1998 Field Trips
Caergwrle 18th April 1998, Hapton 23rd May 1998, Ainsdale 18th June 1998, Orrell & Billinge 11th July 1998, West Kirby
July 25th 1998, Everton 8th August 1998, Along the River Alt from its Source 29th August 1998, Chester Canal
19th September 1998, Rainford 17th October 1998.
Caergwrle 18th April 1998, Hapton 23rd May 1998, Ainsdale 18th June 1998, Orrell & Billinge 11th July 1998, West Kirby
July 25th 1998, Everton 8th August 1998, Along the River Alt from its Source 29th August 1998, Chester Canal
19th September 1998, Rainford 17th October 1998.
Caergwrle
18th April 1998
Leader: Vera Gordon
The party of 29 which included 6 of Dr Gunn’s botanical course met at Caergwrle railway station and on the way down the railway path some spring ephemerals attracted attention. All with small white flowers and looking superficially similar they included; Thale Cress, Arabidopsis thaliana, Hairy Bitter-cress, Cardamine hirsuta, Common Whitlowgrass, Erophila verna and Rue-leaved Saxifrage, Saxifraga tridactylites. Nearby there were clusters of Common Cornsalad (Lamb’s Lettuce), Valerianella locusta.
Then we had to admire the Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus in flower before going along to the stone packhorse bridge over the River Alyn to see the root parasite Toothwort, Lathraea squamaria which was still in flower hidden among Ramsons, Allium ursinum.
On the river bank Butterbur, Petasites hybridus had finished flowering and the leaves were pushing up among the elongating stems of the female flowers.
The hedge banks of the track towards Cefn y bedd were bright with Greater Stitchwort, Stellaria holostea and Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus ficaria. Lunch was enjoyed in the meadow above the woodland bank of the river down which some of the party went to see the Alternate–leaved Golden-saxifrage, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, which had almost finished flowering, growing among the more common Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage, C. oppositifolium. Here, also, was plenty of Moschatel (Town Hall Clock), Adoxa moschatellina.
Along the path were Wood Anemones, Anemone nemorosa and Wood Sorrel, Rumex sanguineus and the two Wood Violets; Common Dog-violet, Viola riviniana and Early Dog-violet, V. reichenbachiana. Among the so many spring flowers were Cowslips, Primula veris, Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata, Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris and some early flowers of Lords and Ladies (Jack in the Pulpit), Arum maculatum.
Vera Gordon
Hapton
23rd May 1998
Leaders: Peter Gateley and Vera Gordon
This venue was specifically chosen to fill gaps in the tetrad recording of vice county 59. A turnout of 13 members meant it would be much more useful to split the meeting with one group of 7, led by Vera Gordon, recording in the northern tetrad SD83B and Peter Gateley taking the other group south into SD83A. We all arrived at the station, in SD73V, about 11.30 and were immediately drawn to a very vigorous plant growing through the tar-paved path in places. There were few clues so early in the season but the previous years dead flowering stems told us that it grew to between 60 and 70cm in height, the mystery plant turned out to be Dittander, Lepidium latifolium, which was subsequently found also in square SD83B. The full party headed north to the Leeds and Liverpool canal and after lunching together on its banks we set off in a westerly direction, recording species en-route. After looking at, and smelling, a clump of Sweetflag, Acorus calamus at the canal edge the southern party split off across the M65 and started recording in the north-western corner of SD83A.
A wide range of species typical of acidic areas was recorded, with a particularly rich mix in the area of Bentley Wood Green. Also found were species typical of lane-side banks and hedgerows and disturbed urban land. Within Bentley Wood Green the array of acidic and wetland plants included both Hare’s-tail and Common Cottongrass, Eriophorum vaginatum and E. angustifolium, both very obvious with their white fruiting heads. In full flower were clumps of Ragged-Robin, Lychnis flos-cuculi set off by the last flowers of the Marsh-marigold, Caltha palustris and many of the distinctive seedheads. Altogether 172 taxa were recorded in SD83A, and 200 in SD83B, a valuable addition to the database for both Atlas 2000 and the new South Lancashire Flora project.
