Settle Sojourns

I've been to Settle a number of times this year, it being a handy base for recording this hectad for Atlas 2020. However, I have had little time for posting pictures so it is time for a little catch up. In no particular order ...

Virginia-creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), colonising a wall on the Highway and new to the hectad

Perennial Sunflower (Helianthus x laetiflorus 'Lemon Queen'), start of Stackhouse Lane, Giggleswick. First mentioned to me by Mike Canaway

Double-flowered Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium 'Bachelor's Buttons') at Langcliffe Mill

My second favourite, sad I know, Prickly Sowthistle (after subsp. glaucescens) Sonchus asper subsp asper var. integrifolius in Giggleswick

Boo Hiss, Garden Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla mollis) making its bid for world domination, Craven Lime Works

Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), Craven Lime Works

How many succulents can you spot? churchyard wall Langcliffe. Some answers below

Hen-and-chicks (Jovibarba heuffelii)

Oregon Stonecrop (Sedum oreganum subsp. oreganum)

Cobweb House-leek (Sempervivum arachnoideum)

Armenian Crane's-bill (Geranium psilostemon), new to VC64, west bank of River Ribble, Giggleswick

Stinking Tutsan (Hypericum hircinum) by River Ribble downstream of Settle. Never put a piece in your pocket to look at later and then get on a crowded train!

Ilkley Moor Baht 'at

I finally made it, after 7 years of not really trying, up Ilkley Moor this week in the heat of Tuesday and probably unwisely without 'at. This is of course a well botanised site so I was not expecting to add much new to the plant list, and in this light I did quite well.

The first good find was a new stand of the non-native Silver Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla conjuncta), extending its range into a new tetrad.

Not a new location, but of interest to me was the enigma that is Cut-leaved Bramble (Rubus laciniatus). No one really knows this species origins, or whether it is native or endemic to Britain. It is certainly not native in Yorkshire, but in comparison with the thug that is Himalayan Giant (Rubus armeniacus), I am more than happy to welcome it.

By far the best find of the day, apologies in advance for the over-exposed photo I blame the low late season sun!, was a colony of Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa) along the the historic alignment of Keighley Road. From the data available to me, it does not appear to have been reported from the Moor for decades, so I am pleased to have refound it. The associated Eyebright (Euphrasia) is giving me headaches and is one for the BSBI referee.

To end with, here is the view from Addingham High Moor where the carpets of Heather (Calluna vulgaris) were at peak bloom. Scenic as it is, it is important not to forget what an impoverished habitat this is for native flora. Over a century of over-management for grouse does not leave room for much else, and it is not a very satisfying habitat for a botanist. That said, Ilkley Moor seems to be suffering the opposite effect i.e. a legacy of under-management resulting in an ever increasing dominance of Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). There must be a middle ground somewhere, but it is a challenge to find the most favourable balance in the modern world where traditional agriculture and land management is no longer economic.

Lady's-mantle On The Move

Mid-West Yorkshire is a relatively rich area for native Lady's-mantle species (Alchemilla spp.), although they can be fussy in their habitat preferences and many are losing ground to agricultural improvement and other habitat change. Huntingdonshire in comparison was only ever blessed with one species and it has been extinct for quite some time.

In comparison the following species is doing well, rather too well. Soft Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is a robust species that has escaped from gardens and is rapidly spreading into semi-natural habitats. It is widespread in Mid-West Yorkshire and can be found in some surprisingly remote locations, so it evidently has good powers of dispersal. It has been less frequently recorded in Huntingdonshire but I suspect it is overlooked as the county supports fewer active botanists. These photos were taken this weekend along The Avenue at Temple Newsam (VC64).