the Veined Yellow-eyed-grass for at least twenty years and, quite possibly, it might be the only site in the UK now. They're doing very well here, though, and there's definitely more plants this year than last

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by davidbr

The locals say they've known about the Veined Yellow-eyed-grass for at least twenty years and, quite possibly, it might be the only site in the UK now. They're doing very well here, though, and there's definitely more plants this year than last

It was still on Jersey last year - but I guess that is not UK

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by Tiggrx

It was still on Jersey last year - but I guess that is not UK

Well, it's listed in Alien Flora of the British Isles as a part of this country so I suppose it still counts - if I was to go there (which I've no plans to do this season) I'd add whatever I found to my British list.

I guess the flora of the Channel Islands is probably very different, though - the milder climate must suit a lot of these unusual alien bulbs and the like

[davidbr]

10th May 2009 (Sunday)

Off to south Dorset today, in the hope of collecting quite a few chalk specialities at the Durlston Country Park, Swanage. First, though, I squeezed in an early-morning tour of my "home patch", the lanes of north Bristol, where to my surprise two new species presented themselves!

Hairy Garlic (Allium subhirsutum) was a definite bonus, since I'd missed this plant a couple of times already this Spring; a Hybrid Fuschia (Fuschia x hybrida) was more of a shock, though - the typical basket fuschia, this one must have originated from dumped soil, but it's taken root well and clearly survived one of the hardest winters in recent memory At this stage only the foliage was visible, but it seems a healthy specimen so hopefully might flower in a few weeks time

(Hairy Garlic, Allium subhirsutum)

(Hybrid Fuschia, Fuschia x hybrida)

The next star find came before I even reached Durlston; the verges of the A350 near Blandford Forum were covered in trees, of all ages, of Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus), for a good 100 yards or so! Definitely a very good introduction to Dorset

(Manna Ash, Fraxinus ornus)

At Durlston Country Park itself, I easily found the first three plants on my target list; Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa), Pale Flax (Linum bienne) and Chalk Milkwort (Polygala calcarea). The next two took a lot more effort, but eventually I located a small patch of Early Gentian (Gentianella anglica) and just a single Early Spider Orchid (Ophrys spegodes) - apparently there were thousands of them here a week ago

(Chalk Milkwort, Polygala calcarea)

(Pale Flax, Linum bienne)

(Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa)

(Early Gentian, Gentianella anglica)

(Early Spider Orchid, Ophrys spegodes)

(Green-winged Orchid, Orchis morio)

[davidbr]

Walking around the cliffs & chalk grassland proved very productive, as I came across Yellow Vetchling (Lathyrus aphaca), not in flower, some genuinely-wild looking Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) & a single small plant of Portland Spurge (Euphorbia portlandica), a real surprise, in a mud rut on the footpath Likewise, a single Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), in the grass was very unexpected - probably the first one I've seen that's got a chance of being generally wild

(Yellow Vetchling, Lathyrus aphaca)

(Wild Cabbage, Brassica oleracea)

(Star-of-Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum)

(Portland Spurge, Euphorbia portlandica)

Back in the car park, Small-flowered Buttercup (Ranunculus parviflorus) was amongst the kerb-side weeds, some white-flowered Dame's-violet (Hesperis matronalis) were behind the visitor centre and a Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) provided a bonus tick. Plus, of course, the magnificent display of common cliff plants; Thrift (Armeria maritima), Sea Campion (Silene uniflora) & Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), all mingling together in a carpet of colour.

(Dame's-violet, Hesperis matronalis)

[davidbr]

For the afternoon I headed off to Studland Heath, which proved to be a very productive site. In the village itself, a pond where I'd stopped to photograph some early Yellow Irises (Iris pseudacorus) turned up a couple of very unexpected water plants; Water-soldier (Stratiotes alodes) & Curled Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus); both new for me, of course, and thanks to Tiggrx for the ID's on both counts

Out on the heath itself, the short grass was good for a range of tiny annuals; Bird's-foot Clover (Trifolium ornithopodoides) by the pull-in at Greenlands Farm, Dwarf Mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum) scattered around in very small quantities and Lesser Trefoil (Trifolium micranthum) & Sea Mouse-ear (Cerastium diffusum) at Shell Bay, by where the ferry leaves for Sandbanks.