Peter Gateley
Ainsdale
18th June 1998
Leader : Vera Gordon
A party of 17 set off in fine drizzle to see a spreading colony of a hybrid Knotweed, Fallopia x bohemica (F. Japonica x F. sachalinensis). It was useful to find some Japanese Knotweed, Fallopia japonica nearby to compare the difference. We crossed a field which used to be quite marshy where there were many clumps of both the Narrow Buckler Fern, Dryopteris carthusiana and the Broad Buckler Fern, D. dilatata. One plant of Yellow Bartsia, Parentucellia viscosa was seen in flower but towards the end of the walk we visited a spot where we saw more. Attention was drawn to a hedge of Elm, an Ulmus minor which had corky flanges on its twigs.
A short detour was made to see Shepherd’s cress, Teesdalia nudicaulis which, though its main flowering season is April and early May, there were some flowers for us to see. Along the edge of the Pine wood in one place common Twayblade, Listera ovata was just in flower.
Continuing over dunes and slacks the rain became heavier so we made for a large solitary spreading pine which sheltered all of us while we ate our picnic. We then crossed a long boardwalk over a large slack which can be knee deep in water but is more often quite dry nowadays. Here we visited a large area of matted thick roots and stems of Bogbean, Menyanthes trifoliata which had finished flowering. In this slack was plenty of maroon flowered Marsh Cinquefoil, Potentilla palustris and Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria. The abundant sedge here was the Brown Sedge, Carex disticha and a recently cut down Bay Willow, Salix pentandra which we were happy to see was sprouting fresh twigs and leaves and we hoped would be flowering again in a few years if spared.
Dune slacks nearest the beach had shorter vegetation where Bog Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella showed its pretty pink flowers. There were plenty of orchids, the Early Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnata in flower and Marsh Helleborine, Epipactis palustris with curved heads of buds. On the dunes we admired Wild Pansy, Viola tricolor ssp. curtisii and two dune grasses were pointed out, Sand Catstail, Phleum arenarium and Dune Fescue, Vulpia fasciculata.
Further on in a nearly dried out slack Shoreweed, Littorella uniflora carpeted the ground looking so distinctive only about 5cm tall yet with long 2cm stamens blowing in the breeze. Lesser Water Plantain, Baldellia ranunculoides and Lesser Marshwort, Apium inundatum were in flower in what little water was left.
During the walk we saw two willow hybrids. Salix x friesiana (S. viminalis x repens) was seen in a few places but the rare Salix x doniana (S. purpurea x repens) was only visited in one place.
Before returning up the Fisherman’s Path we visited a slack where Adderstongue Fern, Ophioglossum vulgatum has grown for years though it is now less abundant there and also the Yellow Birds-nest, Monotropa hypopitys which varies in abundance every year. Then on the final stretch was the tiny Birds-foot, Ornithopus perpusillus and we were shown leaves of Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium probably introduced when the track was repaired and grass seeds planted in bare patches alongside.
Vera Gordon
Orrell & Billinge
11th July 1998
Leader - Peter Gateley
The party met up at Orrell Water Park, close to the railway station, on what turned out to be quite a rare dry day for the summer of 1998. The artificial water bodies at Orrell hold quite a wide range of marginal species, many of them planted but also many arriving naturally. There was the opportunity to compare the garden escape Dotted Loosestrife, Lysimachia punctata with the native Yellow Loosetrife L. vulgaris. As well as the general form of the plant and disposition of the flowers the calyx teeth were observed by hand-lens revealing the bright orange margins of Yellow Loosetrife, compared with the plain green of Dotted. From the water park the party headed south towards Longshaw Bottom and then climbed in a westerly direction reaching the plantation woodland of Billinge Plants. The most notable feature of the groundflora, under the quite dense canopy here, is the almost ubiquitous carpet of the silver-variegated garden form of Yellow Archangel, Lamiastrum galeobdolon ssp. argentatum.
