Hightown 27 April 2025
Thirteen intrepid explorers, including five new members, traversed the streets, saltmarsh, rubble, reedbed and dunes of Hightown. It was also a recording session for the City Nature Challenge 2025 on INaturalist, so a brief introduction to this was also given.
Starting with the obligatory look at the Hop plants by the hotel and railway, we found all the usual pavement and ruderal plants along Lower Alt Road. Black Medick was checked for the tiny point on the leaf apex. By the Alt Centre and then down to the Alt were Pink Sorrel, plenty of Sea Radish, Wild Onion, Tansy, Black Horehound, Twiggy Spurge, Euphorbia x pseudovirgata = Euphorbia esula × waldsteinii, originally seen here over 30 years ago by Vera Gordon and continuing to thrive.
As the tide was high, we kept to the path around the back of the reed bed and found the Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum in leaf. Singing here was a Common Whitethroat, two Reed Warblers, a male Reed Bunting, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Sedge Warbler. Other birds seen included House Sparrow and Meadow Pipit.
Adjacent to the gardens of Hightown are a lot of non-native plants, some of which are becoming a problem - White Poplar, Hoary Cress, Hybrid Bluebell, Snow in Summer etc.
Dune plants found included Bulbous Buttercup (with its bent back sepals), Wild Parsnip, Field Horsetail, Kidney Vetch, Portland Spurge, Buckshorn Plantain, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Sea Holly, Carline Thistle, Sea Bindweed, and nice to see (though hard to find) were the tiny Early Forget-me-not, Common Milkwort and Spring Vetch. Common Gromwell Lithospermum officinale, is not common at all and even declining, see Lithospermum officinale L. in BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020, though here it can be readily found, even if just in leaf, though we could also still see some of the obvious white seeds. Green-winged Orchid was in flower at the Sailing Club Garden.
When the sun came out and it got warmer, we saw plenty of butterflies – 3 Large White, 3 Green-veined White, a Small White, a female Orange Tip, 2 Speckled Wood, 5 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Peacock, a Holly Blue and a Wall Brown.
The rubble area had Sea Mayweed, Rock Samphire, Sea Beet, Danish Scurvy Grass, Sea Purslane, but not a single Yellow-horned Poppy. Sea Sandwort Honckenya peploides was high up on the shore, and the Sea-milkwort Lysimachia maritima lower down.
South of Blundellsands Sailing Club were Curled Dock ssp. littoreus, False Fox Sedge, Long-bracted Sedge Carex extensa and flowering Sea Arrow Grass Triglochin maritima & Celery-leaved Buttercup. The bed of Sea Club-rush Bolboschoenus maritimus was looking worse for wear with the high tides. The saltmarsh also held Common Cord Grass Spartina anglica and Sea Aster. The endemic, distinctive-leaved Isle-of-Man Cabbage Coincya monensis subsp. monensis was found on the dune slope.
Identification of Scurvy Grass (Cochlearia) in N.W. England has long been problematic with plants not pure C. anglica or C. officinalis but the hybrid C. x hollandica; however, some plants conform to C. atlantica. Further details can be found in the paper by Eric Greenwood and Hugh McAllister at https://britishandirishbotany.org/index.php/bib/article/view/128
Steve Hurley found rust on Rumex - Puccinia phragmitis, which alternates generations with Reed and on Sea Aster leaves was the rust Puccinia extensicola.
The Reed Bed by the Sailing Club showed signs of erosion, with the mass of rhizomes showing how quickly it can dominate an area. The Peat Beds had Royal Fern Osmunda regalis rhizomes and there were tree stumps and timber of birch & oak around 5000 years old. Gut (Intestine) Weed Ulva sp covered the bricks and even some areas of peat.
Shore birds included Oystercatcher, Shelduck and a single Ruff. Lyme Grass and Sea Rocket were on the dune at the edge of the reed bed. At the reedbed, we could compare Garden Angelica Angelica archangelica with Giant Hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum, as well as another large poisonous plant in Hemlock Water Dropwort.
Even when waiting for a train at the station, I added a Zebra Jumping Spider that was on my boot.
Thirteen intrepid explorers, including five new members, traversed the streets, saltmarsh, rubble, reedbed and dunes of Hightown. It was also a recording session for the City Nature Challenge 2025 on INaturalist, so a brief introduction to this was also given.
