A 2009 plant-hunter's diary

[davidbr]

12th April 2009 (Sunday)

Off south to the fringes of the Mendips today, in search of several species in particular of which I ultimately found none! No sign of Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem, nor Bird-in-a-bush (Corydalis solida) nor Bladdernut (Staphylea pinnata)... but, despite those failures, there was plenty around to grab my interest!

Exploring around the villages of Stoke St. Michael, Mells & Great Elm produced four new species for the list; Common Juniper (Juniperus communis), which was well-naturalised in the woods around Great Elm, Abraham-Isaac-Jacob (Trachystemon orientalis) in a hedge at Stoke St. Michael, Greater Chickweed (Stellaria neglecta) by the streamside path at Great Elm and, nearby, a single bush of Gagnepain's Barberry (Berberis gagnepainii) just about coming into flower.

(Abraham-Isaac-Jacob, Trachystemon orientalis)

(Greater Chickweed, Stellaria neglecta)

(Gagnepain's Barberry, Berberis gagnepainii)

Another Berberis, Thunberg's Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) was plentiful in the Great Elm woods, with both purple-leaved and normal forms self-seeding freely amongst the scrub layer. Banks & walls in the village had Great Forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla), whilst the usual Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa), Wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) & Common Dog-violets (Viola riviniana) made for a fine splash of colour

(Thunberg's Barberry, Berberis thunbergii)

Sight of the day, though, was without a doubt at Mells, where a fabulous carpet of Balkan Anemones (Anemone blanda) turned the approach to Mells Manor blue & white!

Balkan Anemones, Anemone blanda)

A couple of Snake's-head Fritillaries (Fritillaria meleagris) were well worth a photo, even though I've seen quite a lot of this species recently, and I've also managed to get my head in a spin over a dead-nettle (Lamium) growing nearby It's probably just Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum) but, for some reason, doesn't look quite right...

(Snake's-head Fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris)

(As-of-yet-unnamed dead nettle; opinions welcome, please... )

[leifus]

red dead-nettle indeed david

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by leifus

red dead-nettle indeed david

I'll agree with Leif. the leaves aren't right for the cut leaved dead nettle

[davidbr]

Yes, I think you're both right; it's just a Red Dead-nettle, perhaps the flowers were a bit paler because it was growing in the shade. Thanks for the help

[davidbr]

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!

[davidbr]

14th April 2009 (Tuesday)

With the Bank Holiday out of the way, I reckoned I'd be safe to venture down to the coast again without being trampled by crowds; it was still pretty busy, being the kids' half-term holiday, but through starting early I managed a decent haul of finds from Weston-super-Mare and nearby Sand Bay, one of the best-known sites in Somerset (especially for established aliens in & around the National Trust nature reserve of Sand Point!.

However, it's a heck of a walk; about six miles from Weston to the base of Sand Point, with another mile or so if you fancy heading out to the end of the point But, even with my rather dodgy knees, it doesn't seem anything like as far when you've plenty to look at; I started off well with a self-seeded Hedge Veronica (Hebe x franciscana) on a wall at Weston seafront, and soon got better as I added another three species around the town's old Birnbeck Pier

(Hedge Veronica, Hebe x franciscana)

Shrub Ragwort (Brachyglottis "Sunshine"), one of those annoying hybrids without a proper name, is a common garden shrub I've long kept an eye out for in a wild situation; Shrubby Orache (Atriplex halimus), however, was a total surprise; I hadn't realised it grew anywhere in the UK away from the Scilly Isles Even more unusual, and certainly far prettier, nearby were several patches of the yellow-flowered Alpine Wallflower (Erysimum helveticum); it really looks nothing like the common wallflower, E. chieri, annoyingly I can't seem to manage to upload a photo though

(Shrubby Orache, Atriplex halimus)

(Trailing Bellflower, Campanula poscharskyana; a common plant of the walls of Weston-super-Mare)

Heading on to the dunes of Sand Bay, natives such as Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica) Sticky Stork's-bill ([i]Erodium lebelii[/i) & Common Stork's-bill (E. cicutarium) were all in flower, and alien bulbs added a splash of colour (amongst them Garden Tulips (Tulipa gesneriana) & the Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum) patch I found here a couple of weeks ago. Oriental Poppies (Papaver pseudoorientale) were well-established along the roadside but still only in bud, and Pink-sorrel (Oxalis articulata) had just a couple of blooms; it ought to make for a real show in a month or so's time!