Proceeding through the wood the party came out onto the short acidic sward around the top of Billinge Hill. The grassland is dominated by Common Bent, Agrostis capillaris, but there is also Moor Mat-grass, Nardus stricta, Heath Rush, Juncus squarrosus, and Heath-grass, Danthonia decumbens. In the most severely worn areas of sward at the top of this local view point there were quite large populations of the small annual grass Early Hair-grass, Aira praecox. The rest of the walk took place along footpaths through the farmland on the western flank of Billinge Lump, as it is known locally. Amongst the expected range of acidic and agricultural plants some species of a more local distribution were noted. Some of the cropped fields held scattered specimens of the Large-flowered Hemp-nettle Galeopsis speciosa, looking its best in full flower amongst a bean crop. There was also a small population of Slender St John’s-wort, Hypericum pulchrum along the edge of the former quarry at Pimbo Bushes and a single clump of Dyer’s Greenweed, Genista tinctoria on the slopes of a section of the path in a shallow cutting. The walk ended at Upholland Station where members caught the trains back to Liverpool, Orrell and, in one case, to Manchester.
Peter Gateley
West Kirby
July 25th 1998
Leader: Joan Duerden
Twenty members met at West Kirby on a warm, sunny day for a visit to the salt marsh and dunes north west to Hoylake. Sea Aster, Aster tripolium was just in flower, Lesser Sea-spurrey, Spergularia marina and Sea Purslane, Atriplex portulacoides were among many salt marsh plants. There were splendid specimens of Sea-holly, Eryngium maritimum on the dunes while near the shore were patches of Strawberry Clover, Trifolium fragiferum in flower. Although not of botanical interest, small rare Natterjack Toads were seen here.
Near Red Rocks, Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis was almost in flower while in the marshy area nearby, Southern Marsh-orchid, Dactylorhiza praetermissa and Wild Angelica, Angelica sylvestris were present. Back on the dunes there were many Burnet Roses, Rosa pimpinellifolia and Harebells, Campanula rotundifolia in flower. The Duke of Argyll’s Teaplant, Lycium barbarum also grows here.
An extension to the walk was not needed as there was enough of interest to occupy our time.
Joan Duerden
Everton
8th August 1998
Leader: Vera Gordon
Anyone who remembers the old Everton Brow of narrow steep streets of terraced houses would hardly believe the transformation now. We left our meeting place on busy Great Homer Street and walked through tree lined paths to the Everton Park Nature Garden which is open Monday to Friday for school Education trips. We were very grateful to the warden who came to open it on the Saturday especially for our visit.
We first went to the herb garden where there was a good show of many plants including tall Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, Blue flowered Chicory, Cichorium intybus and a cut-leafed bramble, Rubus laciniatus which was completely without prickles. A bed of Chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile was of particular interest to some of own party. It is found in southern Britain and does not grow wild in our area. So often we see a very similar daisy in our arable fields which is sometimes called a Chamomile because it is very aromatic. This plant is Scented Mayweed, Matricaria recutita so it was good to see the differences. On a steep slope for lime loving plants Hoary Plantain, Plantago media with its long mauve stamens was still in flower. Another hillside was colourful with pink flowered Musk Mallow, Malva moschata, reddish-purple flowers of Greater Knapweed, Centaurea scabiosa, Black Knapweed, C. nigra, some with radiate outer florets, Oxeye Daisies, Leucanthemum vulgare and mauve Field Scabious, Knautia arvensis.
In a shallow pond there was Amphibious Bistort, Persicaria amphibia and the Curly Waterweed, Lagarosiphon major, an alien from South Africa first recorded in Britain in 1944 and now spreading rapidly. The larger lake had a good show of Greater Spearwort, Ranunculus lingua still in flower, Yellow Flag, Iris pseudacorus and Bulrush (Reedmace), Typha latifolia as well as some sedges and submerged plants which we felt we could not dredge to look at more carefully. This is where the children do their pond dipping.
Leaving the nature garden, very impressed with it and with the mosaics of coloured pebbles depicting insects and plants of the area, we crossed steep grassy slopes to some open strips of common plants. Here we saw large one metre tall and broad plants of Perennial Wall-rocket, Diplotaxis tenuifolia not seen very often in our area.
The warden then left us and we climbed a hill to take our lunch where there was a nice breeze and good views of the two cathedrals, Liver Buildings, River Mersey and Wirral beyond. Despite the nearby high rise flats we had this all to ourselves and enjoyed the peace.
Then downhill to some sandstone outcrops where I had previously seen a patch of Mind-your-own-business, Soleirolia soleirolii hiding behind a plant of Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria. This plant was re-found and it appeared to have grown to twice its size in a few months, and then a smaller patch was found on another outcrop. In June this red sandstone had looked splendid with patches of Yellow Biting Stonecrop, Sedum acre in flower (later on we found more Soleirolia on a brickwork along the canal).
