Grimsthorpe Park

The South Lincolnshire Flora Group had an excellent afternoon recording the parkland of the Grimsthorpe Estate. There were many good records, including Pale Sedge Carex pallescens and Grey Sedge Carex divulsa subsp. divulsa, both growing along bracken fringed paths, rather than their more usual woodland ride habitat. Both species are very local in South Lincolnshire.

Carex pallescens

A small group of us stayed on to record around the Stew Ponds, and on our way dropped in at Elsea Pit to see the Early Gentian Gentianella anglica, which seems to have had a good year. This endemic species is rather like Autumn Gentian Gentianella amarella, but flowers considerably earlier and the distance between the two uppermost leaf pairs is 40% or more than the height of the plant.

Gentianella anglica

We were almost running out of time, so our visit to the southern edge of the Stew Ponds was rather brief, but it was very pleasing to find a large population of Round-fruited Rush Juncus compressus, which is a much declined species (GB RedList near Threatened) and appears to be a new record for the estate.

Juncus compressus