Starting with the obligatory look at the Hop plants by the hotel and railway, we found all the usual pavement and ruderal plants along Lower Alt Road. Black Medick was checked for the tiny point on the leaf apex. By the Alt Centre and then down to the Alt were Pink Sorrel, plenty of Sea Radish, Wild Onion, Tansy, Black Horehound, Twiggy Spurge, Euphorbia x pseudovirgata = Euphorbia esula × waldsteinii, originally seen here over 30 years ago by Vera Gordon and continuing to thrive.
As the tide was high, we kept to the path around the back of the reed bed and found the Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum in leaf. Singing here was a Common Whitethroat, two Reed Warblers, a male Reed Bunting, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Sedge Warbler. Other birds seen included House Sparrow and Meadow Pipit.
Adjacent to the gardens of Hightown are a lot of non-native plants, some of which are becoming a problem - White Poplar, Hoary Cress, Hybrid Bluebell, Snow in Summer etc.
Dune plants found included Bulbous Buttercup (with its bent back sepals), Wild Parsnip, Field Horsetail, Kidney Vetch, Portland Spurge, Buckshorn Plantain, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Sea Holly, Carline Thistle, Sea Bindweed, and nice to see (though hard to find) were the tiny Early Forget-me-not, Common Milkwort and Spring Vetch. Common Gromwell Lithospermum officinale, is not common at all and even declining, see Lithospermum officinale L. in BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020, though here it can be readily found, even if just in leaf, though we could also still see some of the obvious white seeds. Green-winged Orchid was in flower at the Sailing Club Garden.
When the sun came out and it got warmer, we saw plenty of butterflies – 3 Large White, 3 Green-veined White, a Small White, a female Orange Tip, 2 Speckled Wood, 5 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Peacock, a Holly Blue and a Wall Brown.
The rubble area had Sea Mayweed, Rock Samphire, Sea Beet, Danish Scurvy Grass, Sea Purslane, but not a single Yellow-horned Poppy. Sea Sandwort Honckenya peploides was high up on the shore, and the Sea-milkwort Lysimachia maritima lower down.
South of Blundellsands Sailing Club were Curled Dock ssp. littoreus, False Fox Sedge, Long-bracted Sedge Carex extensa and flowering Sea Arrow Grass Triglochin maritima & Celery-leaved Buttercup. The bed of Sea Club-rush Bolboschoenus maritimus was looking worse for wear with the high tides. The saltmarsh also held Common Cord Grass Spartina anglica and Sea Aster. The endemic, distinctive-leaved Isle-of-Man Cabbage Coincya monensis subsp. monensis was found on the dune slope.
Identification of Scurvy Grass (Cochlearia) in N.W. England has long been problematic with plants not pure C. anglica or C. officinalis but the hybrid C. x hollandica; however, some plants conform to C. atlantica. Further details can be found in the paper by Eric Greenwood and Hugh McAllister at https://britishandirishbotany.org/index.php/bib/article/view/128
Steve Hurley found rust on Rumex - Puccinia phragmitis, which alternates generations with Reed and on Sea Aster leaves was the rust Puccinia extensicola.
The Reed Bed by the Sailing Club showed signs of erosion, with the mass of rhizomes showing how quickly it can dominate an area. The Peat Beds had Royal Fern Osmunda regalis rhizomes and there were tree stumps and timber of birch & oak around 5000 years old. Gut (Intestine) Weed Ulva sp covered the bricks and even some areas of peat.
Shore birds included Oystercatcher, Shelduck and a single Ruff. Lyme Grass and Sea Rocket were on the dune at the edge of the reed bed. At the reedbed, we could compare Garden Angelica Angelica archangelica with Giant Hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum, as well as another large poisonous plant in Hemlock Water Dropwort.
Even when waiting for a train at the station, I added a Zebra Jumping Spider that was on my boot.
Dibbinsdale 10 May 2025
On a warm sunny day, a large group of 24 (including several new members) toured the largest (and richest) block of ancient semi-natural woodland on Merseyside and we saw a total of fifteen Ancient Woodland Indicator species. We also visited the wetlands and a meadow.
Leaving Bromborough Rake Station, we found the usual ruderals plus Elder, Cow Parsley, Cleavers, Bramble, Nettle, Ivy, Ground Elder and Wood Avens.
