Lapsana communis subsp. intermedia

So the excitement this week, while out on a work survey at South Hetton (VC66) with aspiring ecologist Harriet Duffield*, was this non-native form of Nipplewort (Lapsana communis subsp. intermedia). I don't know who was more excited, me or Harriet**. The BSBI database shows that it has been recorded from the county previously, but this is a new hectad.

It stands out with its large bright golden flowers (I was expecting it to be a hawkweed), but it also has very distinct foliage. I see that Stace 4 has dropped mention of the lateral lobes on the leaves being nearly as wide as the terminal lobe, which is mentioned in other sources. Even so, when compared with subsp. communis, the leaves are very distinct. I was also interested to see that some plants are completely glabrous, while others have either hairy stems and leaves, or just hairy leaves.

subsp. intermedia on  the left, subsp. communis on the right

* That's for saying that you would never get a mention on my blog! And yes I do know that's not how you spell inspiring.

** Ok I do.

American Blue-eyed-grass

American Blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium montanum) was a very surprising find yesterday in flower-rich secondary grassland developing in a former brick pit at Walsall (VC39). Stunning.

Chickweed-Wintergreen and Tree Heather

I popped over to Ilkley Moor this weekend to check out the large stand of Chickweed-wintergreen (Trientalis europaea) after hearing from Peter Kerr that it was looking good this year. It is a plant I last saw on an undergraduate trip to Scotland (shockingly that was nearly 30 years ago now), so long overdue a reacquaintance. It really was looking good, but more on that in a moment.

On the way to the Chickweed-wintergreen, I climbed up the Cow and Calf onto the ridge above to get my bearings. I could of course just tracked straight to my target using a GPS, but where is the fun in that? Half the pleasure is in the exploring and seeing what you find on route, and in my view it is always more satisfying to find the right spot the old fashioned way with a map and (hopefully) a good sense of direction.

So, up on the ridge a flash of gold caught my eye. This turned out to be, rather surprisingly, the golden cultivar of Tree Heather (Erica arborea 'Estrella Gold'). I can't believe that it has seeded itself all the way up here, so I assume it was planted by someone at some point in the past. Perhaps as a memorial to a loved one. It seems well established now though.

Cow and Calf

Tree Heather

Chickweed-wintergreen