The Local Patch

Spent a few hours today recording in my local tetrad TL19U, visiting Thorpe Hall Grounds, Holywell Fish Ponds and several local streets. Lots of interesting finds, taking my total to somewhere over 370 species. Highlights so far include:

A good population of bee orchid Ophrys apifera at Thorpe Hall, with more scattered records from Thorpe Meadows

A single pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis at Thorpe Hall

A strong population of salsify Tragopogon porrifolius in rough grassland at Thorpe Hall

A few plants of spring beauty Claytonia perfoliata in secondary woodland at Thorpe Hall

A small population of motherwort Leonurus cardiaca at Thorpe Hall

Moth mullein Verbascum blattaria at Thorpe Hall

Deadly nightshade Atropa belladonna in an area of secondary woodland at Thorpe Hall

A strong population of black mullein Verbascum nigrum on disturbed ground (possibly archaeological diggings) at Holywell Fish Ponds, growing not far from a very large population of whorled water-milfoil Myriophyllum verticillatum in one of the ponds.

Several bushes of the hybrid Salix x smithiana (S. viminalis x S.caprea) at Holywell Fish Ponds, only known from nine other sites in VC32

A single bush of white barberry Berberis candidula naturalised in a shrubby area of Holywell Fish ponds - possibly new to VC32

A good population of creeping bellflower Campanula rapunculoides in an area of waste ground in Netherton - possibly a new record for VC32

A good population of Balkan spurge Euphorbia oblongata (another possible new VC record) in the same area of waste ground, where there was also cotton thistle Onopordum acanthium and large-flowered evening-primrose Oenothera glazioviana.

Swaddywell Pit

I followed Bob's advice and headed off to Swaddywell Pit this morning to see the spectacular display of pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis - well worth a visit and very close to the car-park if you're short of time!

Lots of other interesting species flowering too including lots of lesser centaury Centaurium pulchellum and brookweed Samolus valerandi in a damp area of compacted clay.

Centaurium pulchellum

Samolus valerandi

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

Grass vetchling galore

I spent a long day on a site in Hertfordshire. The highlight of the visit was finding an extraordinarily large population of grass vetchling Lathyrus nissolia, which is one of my favourite species. The intensely bright pink flowers are unmistakable, but the foliage is so grass-like that this species is almost impossible to record when it's not flowering. I'm amazed I managed to get a decent image, as there was a strong breeze blowing all day! This very southern species favours disturbed habitats, particularly on calcareous clay, and seems to have spread recently, possibly because it is sometimes included in commercial seed mixes.

It was also good to see a very good population of wood speedwell Veronica montana in the ancient woodlands. This species is easy to identify when the pale lilac flowers are visible, but can sometimes be overlooked as germander speedwell Veronica chamaedrys when it's in the vegetative state. However, the latter species normally has two lines of hairs on the stems, while V.montana has the hairs evenly distributed around the stem.

Skillington

I finally felt well enough to risk a trip to one of my Lincolnshire priority tetrads. I chose Skillington, as there seemed to be a rather nice Drove Road along the county boundary, that I suspected might have some good calcareous grassland. It had rained heavily the day before, and when I finally arrived my heart sank as it was fringed with scrub and the centre of the track was deeply rutted with deep muddy puddles. Nevertheless, I persisted and a little way along the track there were some good areas of grassland, with locally frequent woolly thistle Cirsium eriophorum  and a suite of other calcicoles including upright brome Bromopsis erecta,  salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus, burnet saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga, greater knapweed Centaurea scabiosa and a small population of rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium. There was also a lot of common knapweed Centaurea nigra, as well as some unusually slender forms with cut leaves. Unfortunately they weren't in flower, but the shape of the phyllaries on the bud seemed a good match for chalk knapweed Centaurea debeauxii, which would be a first record for VC53. A return visit will be required!

Helianthemum nummularium

Eventually I was stopped in my tracks by a very deep puddle, so I turned back, recorded a stretch of roadside verge and then had a walk around the village, which added a lot of garden escapes and other usual village denizens. A white Geranium had me puzzled, but in the end I managed to identify it as a white form of hedgerow crane's-bill Geranium pyrenaicum, which had escaped from a nearby garden. There was also a very fine display of purple crane's-bill Geranium x magnificum along a road bak.

Geranium pyrenaicum ' Alba' or 'Snow in Summer'

Geranium x magnificum