At Marford’s Wood we found Wood Dock, Enchanter’s Nightshade, Lesser Celandine, Oak, Ash, Wych Elm, Holly, Hazel, Sycamore and Hawthorn. There were masses of Wood Anemone (unfortunately all gone to seed), Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Greater Stitchwort, and Wood Speedwell, plus Soft Shield Fern and some unfurling Hartstongue Fern. Down into the valley towards Lady’s Bridge, we found Wood Sorrel, Wavy Bittercress and Hogweed.
The valley floor had flowering Marsh Marigold and Pendulous Sedge, also here were Reed, Common Alder, Nettle, Golden Scaly Male Fern, Broad Buckler-fern, and along the path edge Remote Sedge and Wood Sedge, and just before the bridge we found some Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis. A Hazel had purple centres on some of its leaves.
The area around Lady’s Bridge produced Ground Elder, Crack Willow, and Himalayan Balsam. Flowering here were Wavy Bittercress and Creeping Buttercup. Broad-leaved Dock had the Fungus Ramularia rubella.
The pool area had old stems of Purple Loosestrife, plus flowering Yellow Iris, and Cuckoo Flower. A swarm of hundreds of Common Toad tadpoles filled the water, and a male Mallard swam on the surface. In leaf were Hedge Bindweed, Greater Willowherb, Greater Plantain and Wild Angelica. An old root plate had Creeping Thistle plus a Celery-leaved Buttercup in bloom. Flowering nearby was Clustered Dock and Wavy Bittercress. Also, here we found Ground Elder, Reed, Common Alder, Wood Avens, Golden Male Fern, Pendulous Sedge, Field Rose, Meadowsweet and Water Mint. A nice find here by Ben was Bog Stitchwort Stellaria alsine.
Heading up to Bodens Hey Meadow, where there was not too much in flower except Meadow Buttercup, Hairy Sedge Carex hirta, Field Wood-rush and Sweet Vernal Grass. Growing here too was the semi-parasitic Yellow-rattle, plus Meadowsweet, Catsear, Ribwort Plantain, Common Knapweed, Cocksfoot Grass, and Hogweed. We also scanned the horizon to see the diversity of trees from a distance and could easily see Hawthorn, Crack Willow, sallows, Oak, Beech, and Silver Birch.
Along the path edge were flowering Red Campion, plentiful Germander Speedwell, and Wood Avens. Also present were Wild Cherry, Reed Canary Grass, Apple, Cleavers, Norway Maple, and sallows (Goat and Grey). Buttercups full of micromoths turned out to be Plain Pollen-moth or Plain Gold Micropterix calthella, not Cocksfoot Moth as I had originally thought.
At the Bridge Area we saw Common Comfrey, Marsh Marigold, Cuckoo Flower (or Lady’s Smock) and Common Alder. Meadowsweet had the mildew Podosphaera spireae, and Wild Angelica was in leaf on the bridge itself.
Heading into Bromborough Wood along the main path, I found Three-nerved Sandwort Moehringia trinervia, and nearby, and quite apt after the recent election of a new pope, was a Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa coccinea.
Ash-Wych Elm woodland covers most of the site with an abundance of Ash, Pedunculate Oak and Sycamore. Wych Elm, Holly, and Beech are also frequently and birch and Rowan on the more acidic soils. Hornbeam Carpinus betulus and Horse Chestnut have been planted in certain parts of the wood and Hazel, Hawthorn and Elder are the predominant shrub species in the understorey.
Further on was quite a bit of flowering Sanicle Sanicula europaea, a rare species on Merseyside. Here too were planted Beech, Hornbeam and what seemed to be a Large-leaved Lime. By the Dibben was the blue-flowered Brooklime Veronica beccabunga next to the violet-flowered Wood Speedwell Veronica montana.
By some fallen logs were patches of Yellow Pimpernel and Lesser Celandine in flower. The log on which we sat for lunch had a Two-banded Longhorn Beetle Rhagium bifasciatum, and a patch of Great Woodrush Luzula sylvestris. Just one Moschatel, Town Hall Clock or Five-faced Bishop Adoxa moschatellina was found thanks to the searching skills of Ben.
Towards Otter Bridge Tunnel were some Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, more Wood Speedwell & Sanicle Sanicula europaea as well as Great Horsetail and Dog’s Mercury. On the recce, I had Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis here, but we did not see it on the day. The Gooseberry had both spines and fruit.