We then proceeded down hill through the modern Eldonian Village to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The canal bank had been tidied up recently and tall plants slashed down so the Russian Mustard, Sisybrium volgense was not at its best but a few flowers and a side branch with a couple of leaves had escaped mutilation. It is only found in a few widely scattered waste places in England usually near flour mills.
Some of the party rested while others had great fun throwing a grapnel on a long string into the water and sometimes getting plants. These were mainly a Stonewort, Chara sp. which has not yet been identified. It should really have been kept in a liquid preservative as when dry they become very brittle. Further along the canal what appeared to be another species was pulled out but it proved even more brittle than the first one.
The canal had been well cleared the previous autumn so the usual good show of Fringed Water-lily, Nymphoides peltata was missing except for an odd plant or two. However the hybrid Bulrush (Reed Mace), Typha x glauca (T. latifolia x angustifolia) had not suffered and it fringed the canal in many places with neither parent present. Dwarf Gorse, Ulex minor was not yet in flower in a planted shrubbery.
By now most members were almost satiated with all they had seen but still tried to add species to the tetrad record cards. Eventually the party went ashore at Bootle New Strand, some to get a bus and others for the train.
Vera Gordon
Along the River Alt from its Source
29th August 1998
Leader: Vera Gordon
From Huyton Railway Station it was a short walk to the playing fields and then down to the “Wetland Park” designated as “an area of nature conservation and recreation” since 1988. Footpaths and boardwalks have been added and in places wild flowers planted.
Some time was spent in the source of the Alt which in winter is a large pool but most of summer just wet ground and short vegetation of mosses and sedges etc. The best find for this district was Bristle Club-rush, Isolepis setacea.
The infant Alt appeared from a culvert beneath the road more like a field ditch, the water invisible because of the dense growth of Fool’s-water-cress, Apium nodiflorum. Reaching some houses the Alt again was culverted and negotiating a couple of roads it re-appeared a little larger in a green valley.
We walked between the river and planted shrubberies where a few bushes of Alder Buckthorn, Frangula alnus were seen in fruit. On the river banks was Indian Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera and Japanese Knotweed, Fallopia japonica and in the river was the Bulrush (Reed Mace), Typha latifolia and Yellow Flag, Iris pseudacorus in fruit.
Lunch was taken alongside a wild flower meadow where in spring Cowslips, Primula veris, may be seen.
Further along the river bank became less steep in a wide expanse of wet ground. In places it was blue with Water Forget-me-not, Myosotis scorpioides and the water choked by Brooklime, Veronica beccabunga. There was Water-plantain, Alisma plantago-aquatica and then the plant we most wanted to see, Narrow-leaved Water-plantain, Alisma lanceolatum distinguished by its narrow lanceolate leaves and when in flower by its slightly larger and pink flushed petals. The former species is said to flower in the afternoon while the latter in the morning. We were not able to confirm this as we saw them at mid-day. Other plants in this area were Purple-loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, more Bulrush, Typha latifolia both abundant, Common Club-rush, Schoenoplectus lacustris and Great Willowherb, Epilobium hirstum. Alongside the path on top of the riverbank a small patch of Buttonweed, Cotula coronopifolia also found growing on a bare patch of clay.
The river appeared again. It crossed a colourful meadow with fine plants of Musk-mallow, Malva moschata as well as other wild flowers planted but apparently regenerating. We passed the place where the TV soap “Brookside” is filmed and then entered Croxteth Park by a wooded track. One member found some Beef Steak fungus on a tree stump. We saw the Alt again on its way to the estuary at Hightown. We admired the splendid parkland trees especially the Sweet Gum, Liquidamber styraciflora a native of America from New York to Florida and Texas. Its identification was confirmed when one member was able to reach a fruit, a hanging pale green spiky ball.
We took advantage of the facilities offered here, buying ice cream, visiting the shop where a book was bought and leaflets describing and illustrating a walk round the estate more or less following the River Alt.
Then we continued through the park until we split into two parties, one to West Derby village for a bus to Liverpool and others to Norris Green for a bus to Bootle and a train on the Northern Line.
