cornsalad

I've been puzzling, for some weeks, over a plant growing at the foot of a garden wall on the road into town. I've finally managed to identify it as cornsalad (Valerianella sp.). Apparently I need to look at the fruits to identify the species, so I'll have to wait a little longer.

old railway line

I walked the length of the old railway line that runs along the back of my house this morning. I didn't record all species growing, but only those less widely present in the area. The species recorded were bugle (Ajuga reptans), wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris), creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), broom (Cytisus scoparius), bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), common forget-me-net (Myosotis sylvatica), common oak (Quercus robur), redcurrant (Ribes rubrum), greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea), chickweed (Stellaria media), brooklime (Veronica beccabunga), guelder rose (Viburnum opalus), bush vetch (Vicia sepium) and dog violet (Viola riviniana agg.)

None of these are new to the area, but some are new records for the site.

Adding the species that I recorded on this site in the blog last year this gives a total of 19 species for this site. However this is not a complete list; I didn't record many species which are present here and more widely within the area.

However redcurrant is new to parish A - the locality identified last year was in parish L.

Cardamine flexuosa

Wavy bitter-cress (Cardamine flexuosa) is not easy to distinguish from hairy bitter cress (Cardamine hirsuta), but is generally larger, and found in wet locations.

By photographing possible specimens it is possible to distinguish the two species by means of counting the number of stamens (6 vs 4). The result is that in addition to the locality in parish A recorded last year, I have recorded plants on either side of the stream dividing parish L (Thursday) from parish O (today).

Arum

While crossing the woods to the east of the town I came across a substantial population of Arum, which I somehow overlooked last year. As they're not flowering I can't tell whether they represent Arum maculatum or Arum italicum.

Like the other locality, recorded last year, this is in parish L.

reorganising

This year I am going to extend the area covered to a larger group of parishes this side of the county boundary, and maintain separate parish lists.

Parish A is the parish in which I live, and which was fully included in the previous area.

Parish L is the lies to the east, and partly to the north. About 80% was included in the previous area.

Parish O, parish M, parish Y and parish C lie succesively north of parish L. A small sliver of parish O (south of the canal was included in the previous area).

To the west and north west lie parishes R, H, G and T, small parts of which were included in the previous area.

The new parishes will not be covered in the same detail as parishes A and L; of the new parishes parish O will receive the best coverage.

Disentangling 2008 records to parish level may not be completely achievable; one problem is that the landfill site to the northwest of the town, which is a major source of rarities, lies across a parish boundary, and the lie of the boundary is difficult to follow on the ground - it follows the former course of a stream before it was diverted by the landfill.

Lamium species

Walking into town this morning I came across a dead-nettle growing at the edge of a pavement, which wasn't one of the usual species found (Lamium album, Lamium maculatum, Lamium purpureum). I think that it's henbit dead-nettle (Lamium amplexicaule), but will check when it's flowering (it's currently in bud).

spotted dead nettle

Yesterday, I took advantage of the usually muddy fields being frozen, to take the path across the fields to the corner of the canal, on my way over to the next town. Where the path meets the canal there is a patch of spotted dead nettle (Lamium maculatum. (There was even a flower present.)