A wealth of wildflowers

19 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

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Creeping jenny, Devil's-bit scabious, Dock, Meadowsweet, Narrow-leaved everlasting pea, Ragged robin, Ribwort plantain, Rosebay willowherb, Sneezewort, Tall Melilot

It’s Friday! It’s Floral Friday! It must be time for more wildflowers. Here’s the latest selection from my wanderings around parks, meadows and reserves:

Creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia), Devil’s-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), Dock (Rumex sp), Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), Narrow-leaved everlasting pea (Lathyrus sylvestris), Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi), Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata), Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium), Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica) and Tall Melilot (Melilotus altissimus).

Narrow-leaved everlasting pea Lathyrus sylvestris

Rosebay willowherb Chamerion angustifolium

Seven Sisters Country Park

16 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, parks, wildflowers

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, chalk cliffs, Cuckmere River, East Sussex, Seven Sisters Country Park

Last Wednesday Jill and I walked the full length of the Seven Sisters Country Park in East Sussex twice, down to the sea and back on one side of the river, followed by a break for a delicious lunch at the Cuckoo Inn, and then down to the sea and back on the other side of the river.

160816 7 sisters (1)

We did the same walk on 13 August 2014 and it was top of my list to do again on this visit. Rather than the cloudless, bright blue sky of two years ago, this time it was quite overcast though no less beautiful as the clouds lent a different atmosphere to the landscape, creating a more moody feel that I almost prefer.

160816 7 sisters (11)

The huge chalk cliffs were just as awe-inspiring, the cliff tops were covered with luxuriant wildflower growth, and we delighted in sightings of birds and insects. It was a magical day!

To walk the landscapes of the Seven Sisters Country Park, check out my Sconzani blog posts: this was on a blue-sky day in 2014 and this was last week.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

14 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, wildflowers

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largest coastal shingle area in Europe, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, shingle beach

On the first full day of my short break in East Sussex, my friend Jill and I enjoyed a long walk around the fabulous Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, which, along with Dungeness, encompasses the largest coastal shingle area in Europe. Former gravel pits now filled with fresh water together with salt-marshes and saline lagoons provide the perfect habitats for a huge number of birds, as well as both common and rare species of plants and insects. I was in biological heaven!

160814 Rye Harbour (18)

The species in my photos are just a very small selection of what you can see: Black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and an unidentified small brown wader; Geranium sp; Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare); Little egret (Egretta garzetta); Great mullein (Verbascum thapsus); Curlew (Numenius arquata); Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba); Large white butterfly (Pieris brassicae); Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus); a plant that looks like a dandelion but isn’t (!); Wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum); Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo); Yellow horned poppy (Glaucium flavum); Coots (Fulica atra); Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) and rather raggedy Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterflies; Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus); and Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis).

For a wander around the landscapes of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, check out my Sconzani blog post here.

A bewilderment of thistles

12 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

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Common knapweed, Creeping thistle, Lesser burdock, Spear thistle, thistle, thistle lookalikes

Last Floral Friday I was confused about geraniums; this week it’s thistles and things that look like thistles that are causing my befuddlement.

160812 thistles (14)

It seems there are thistle lookalikes, like Lesser burdock (Arctium minus agg.) and Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), though admittedly, they don’t have thorns but the flowers are very similar. And then there are plants that have ‘thistle’ in their names that don’t look a bit like thistles to me: Smooth sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), for example, that looks more like a dandelion, and Globe thistle (Echinops sp.), which looks like a cross between a thistle, a teasel and an allium. And then there are the numerous varieties of actual thistles to decipher. Which genus is it: Cirsium, Carduus (Latin for ‘a kind of thistle’), Silybum (yes, really!) or Onopordum? And is it Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) or Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) or Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) or Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthum)?

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I think you can see why I’m not even going to try to identify these photos. I’m going to remain bewildered and simply enjoy their wonderful structures and gorgeous colours.

A confusion of geraniums

05 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

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Cut-Leaved crane’s-bill, Druce’s crane’s-bill, geranium, Geranium dissectum, Geranium pratense, Geranium x oxonianum, Meadow crane's-bill

I’ve always loved geraniums, of the easy-to-grow vibrant-colour-in-a-terracotta-pot pretend-you’re-in-the-Mediterranean variety, but here in Britain there are wild native geraniums that are just as gorgeous but rather tricky to identify. This seems partly to be because you can’t always tell those that are truly wild from those that are garden escapees, cultivated from birds’ droppings or windblown seeds. And the local geraniums also seem to hybridise easily – check out this chart – so, when I look up the various identification guides, the flowers and leaves I see don’t quite fit with what the books and websites show.

