Showing posts with label Giggleswick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Giggleswick. Show all posts

Monday, 8 May 2017

Stackhouse and Langcliffe (VC64)

With the weather forecast suggesting the west would be best on Saturday I headed over to Settle on the train to see what I could find. I had originally planned to head up to Winskill Stones, but going up Giggleswick Scar first it quickly became apparent that spring was not as far on as it is on my home patch to the east of Leeds. So I'll save the Stones for another day and regardless my meanderings soon went off plan with serendipitous results, including the discovery of Castlebergh Crag in Settle. Great views and some nice plants, including Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri), Alpine Currant (Ribes alpinum), and the pink-flowered form of Hybrid Bluebell (Hyacinthoides x massartiana). The latter very much a recurring theme of the day. But back to the subject of this post ...

The orange flowered form of Welsh Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica 'Aurantiaca') was lighting up verges in several locations. 


In Stackhouse I found this fine stand of Pheasant's-eye Daffodil (Narcissus poeticus subsp. recurvus). This subspecies is the last of the daffodils to flower, no doubt a reflection of its origins in Switzerland. It must pay to delay your flowering up there.


In and around the churchyard in Langcliffe there was the pink-flowered Hybrid Bluebell, a striking naturalised Lesser Periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Aureomarginata'), Scarce London-pride (Saxifraga x geum) and Spring Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum subsp. aestivum). 





Heading up onto the high ground above Langcliffe, the limestone turf was studded with Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea).


And then great views back towards Giggleswick Scar.


And finally, the surprise of the day and at a completely incongruous location, a mature tree of the rare Liljefor's Whitebeam (Sorbus x liljeforsii) in Old Plantation. No idea if it was planted or bird sown, but its been there a long time. The leaves of sterile side shoots had 6 free lobes, distinguishing it from the more usual (and in my experience more grey-green) Bastard Rowan (Sorbus x thuringiaca).






Monday, 24 April 2017

Alexanders in Giggleswick (VC64)

Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) is a rare plant in VC64 and indeed Yorkshire in general. It is a more familiar plant further south, particularly in the southeast and southwest of England. See the BSBI Distribution Database for its current distribution.

Mike Canaway adds a new dot to its distribution, having found it in the Dales at Giggleswick. He forwards the following photographs.





Saturday, 8 October 2016

Recent Sightings (VC64)

A quick catch-up on recent news.

Mike Canaway has spotted Perennial Sunflower (Helianthus x laetiflorus) in rough grassland off Stackhouse Lane, Giggleswick. This is a striking but rare garden escape in VC64.

Photo by SB_Johnny from Wikimedia Commons

Jonathan Shanklin has paid the county another visit, for a week of intensive botanising in the Pateley Bridge area. His sightings include ...

New Zealand Hair-sedge (Carex comans) escaped on a road verge at Glasshouses (photo by Dinkum, Wikimedia Commons)

Small Toadflax (Chaenorhinum minus) at Pateley Bridge (photo by Stefan Lafnaer, Wikimedia Commons)

Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) at Middlesmoor (photo by JH Mora, Wikimedia Commons)

Wood Club-rush (Scirpus sylvaticus) at Ramsgill (photo by Christian Fischer, Wikimedia Commons)

Meanwhile, I have had the following:

Nodding Bur-marigold (Bidens cernua) at Eccup Reservoir

Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) as a casual in an arable field at Aberford, just what is needed to brighten an October day