At the Otters Bridge area (when the railway was built, workers saw otters here), we had Remote and Pendulous Sedge, Cuckoo Flower or Lady’s Smock, Hemp Agrimony, and Wavy Bittercress and the non-native Himalayan Balsam. Along the river walls was lots of Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum. On the east side of the tunnel, on a small wall at the edge of Patrick’s Wood (CWT Reserve), was Wood Speedwell, Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Wavy Bittercress and one Common Figwort plant.
Babbs Meadow, now a reed swamp, had Reed, Meadowsweet, Reed canary-grass, Great Horsetail Equisetum telmateia, Yellow Flag Iris, and Wild Angelica. The wetter, boggier areas had Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage, Brooklime, Marsh Marigold, and Himalayan Balsam. Curled Dock, Waterpepper Polygonum hydropiper, Common Starwort and Bittersweet were on the drying mud. Also here was flowering Marsh Marigold and Raspberry. A Sycamore had aphids Drepanosiphum platanoides (winged adults and nymphs), the red coloured mite galls Aceria cephalonea and Sycamore Felt mite gall Aceria pseudoplatani.
As we approached Brotherton Park, we saw Rhododendron, Enchanter’s Nightshade, Horse Chestnut, and Wood Avens. Wood Dock had fly larva mines of a Pegomya sp.
The path towards St Patrick's Well was cut through 220-million-year-old Triassic desert sandstone during the Ice Age to form the steep valley sides and cliffs. There are plenty of lichens, moss, and liverworts, including Great Scented Liverwort or Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum, and Pellia sp. Great Woodrush Luzula sylvatica (with white hairy edges), was locally abundant, and Wood Melick Melica uniflora was here too. The wet underhangs also had Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Hard Fern Blechnum spicant and Lady-fern Athyrium felix-femina and the woodland edge had Dog’s Mercury and Enchanter’s Nightshade.
In the St. Patrick's Well Area were the usual woodland plants plus Herb Robert, Field Maple, Horse Chestnut, Wilson’s Honeysuckle, Pendulous Sedge, Yew, Ramsons Allium ursinum. At the well was Conocephalum conicum, Mind your own Business Soleirolia soleirolii, Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Hard Fern and Broad-leaved Willowherb. The quarry is covered in Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum, but it shows the tree root systems well, too.
We visited the rarely open walled garden and had a well-earned rest there, and I saw a Holly Blue butterfly and, in the courtyard, had flowering Scarlet Pimpernel. Surprisingly scarce at this site was Common Dog Violet and, on the path, back to the station, a lot of Wood Anemone leaves were already going yellow due to the drought. Honeysuckle, Dog’s Mercury, Wood Dock, Ramsons and Self-heal were also present.
Birds – We saw and heard Nuthatch, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay. Singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff, plus common residents such as Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock, and Wren. On the water were Moorhen and Mallard. A female Mallard had seven small ducklings, but they were disturbed by an uncontrolled dog splashing in the water. A singing Cetti’s Warbler was by the reed bed.
Insects, a female Dock Leaf Beetle Gastrophysa viridula was full of eggs. On the recce, I had the hoverflies Sunfly Helophilus pendulus and Eristalis pertinax and found an Alder Fly. Butterflies – seen were Large, Small and Green-veined Whites plus Speckled Wood.
Fungi were hard to find in the dry conditions, but we did find Ramularia rubella on Broad-leaved Dock, Uromyces dactylidis on leaves of Lesser Celandine, and Turkeytail Trametes versicolor. After a lot of searching the Arum Rust Puccinia sessilis was eventually found on Ramsons.
Lichens Though dried up the ten species found were Parmelia sulcata, Oak Moss Evernia prunastri, Xanthoria parietina, Caloplaca sp., Physcia adscendens, Lecidella elaechroma, Lecanora chlarotera, Parmotrema perlatum and Flavoparmelia caperata.
Moss Wood Bristle-moss Lewinskya affinis, Swan-neck Thyme Moss Mnium hornum and Bank Haircap Polytrichastrum formosum were seen.
Liverworts: Greater Scented Liverwort or Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum, Pellia Liverwort Pellia sp.
Algae Trentepohlia sp. Orange Algae free living (also found in many crustose lichens), the colour is due to carotenoid pigments.
On a warm sunny day, a large group of 24 (including several new members) toured the largest (and richest) block of ancient semi-natural woodland on Merseyside and we saw a total of fifteen Ancient Woodland Indicator species. We also visited the wetlands and a meadow.
Leaving Bromborough Rake Station, we found the usual ruderals plus Elder, Cow Parsley, Cleavers, Bramble, Nettle, Ivy, Ground Elder and Wood Avens.