Here, then, are some photos of geraniums, which may or may not include Meadow crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense) and Cut-Leaved crane’s-bill (Geranium dissectum) and Druce’s crane’s-bill (Geranium x oxonianum), or possibly something else entirely!

Floral Friday: Orchids

15 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

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British orchids, Common spotted orchid, Common twayblade, Early purple orchid, native orchids, Southern marsh orchid

In the past, when I heard the word orchid, I would think of the exotic tropical species to be found in places like Singapore and other Asian countries. Now I know there is an entirely different kind of orchid that is a British native and, while not as spectacular in appearance as some of the exotics, these natives are, I think, even more beautiful.

160715 orchids (1)

The flower spikes stand tall, like sentinels, amongst the more flippant flora of the meadows and chalk grasslands, though the individual flowers are delicate little poppets, with a surprising range of patterns and hues. This is partly because they hybridise easily which can make them difficult to identify. I think I have here examples of the Common twayblade, Early purple, Southern marsh and Common spotted orchids.

Summer wildflowers

10 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in flowers, nature, wildflowers

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Common comfrey, Common honeysuckle, Cornflower, Field bindweed, Fox and cubs, Hedge woundwort, Lesser stitchwort, Ox-eye daisy, Ragwort, White clover, Wood forget-me-not, Yellow loosestrife

As the summer progresses so, too, do the varieties of wildflowers that add colour to the roadside verges, beautify patches of waste ground, light up drab spots along hedgerows, adorn the edges of the trails I regularly walk, and sparkle in the conservation areas at my local cemetery.

These are some that have caught my eye in the past couple of weeks: Fox-and-Cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca), Yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), Ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), Wood forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), Hedge woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), White clover (Trifolium repens), Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), Common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), and the last, I think, is Lesser stitchwort (Stellaria graminea).

Happy National Meadows Day!

02 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, wildflowers

≈ 4 Comments

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Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Heath Park, Howardian Nature Reserve, meadows, National Meadows Day, Plantlife

Today is the second National Meadows Day, an initiative led by Plantlife, with contributions from 11 other organisations and with financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, that aims to:

raise awareness of the desperate plight of wildflower meadows and grasslands and equip communities with the knowledge and skills to reverse this devastating trend, and
give people all over the UK the chance to visit, enjoy and learn about our wildflower meadows and grasslands.

160702 NatMeadows Day Barrage

Meadows are such magical places. The gorgeous flowers they contain provide food and shelter to all manner of wildlife, from pretty fluttering butterflies and hawking dragonflies, to wandering weevils and little leaf beetles. There are events happening all around Britain today so, if you’ve no plans yet for your afternoon, get out and enjoy a meadow near you.

a blaze of Bird’s-foot trefoil at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park

daisies and buttercups at Heath Park

a gorgeous display of native orchids at Howardian Nature Reserve

In the pink

17 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by sconzani in nature, wildflowers

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pink flowers, pink wildflowers

A couple of weeks ago I seemed to be surrounded by yellow on my walks; now the pink wildflowers have taken over. For the most part, they’re softer on the eye, more delicate in shape, and range from the merest pink blush of the Common bistort to the almost purple of the Foxglove, the aptly named Digitalis purpurea. Some that I’ve noticed are Common bistort, Dog-rose, Foxglove, Grass vetchling, Herb Robert, Hedge woundwort, Ragged robin, Red campion, Red valerian, Red clover, the many and varied Geraniums, and, in my photos, a couple yet to be identified.

Welsh biodiversity: Heath Park

12 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by sconzani in fungi, insects, nature, wildflowers

≈ 5 Comments

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biodiversity, biological diversity, Heath Park, Wales Biodiversity Week

This is the last, but by no means least, day of Wales Biodiversity Week, and today we’re checking out the biodiversity of another of my locals, Heath Park.

160612 heath park (1)

Once upon a time (in the 1830s), the Lewis family built a great mansion (Heath House) on this land (since demolished – where the Miniature Railway and neighbouring carpark are now) and the present park was part of their estate (you can read more here). Today, the 37-hectare site is owned by Cardiff Council, and contains sports fields, courts and playgrounds, a large carpark (also useful for visitors to neighbouring Heath Hospital), large fields for picnics and dog-walking, a mature woodland and two ponds.

160612 heath park (2)

Part of the woodland is very damp so, as you can see from my photos, it’s ideal for fungi, even in the summer months. And there is also a rather smelly stream, the Nant-y-Wedal, which had a surprising abundance of wildlife amongst the vegetation adorning its banks. Heath Park was an unexpected biodiversity hot spot, so we have a bumper number of photographs which seems a fitting way to close Wales Biodiversity Week for 2016.