The National Trust car park at Sand Point is a well-known site for several alien introductions, most famously the Mediterranean Spurge (Euphorbia characias) clumps that have been known on the rocks here for more than fifty years; at the moment they're at their best! Around the toilet block some unexpected Spring Sowbread (Cyclamen repandum) was easy to miss amongst the rough grass & nettles, and a clump of Perennial Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) had just one lone flower - as did the expanse of Pencilled Cranesbill (Geranium versicolor) nearby, although that was at least a couple of months early by my reckoning Spanish Gorse (Genista hispanica) was also just about hanging on; one bush on the rocks was almost set to flower.

(Spring Sowbread, Cyclamen repandum

(Perennial Candytuft, Iberis sempervirens)

Up on the Point itself, Small-flowered Buttercup (Ranunculus parviflora) was only in leaf, but I was bitterly disappointed not to be able to track down the Snake's-head Iris (Hermodactylis tuberosa) that's meant to be established around here; it's possible, I suppose, that I was just a bit too late

(Small-flowered Buttercup, Ranunculus parviflora)

Nevertheless, it'd been a decent day's work and, late in the afternoon, I found time to head to the northern fringe of Bristol to photograph a plant I'd noticed a few days earlier from the car, but hadn't been able to stop for; Few-flowered Garlic (Allium paradoxum), on the verge of the A38 at Almondsbury - it's actually a far more attractive plant than you'd think from illustrations in the books

(Few-flowered Garlic, Allium paradoxum)

[davidbr]

16th April 2009 (Thursday))

Unfortunately, today turned into a bit of a balls-up; having decided to head out of Bristol on the bus to have another go at tracking down the Tuberous Corydalis (Corydalis cava) at Ston Easton that I'd missed on Easter Saturday, I somehow managed to miss the stop and, instead, ended up in Wells town centre

Still, Wells has an old cathedral, with a moat and old walls, that looked promising for a few oddities; since I was here anyway, I thought, I might as well have a look around! Yellow Corydalis (Pseudofumaria lutea) & Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) had seized control of the cathedral walls and made for a pretty picture, but far more interesting were a couple of plants around the edge of the moat; two pink flower clusters of Indian-rhubarb (Darmera peltata), and a bush of Fragrant Viburnum (Viburnum farreri) - both, presumably, seeded from the cathedral grounds themselves.

I'd seen Indian-rhubarb before (though never in flower), but the viburnum was a new "tick" and, wandering around the town, I soon added another one - not the corydalis I'd started the day hoping for, but a close relative and probably a far more unusual one; Turkey-corn (Dicentra eximia), a native of North America apparently occasionally used in gardens.

(Turkey-corn, Dicentra eximia)

Chinese Bramble (Rubus tricolor) was another garden plant invading the same area, although for the life of me I can't understand why anyone would want to grow it That was about it, apart from a couple of photos I took of the numerous ferns also covering the stonework; I don't officially "count" ferns on my list but, in case I ever change my mind, I do tend to grab a picture or two of any I happen to come across

What I can't do, though, is identify them... so if anyone can help me put a name to these, I'd be very grateful

(Fern No. 1)

(Fern No. 2 )

[KeenTeen17]

blimey your finding a lot more than me

your second fern is maidenhair spleenwort

[leifus]

Originally Posted by davidbr

14th April 2009 (Tuesday)

doesnt look like spring sowbread to me - more like a campanula but im no good with the garden escapes....

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by leifus

doesnt look like spring sowbread to me - more like a campanula but im no good with the garden escapes....

Ah, so you spotted the deliberate mistake...

Yep, I posted the same picture twice - here's the one that was meant to go in that space

(Spring Sowbread, Cyclamen repandum)