At Marford’s Wood we found Wood Dock, Enchanter’s Nightshade, Lesser Celandine, Oak, Ash, Wych Elm, Holly, Hazel, Sycamore and Hawthorn. There were masses of Wood Anemone (unfortunately all gone to seed), Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Greater Stitchwort, and Wood Speedwell, plus Soft Shield Fern and some unfurling Hartstongue Fern. Down into the valley towards Lady’s Bridge, we found Wood Sorrel, Wavy Bittercress and Hogweed.
The valley floor had flowering Marsh Marigold and Pendulous Sedge, also here were Reed, Common Alder, Nettle, Golden Scaly Male Fern, Broad Buckler-fern, and along the path edge Remote Sedge and Wood Sedge, and just before the bridge we found some Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis. A Hazel had purple centres on some of its leaves.
The area around Lady’s Bridge produced Ground Elder, Crack Willow, and Himalayan Balsam. Flowering here were Wavy Bittercress and Creeping Buttercup. Broad-leaved Dock had the Fungus Ramularia rubella.
The pool area had old stems of Purple Loosestrife, plus flowering Yellow Iris, and Cuckoo Flower. A swarm of hundreds of Common Toad tadpoles filled the water, and a male Mallard swam on the surface. In leaf were Hedge Bindweed, Greater Willowherb, Greater Plantain and Wild Angelica. An old root plate had Creeping Thistle plus a Celery-leaved Buttercup in bloom. Flowering nearby was Clustered Dock and Wavy Bittercress. Also, here we found Ground Elder, Reed, Common Alder, Wood Avens, Golden Male Fern, Pendulous Sedge, Field Rose, Meadowsweet and Water Mint. A nice find here by Ben was Bog Stitchwort Stellaria alsine.
Heading up to Bodens Hey Meadow, where there was not too much in flower except Meadow Buttercup, Hairy Sedge Carex hirta, Field Wood-rush and Sweet Vernal Grass. Growing here too was the semi-parasitic Yellow-rattle, plus Meadowsweet, Catsear, Ribwort Plantain, Common Knapweed, Cocksfoot Grass, and Hogweed. We also scanned the horizon to see the diversity of trees from a distance and could easily see Hawthorn, Crack Willow, sallows, Oak, Beech, and Silver Birch.
Along the path edge were flowering Red Campion, plentiful Germander Speedwell, and Wood Avens. Also present were Wild Cherry, Reed Canary Grass, Apple, Cleavers, Norway Maple, and sallows (Goat and Grey). Buttercups full of micromoths turned out to be Plain Pollen-moth or Plain Gold Micropterix calthella, not Cocksfoot Moth as I had originally thought.
At the Bridge Area we saw Common Comfrey, Marsh Marigold, Cuckoo Flower (or Lady’s Smock) and Common Alder. Meadowsweet had the mildew Podosphaera spireae, and Wild Angelica was in leaf on the bridge itself.
Heading into Bromborough Wood along the main path, I found Three-nerved Sandwort Moehringia trinervia, and nearby, and quite apt after the recent election of a new pope, was a Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa coccinea.
Ash-Wych Elm woodland covers most of the site with an abundance of Ash, Pedunculate Oak and Sycamore. Wych Elm, Holly, and Beech are also frequently and birch and Rowan on the more acidic soils. Hornbeam Carpinus betulus and Horse Chestnut have been planted in certain parts of the wood and Hazel, Hawthorn and Elder are the predominant shrub species in the understorey.
Further on was quite a bit of flowering Sanicle Sanicula europaea, a rare species on Merseyside. Here too were planted Beech, Hornbeam and what seemed to be a Large-leaved Lime. By the Dibben was the blue-flowered Brooklime Veronica beccabunga next to the violet-flowered Wood Speedwell Veronica montana.
By some fallen logs were patches of Yellow Pimpernel and Lesser Celandine in flower. The log on which we sat for lunch had a Two-banded Longhorn Beetle Rhagium bifasciatum, and a patch of Great Woodrush Luzula sylvestris. Just one Moschatel, Town Hall Clock or Five-faced Bishop Adoxa moschatellina was found thanks to the searching skills of Ben.
Towards Otter Bridge Tunnel were some Opposite-leaved Golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, more Wood Speedwell & Sanicle Sanicula europaea as well as Great Horsetail and Dog’s Mercury. On the recce, I had Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis here, but we did not see it on the day. The Gooseberry had both spines and fruit.