(Bird's-foot Clover, Trifolium ornithopodoides)

(Lesser Trefoil, Trifolium micranthum; sorry it's an awful picture, these tiny flowers are a real challenge in the strong sea breeze )

The car park here was actually very interesting indeed; Pirri-pirri-bur (Acaena novae-zelandiae) had spread widely on sandy soil around the toilet block, where I also came across quite a few specimens of Welted Thistle (Carduus crispus) and a single bush, almost in flower, of Tree Lupin (Lupinus arboreus). Other plants seen in the Studland area included Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias) & Round-leaved Cranesbill (Geranium rotundifolium), and by the side of the road half-way to the Arne RSPB reserve, a final addition for the day; helpfully identified on this forum, a very tatty specimen of Southern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa).

(Pirri-pirri-bur, Acaena novae-zelandiae)

(Tree Lupin, Lupinus arboreus)

(Southern Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa)

That made it twenty new species for the day, with a couple more still to be identified. Not bad at all

[Tiggrx]

Originally Posted by davidbr

Well, it's listed in Alien Flora of the British Isles as a part of this country so I suppose it still counts - if I was to go there (which I've no plans to do this season) I'd add whatever I found to my British list.

No problems there. The Channel Isles are part of the British Isles, but not part of the United Kingdom.

They are well worth a visit!

[davidbr]

13th May 2009

I guess today could be called, if there is such a thing, a successful failure; in that I saw not a sign of the plant I'd travelled to see, but instead found a whole host of unusual introductions in what turned out to be a fascinating area

Clevedon, on the North Somerset coast between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, is listed in Alien Plants of the British Isles as one of the few sites for Tree Medick (Medicago arborea) - needless to say I couldn't find it, but a stretch of coastal footpath, a cemetery & an old churchyard turned up plenty of others. Sweet-william (Dianthus barbatus) was well-naturalised in Clevedon Churchyard, as was Siberian Stonecrop (Sedum hybridum); both pleasing finds, since the books say they're usually only casual in nature and rarely persist in the same locality for long. Nearby, Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum) was in bloom and spreading; a reminder of the Anglesey dunes, where whilst birding I used to see it en masse...

Along the footpath known as Poet's Walk (I believe Tennyson was supposed to have lived somewhere near ), I came across a flowering honeysuckle bush later identified as Morrow's Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), another rare escape - naturalised Wallflowers (Erysimum chieri) & walls covered in Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) made a spectacular sight here, too. As did, on a couple of the old graves, large patches of Sicilian Chamomile (Anthemis punctata) - it grows down one of my Bristol lanes, but to see it given free rein to spread like this was a whole new experience

(Morrow's Honeysuckle, Lonicera morrowii)

Quite a few plants of Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) were dotted around the place and were also in flower; so was a Coral Spurge (Euphorbia corallioides) by the cemetery wall, presumably a casual.

(Caper Spurge, Euphorbia lathyris)

So, that was three new finds for the morning (Siberian Stonecrop, Sweet-william & Morrow's Honeysuckle) - and it should soon become four, once I put a name to these beautiful irises that were also naturalised in both the churchyard & cemetery. Favourite so far is Dutch Iris, Iris x hollandica), but I've not yet ruled Iris xiphium out of the reckoning...

(Very pretty, but so far un-named...)

[davidbr]

This Musk Stork's-bill (Erodium moschatum) was a surprise find on May 12th at Yatton railway station, North Somerset, before awful weather forced me to abandon the planned trip to Clevedon I eventually made the following day.



And, although it's not a plant, I can't miss out one of the top finds from my Durlston trip - this stunning Adonis Blue butterfly must have been rendered sluggish by the cold, because usually whenever I point my camera at a butterfly it's out of there at a rate of knots



There are quite a few others I'd love to post photos of, but unfortunately the upload function on this website seems to be a total lottery. Even though I resize them all the same, to 800 along the smallest side, and they're all identical filetypes taken with the same camera, some will work OK whist for others all I get is "No Thumbnail" and a whole load of sod-all. Very annoying...

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by davidbr

...There are quite a few others I'd love to post photos of, but unfortunately the upload function on this website seems to be a total lottery. Even though I resize them all the same, to 800 along the smallest side, and they're all identical filetypes taken with the same camera, some will work OK whist for others all I get is "No Thumbnail" and a whole load of sod-all. Very annoying...

Hi David,
Over the past few weeks, I've been taking a background interest in your trial's and tribulations of trying to upload your pics. to WAB. (And I applaud your perseverance ).

Until today, I have been as mystified as yourself, as to the reasons why you seem to get so many "no thumbnail" results.

Your images generally seem to be 800 pixels wide, so the image pixel size definitely isn't the problem.

However, I've just looked at the file sizes of several of your images which have uploaded, and some of them are getting perilously close to WAB's maximum acceptable file size of 1024Kb.

