west of parish

I has a quick look at the west end of the parish. Here the meadows which lie to the south of the town run into an area of mixed meadow, scrub and woodland. Among the 21 species recorded are two new to the area - there is a small area of regenerating silver birch (Betula pendula), and a single plant of pheasantberry (Leycesteria formosa). There is also a cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) with no nearby plantings, and the first record of mouseear hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum) for the parish.

catch up

Last Friday I walked along a section of canal. There are plants of fine-leaved water dropwort (Oenanthe aquaticus) scattered along a length of the canal bank.

I also looked out for sedges growing along the canal banks. In addition to previously identified false fox sedge (Carex otrubae) there is a second, less robust, species, with yellowish tinged foliage, which I have not yet been able to identify.

On Saturday evening I had a walk along, among other places, the old railway line to the north west of town. New species encountered there are grass vetchling (Lathyrus aphaca) and yellow bartsia (Parentucellia viscosa). The former was also seen earlier on Saturday evening along the path on the other side of the operating railway line through the town, but not identified until Sunday.

Today I took a circuit around the north of the extended area. New species are corn spurrey (Spergula arvensis), another spurrey (Spergularia sp.), a crowfoot (Ranunculus sp.), common marsh bedstraw (Galium palustre), water figwort (Scrophularia auriculata), and intermediate-flowered winter cress (Barbarea intermedia).

Corn spurrey was recorded at two localities. One was along a farm track cum public footpath.

I haven't been able to identify the 2nd spurrey to species. The inland location would suggest sand spurry (Spergularia rubra), but the particular site was a roadside edge in a location similar to that colonised by Danish scurvy grass (Cochlearia danica), so one of the maritime species, especially lesser sea-spurrey (Spergularia marina) would also be possible.

The crowfoot had only capillary leaves, even though it was growing on wet ground rather than submerged (presumably the pond margins have receded since the spring). I am reluctant to draw any conclusions as to the specific identity of the plants from this, as elsewhere I have seen a considerable colony of common water-crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis) with only rare laminar leaves.

The remaining plants were recorded along the far canal towpath.

Today I also recorded new sites for a number of plants previously recorded from only a single site, including three sites for tufted forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa) and two for large birds foot trefoil (Lotus pedunculatus)

cranesbills

Today I came across a couple of cranesbill which are not among the use suspects (pyrenaicum, molle (and pusillum), lucidum, robertianum, pratense, phaeum, dissectum, sanguineum and endressii. Neither were flowering, but I suspect that they are rock cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum) and wood cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum).

pellitory-of-the-wall

Last year I overlooked a plant growing in roadside walls on the high street as a cultivated labiate. I've now realised that it's growing wild - it's spread over walls over a considerable length of the street - and that it is pellitory-of-the-wall (Parietaria judaica).

[It's seeing small nettle (Urtica urens) recently that nudged me into recognising the infloresences as being those of an urticaceous plant.)

Further along the street I encounted a couple of plants of dwarf mallow (Malva neglecta), which is my first record for the Florula Prima area.

More plants

This afternoon I had a look at the low hill that occupies the south west extremity of parish A.

On the way there, in a corner of a field in the meadows I noticed a small colony of narrow-leaved bitter cress (Cardamine impatiens).

Within the target site I noted over 50 species, including smooth tare (Vicia tetrasperma) and woodrush (Luzula sp.) (not Luzula sylvatica, but perhaps Luzula pilosa), and also the first record of wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) for parish A. There are additionally a variety of trefoils, clovers and composites to identify.

Coming back through the town centre I found that a plant of peach-leaved bellflower (Campanula persicifolia) has seeded itself into the middle of a shrub planting.

At two locations I saw plants of pearlwort (Sagina sp.) that weren't procumbent pearlwort (Sagina procumbens).

buckwheat

A buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) has appeared on the allotment site. (Last year the same species was seen about 100 yards away, among a green manure mixture, thought it could have been introduced with manure.)

more catch up

When I ran across wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) this year I overlooked that I hadn't recorded it last year, and hadn't yet added it to the running list. (Wood sorrel is more common in regions east of the area.)