Vera Gordon
Chester Canal
19th September 1998
Leader: Dr Keith Watson
The party met at Chester Station on a fine and quite warm day, walked to the Shropshire Union canal and towards the Northgate locks. Notable was an abundance of ferns on the City wall with Welted Thistle, Carduus crispus and Skullcap, Scutellaria galericulata on the canal bank near the Visitor Moorings and dry dock. We there entered hectad SJ36, a square I am helping to record for the BSBI Atlas 2000. I would like to thank everyone for their help, a total of 27 new records were found during the day. There were some good plants on waste ground by the canal on its way down to the Dee including Field Madder, Sherardia arvensis, Common Stork’s-bill, Erodium cicutarium, Red Goosefoot, Chenopodium rubrum and California Brome, Ceratochloa carinata. We had lunch at a pleasant spot with a view along the Dee towards Shotton and some of us remembered a previous LBS meeting in 1993 when we walked from Shotton to Chester. We then walked along the Dee towards the Welsh border to see notable Cheshire plants such a Spiny Restharrow, Ononis spinosa, Meadow–rue, Thalictrum flavum, Black Mustard, Brassica nigra, White Bryony, Bryonia dioica and Traveller’s-joy, Clematis vitalba. A search for Broad-leaved Ragwort, Senecio fluviatilis, found in 1993, was not successful on the way back to the canal.
We then walked north towards Backford and found Orange Balsam, Impatiens capensis in good flower and Bristly Oxtongue, Picris echioides. At tea time, taken below the railway bridge, Pale Toadflax, Linaria repens was found. We carried on along the canal to Knolls bridge, and leaves of Spiked Water-milfoil, Myriophyllum spicatum were found in the canal. The Bindweeds (Calystegia sp. and ssp.) were interesting on this walk, C. sepium ssp. sepium and C. silvatica ssp. silvatica were quite common and a possible hybrid, C. x lucana was found near the lunch site. However, near Knolls bridge a convincing specimen of the newly described C. silvatica ssp. disjuncta was found. Finally, the party followed paths away from the canal, through fields towards the Countess of Chester Hospital where Root Beet, Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris was a crop relic, in contrast to Sea Beet, ssp. maritima on the Dee. The walk ended at Chester Bache station.
Dr Keith Watson
Rainford
17th October 1998
Leader - Peter Gateley
It was already pretty wet and grey when members assembled at Rainford Junction for the last field trip of the season. One of the purposes of this trip was to collect data for SD40 hectad, looking particularly at the wide-open flat farmland, largely derived from drained mossland and specked with small scattered collieries, long since abandoned. We started off looking at low colliery waste tips along the northern edge of the railway in tetrad SD40R, dominated by a birch/willow mix over a thin Wavy Hair-grass, Deschampsia flexuosa sward typical of local acid coal shales. We proceeded westwards to the much larger colliery site at Siding Lane, this has been developed by St Helens Council into a most attractive small country park and picnic site. The naturally regenerated woodlands have been left with minimal management intervention, the former shafts capped and grassy glades created. Diversity is added by retention of the small square reservoir which once supplied water for the steam-powered pit winding engines. It now supports a range of marginal plants and aquatics including Greater Spearwort, Ranunculus lingua and Fringed Water-lily, Nymphoides peltata, both probably brought here from local angler's garden ponds. Some of the old walling surviving from the colliery structure supported some large clumps of Hart's-tongue Fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium and a single clump of Common Polypody Polypodium vulgare agg.. Not many plants were still flowering here and the expected fungi were rather thin on the ground but a range of mosses and liverworts were looked at.
After the comparative shelter of the wooded area there was a very noticeable change when we struck off into the flat wind and rain-swept tracts of farmland typical of tetrad SD40L. Heads down and getting wetter and wetter quite a good list of arable weeds was recorded, including some fine stands of Small Nettle Urtica urens and scattered Field Woundwort Stachys arvensis, Cut-leaved Dead-nettle Lamium hybridum and Large-flowered Hemp-nettle, Galeopsis speciosa. However, the rain just got heavier, and we looked around for some shelter. Eventually it was decided that the best thing to do was head straight back for the station where there was at least some shelter. After eating under the railway bridge and in the platform shelter the rains continued on into the afternoon and we decided to call it a day. It is not often that weather conditions curtail the LBS field trips, but in this case we had been to L and back!
Peter Gateley