I am thinking that in order to ensure WAB acceptance, you may need to change the resolution of your images, or maybe compress the jpeg slightly to make sure that all your individual pics are less than 1Mb (1024Kb).

Have a quick look at the file sizes of your images which wouldn't upload - I think this might have been the problem.

I generally resize all my upload images to 1250 x 833pixels, with the resolution changed to 300, and they usually finish up at about 250Kb.

EDIT - I have just tried to find on WAB where it says what the maximum image filesize is, but I can't seem to find it. -I just have a niggling feeling that the maximum filesize might have been reduced.

2nd EDIT - If the max acceptable size has been reduced, your file sizes of approx 750Kb could well be over the limit. It might be worth trying a few at about 250-300Kb to see how things go.

Best of luck.
Regards
Mike.

[Lancashire Lad]

Hmm,

It looks like I'm wrong

I've just clicked on a couple of your "no thumbnail" blank images, and according to the info, the file sizes were about 500-600Kb. - which should be well inside what WAB will allow.

I still think it might be worth trying a few uploads at around the 250-300Kb size though - you never know, it might just do the trick.

Regards
Mike.

[davidbr]

Thanks for your help, Mike - like I say, what really baffles me is why some work and others don't, as emphasised by the fact that I've not had a single failure since posting my moan

A while back you helpfully told me of the need to resize the pictures, so ever since I've reduced them to 800 pixels on the smallest side. The camera I use is 12 Megapixel, so could that have something to do with it? I'd be surprised, though, because reading about the equipment others use for their photos, theirs must surely exceed mine in quality and hence image size?

I've also never seen anyone else hit by the "No Thumbnail" outcome, so it must be something specific to me that's going wrong. In the meantime, thanks for your help, I'll continue to persist with uploads so please, everyone, accept my sincere apologies for the ones that don't come off

[davidbr]

I've not managed to get out much for the last couple of days, due to a combination of bad weather and me feeling somewhat off-colour, but my list's still grown by four thanks to some successes with armchair ID's

The blue-flowered iris from Clevedon churchyard, a couple of posts up, I've decided is Dutch Iris, (Iris x hollandica); they're certainly a variable bunch, but having looked at all the online images I've been able to find, I. x hollandica seems a far better match than I. xiphium. I've also managed to ID the eyebright left over from my Durlston trip as Maritime Eyebright, (Euphrasia tetraquetra), although I was given a big pointer on that one by reading other people's trip reports published online

And, thanks to Tiggrx's suggestion, the Doronicum below has been re-identified as Willdenow's Leopard's-bane, Doronicum x willdenowii; the various Doronicums are a bunch that make me nervous, but the differences in the hairs on the stem between this and the commoner one, D. pardalianches, are quite clear once someone tells you what you're meant to be looking for



As an aside, it's yet another find for what's turning out to be an amazing area for unusual aliens. They're just four quiet, grass-verged roads on the Leigh Woods side of the Bristol Suspension Bridge, above the Gorge, with a combined walking distance of probably less than a mile and a half, yet since last summer I've found all kinds of weird & wonderful things; Rosy Evening-primrose (Oenothera rosea), Two-spined Acaena (A. ovalifolia), Coral Spurge (Euphorbia corallioides), Pale Pink-sorrel (Oxalis incarnata), Turkish & Greek Squills (Scilla bithynica & messeniaca), the recent clump of Fringecups, Giant Bellflower (Campanula latifolia), Lenten-rose (Helleborus orientalis)... the list seems to grow with every visit. If anyone ever visits the Avon Gorge in search of the well-known rarities, it's well worth a look and I'd be happy to show you around

Lastly, one I've seen before quite a few years ago and shouldn't have been so baffled by, Common Gromwell (Lithospermum officinale)



And, since I've currently got SEVENTEEN folders in my Unidentifieds, there'll hopefully be more! On that note, though, I'd be very grateful if anyone could direct me to some decent pictures or descriptions of Balkan Spurge, Euphorbia oblongata, so I can verify (or dismiss...) an ID I made last summer - every new spurge I find seems to make me less confident on the ones I'd named previously...