At the Otters Bridge area (when the railway was built, workers saw otters here), we had Remote and Pendulous Sedge, Cuckoo Flower or Lady’s Smock, Hemp Agrimony, and Wavy Bittercress and the non-native Himalayan Balsam. Along the river walls was lots of Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum. On the east side of the tunnel, on a small wall at the edge of Patrick’s Wood (CWT Reserve), was Wood Speedwell, Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Wavy Bittercress and one Common Figwort plant.
Babbs Meadow, now a reed swamp, had Reed, Meadowsweet, Reed canary-grass, Great Horsetail Equisetum telmateia, Yellow Flag Iris, and Wild Angelica. The wetter, boggier areas had Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage, Brooklime, Marsh Marigold, and Himalayan Balsam. Curled Dock, Waterpepper Polygonum hydropiper, Common Starwort and Bittersweet were on the drying mud. Also here was flowering Marsh Marigold and Raspberry. A Sycamore had aphids Drepanosiphum platanoides (winged adults and nymphs), the red coloured mite galls Aceria cephalonea and Sycamore Felt mite gall Aceria pseudoplatani.
As we approached Brotherton Park, we saw Rhododendron, Enchanter’s Nightshade, Horse Chestnut, and Wood Avens. Wood Dock had fly larva mines of a Pegomya sp.
The path towards St Patrick's Well was cut through 220-million-year-old Triassic desert sandstone during the Ice Age to form the steep valley sides and cliffs. There are plenty of lichens, moss, and liverworts, including Great Scented Liverwort or Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum, and Pellia sp. Great Woodrush Luzula sylvatica (with white hairy edges), was locally abundant, and Wood Melick Melica uniflora was here too. The wet underhangs also had Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Hard Fern Blechnum spicant and Lady-fern Athyrium felix-femina and the woodland edge had Dog’s Mercury and Enchanter’s Nightshade.
In the St. Patrick's Well Area were the usual woodland plants plus Herb Robert, Field Maple, Horse Chestnut, Wilson’s Honeysuckle, Pendulous Sedge, Yew, Ramsons Allium ursinum. At the well was Conocephalum conicum, Mind your own Business Soleirolia soleirolii, Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Hard Fern and Broad-leaved Willowherb. The quarry is covered in Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum, but it shows the tree root systems well, too.
We visited the rarely open walled garden and had a well-earned rest there, and I saw a Holly Blue butterfly and, in the courtyard, had flowering Scarlet Pimpernel. Surprisingly scarce at this site was Common Dog Violet and, on the path, back to the station, a lot of Wood Anemone leaves were already going yellow due to the drought. Honeysuckle, Dog’s Mercury, Wood Dock, Ramsons and Self-heal were also present.
Birds – We saw and heard Nuthatch, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay. Singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff, plus common residents such as Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock, and Wren. On the water were Moorhen and Mallard. A female Mallard had seven small ducklings, but they were disturbed by an uncontrolled dog splashing in the water. A singing Cetti’s Warbler was by the reed bed.
Insects, a female Dock Leaf Beetle Gastrophysa viridula was full of eggs. On the recce, I had the hoverflies Sunfly Helophilus pendulus and Eristalis pertinax and found an Alder Fly. Butterflies – seen were Large, Small and Green-veined Whites plus Speckled Wood.
Fungi were hard to find in the dry conditions, but we did find Ramularia rubella on Broad-leaved Dock, Uromyces dactylidis on leaves of Lesser Celandine, and Turkeytail Trametes versicolor. After a lot of searching the Arum Rust Puccinia sessilis was eventually found on Ramsons.
Lichens Though dried up the ten species found were Parmelia sulcata, Oak Moss Evernia prunastri, Xanthoria parietina, Caloplaca sp., Physcia adscendens, Lecidella elaechroma, Lecanora chlarotera, Parmotrema perlatum and Flavoparmelia caperata.
Moss Wood Bristle-moss Lewinskya affinis, Swan-neck Thyme Moss Mnium hornum and Bank Haircap Polytrichastrum formosum were seen.
Liverworts: Greater Scented Liverwort or Snakeskin Liverwort Conocephalum conicum, Pellia Liverwort Pellia sp.
Algae Trentepohlia sp. Orange Algae free living (also found in many crustose lichens), the colour is due to carotenoid pigments.