[davidbr]

16th May 2009 (Saturday)

Off to Sand Point, near Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, this afternoon to find a local rarity that's actually pretty common in places on these limestone Mendips escarpments

Honewort (Trinia glauca) was easy enough to find, all over the short turf at the far end of the Point; photography, though, was a different matter, as the weather varied between what seemed like 100mph winds with the odd blast of rain/hail shower thrown in for good measure - I had a job to stand upright at times, so these were the best I could do

(Honewort, Trinia glauca)

By the car park at Sand Point, there's the remnants of an old tea garden that's been derelict for at least 60 years apparently - all kinds of naturalised plants can be found around here, and today the Pencilled Cranesbill (Geranium versicolor), Pink-sorrel (Oxalis articulata) & Spanish Gorse (Genista hispanica) were all in flower. The Mediterranean Spurge (Euphorbia characias) is just going over (this is meant to be its' best-established UK site), but coming into bloom was a Spiraea that I'm really not sure on.
(Spiraea sp., as yet un-named...)

It's meant to be Van Houtte's Spiraea, S. x vanhouttei), but I'm not convinced - personally it looks more like Himalayan Spiraea, S. canescens, to me, but it's still a work in progress. As always, help/advice would be greatly appreciated

There's also the odd native plant about, too - Knotted Hedge-parsley (Torilis nodosa) was a surprise new tick, and I took the opportunity to photograph a tiny plant of Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum) on the car park sea-wall. Oh; and a Laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides) bush in full bloom, the first I've seen that's been convincingly "naturalised" away from immediate habitation

(Knotted Hedge-parsley, Torilis nodosa)

[davidbr]

17th May 2009 (Sunday))

Just a local day in appalling weather today, but I still managed several successes - three additions, thanks to the help of people on here in ID'ing one of them () and the odd surprise find, too

Filton's Abbey Wood railway station is virtually on my doorstep and an excellent site for escapes - today I found Montpellier Broom (Genista monspessulana) in flower on the railway bank (sadly, not close enough for a decent photo, I'll have to take the telescope down and fix my camera up to that...) and a beautiful specimen of Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) - plus Perennial Cornflower (Centaurea montana), Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissolia) & loads and loads of Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), in every conceivable colour form

(Montpellier Broom, Genista monspessulana - distant record shot only)

(Salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius)

Following that, I had a brief wander around the local lanes in increasingly heavy rain, finding Bearberry Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri) established, spreading & flowering in the station car park & Coralbells (Heucheria sanguinea) by a roadside. Plus, only yards from home, Hairy Garlic (Allium subhirsutum) (two plants of...) and this little beauty, identified with the help of the regulars on here - I'd walked past it several times as a young seedling, and dismissed it as a stepped-on ice-plant...

As has been pointed out, it's actually Greater Honeywort (Cerinthe major), an exciting find right on my doorstep

(Coralbells, Heucheria sanguinea)

(Greater Honeywort, Cerinthe major)

[robhope]

David,

Just joined and had a look at your most recent posts - some great finds and a lot of dedication. What list(s) and/or books are you using, especially with regards to the unusual species? I have nearly 400 plant species photos now and am looking to photo / identify the rarer ones.

Anyway, keep it going..

robhope

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by robhope

David,

Just joined and had a look at your most recent posts - some great finds and a lot of dedication. What list(s) and/or books are you using, especially with regards to the unusual species? I have nearly 400 plant species photos now and am looking to photo / identify the rarer ones.

Anyway, keep it going..

robhope

For taxonomy I use the BSBI's online database here, that's what decides what's a species and what's a subspecies etc (I don't count subspecies). When it comes to ID, my "Bible" for introduced plants is Alien Plants of the British Isles, by Clement & Foster; it doesn't have any pictures, so for those I tend to rely on Google Image. If I find a stonecrop, say, that I don't recognise, I just turn to the section on Sedums in the book, then it's a matter of plugging each name into Google Image until I come up with a match

There are some good photographic websites out there, too, that can be a great help; UK Wildflowers, British Wild Flowers & Floral Images are very good. Then, of course, there's the online Interactive Flora of N.W. Europe (here), which covers over 3,000 species - again, though, the photos aren't great so it's usually a case for Google Image

And, if I fail to get an ID myself, I post the photo on here and cry for help

[davidbr]

18th May 2009

Just a local day today, visiting two of my local cemeteries and returning to, hopefully, refind a plant that wasn't in flower when I first found it a week or so ago.

Avonvale Cemetery, in the city's St George district, didn't turn up anything new - Rock Cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum), Star-of-the-Veldt (Osteospermum jucundum) & Dutch Iris (Iris x hollandica) were all naturalised on old graves, and Welsh Poppies (Meconopsis cambrica) & Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) were everywhere Even though I didn't "need" them, photos were taken - the chance seemed just too good to pass up

Heading back towards the city centre, I chanced across a crucifer growing on a patch of disturbed soil; thanks to Tiggrx & Keenteen's input on here I was able to ID it as Chinese Mustard (Brassica juncea), new for me and apparently a fairly frequent casual.

(Chinese Mustard, Brassica juncea)

At the second cemetery of the morning, Arnos Vale in Brislington (one of the oldest, and most run-down, in Bristol), the Garden Peony (Paeonia officinalis) & Garden Mossy-saxifrage (Saxifraga x arendse) I'd found back in April were by now in flower; although it's not essential, I do always prefer to have a picture of the plant in bloom, so I was able to add both to my collection. Dame's-violet (Hesperis matronalis) & Rosy Garlic (Allium roseum) were also notable finds here, and both Bloody & Rock Cranesbills (Geranium sanguineum & macrorrhizum) has established themselves on an old grave.

I also found this red rose, a relic of an long-abandoned grave; they're a nightmare to identify usually, but I'm pretty confident in saying this is one of the China Roses (Rosa chinensis) - another new one for the list

(China Rose, Rosa chinensis)

Finally, I headed up to Leigh Woods, above the famous Avon Gorge and one of my most productive areas for alien plants, where earlier this month I'd found an interesting daisy-type plant not yet in flower. Now in bloom, the flowers turned out to be pink and, with more help from Tiggrx, the plant turned out to be Robin's-plantain (Erigeron philadelphicus) - another excellent find for this remarkable area, just four road verges within walking distance of Brunel's Suspension Bridge

[davidbr]

19th May 2009

My plan for today was a trip to the Cheddar Gorge, where I was hoping to find some Cheddar Pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) in flower. As it happened, I was at least a week early - I found the plants in bud, though, and managed a couple of photos, so for now that's good enough to allow me to add it to the list I'll return in mid-June, hopefully I'll have better luck then

To start the morning off, though, I fitted in a quick tour of the Royate Hill area of suburban Bristol; an old railway line, some allotments and a cemetery (Greenbank) make this a fairly productive area for casuals and escapes. On disturbed soil in someone's front garden I found White Wall-rocket ( Diplotaxis erucioides) growing on some disturbed ground, whilst in Greenbank Cemetery this cotoneaster made a fine sight in bloom. I think it's Swedish Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster x suecicus), but I'm not yet totally sure...

(Cotoneaster sp.)

Find of the morning, though, was this Cut-leaved Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus) in rough grass at the edge of Royate Hill allotments; I'll be keeping a close eye on it, and keeping my fingers crossed that nobody pulls it up before it flowers

(Cut-leaved Teasel, Dipsacus laciniatus)

And, in the afternoon following my Cheddar Pink kind-of-success, I chanced across this blue labiate growing out of an old dry-stone roadside wall. Thanks to Keenteen's ID, it's been named as Garden Catmint (Nepeta x faasenii) - another new find for the day

[davidbr]

Just a brief round-up of a few finds from the last couple of days

A trip onto the Mendip Hills, at the Priddy Mineries nature reserve, proved to be just in time for one of the local specialities - Alpine Penny-cress (Thlaspi alpestre) was mostly in fruit, but a few plants still had flowers.

(Alpine Penny-cress, Thlaspi alpestre)

A surprise find by a roadside lane heading back into Bristol was this clump of Himalayan Bistort (Persicaria affinis), whilst right on my doorstep (literally, about 20 yards from home...) I came across this Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus), presumably a bird-seed casual?

(Himalayan Bistort, Persicaria affinis)

(Sweet Pea, Lathyrus odoratus)

On the Somerset Levels, although I failed to find Marsh Pea, Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris) & Meadow Thistle (Cirsium dissectum) provided some compensation - both were new for the photo list, as was Field Pepperwort (Lepidium campestre), one of those common-ish plants I'd just failed to find last summer.

(Meadow Thistle, Cirsium dissectum)

And finally, earlier today, two new ticks north of Bristol; Sorbaria (Sorbaria sorbiifolia) well established by the side of the road in the village of Winterbourne, and Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia), just the one lonely clump at Inglestone Common, south Gloucestershire

(Sorbaria, Sorbaria sorbiifolia)

(Herb Paris, Paris quadrifolia)

[davidbr]

Unidentified photos

I'm hoping that someone can help me put a name to these ...

1:

A spurge, naturalised along a back lane and in a riverside park in suburban Bristol

2:

Some kind of stonecrop, on a wall in a North Somerset village; even though there's no flowers the foliage looks quite distinctive, but I haven't been able to find a match in Alien Plants of the British Isles

3:

I can't decide whether this is Common House-leek, Sempervivum tectorum) or Mountain House-leek, S. montanum...

4:

Likewise, I can't decide whether this is Fat Duckweed, Lemna gibba, or Greater Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza)