New for VC31

I have just spent a rather frenetic few days making the most of the recent heatwave to do my first square-bashing of 2018 for the New Atlas, as well as for the Flora of Fenland project. My day down in the Colne and Earith area of Huntingdonshire proved rewarding with two new county records. Interestingly these were both Alliums.

First up was a stand of Few-flowered Garlic (Allium paradoxum) on Meadow Lane. This is a species I know well from VC64 where it is widespread and abundant, particularly along river valleys where the spread of bulbs is facilitated by water. I suspect it may have been brought in with spoil at this location, but not recently.

The naturalised form is var. paradoxum which has most of the flowers replaced by bulbils. Its a bit of a scruff and makes you wonder who ever thought it was a good idea to introduce it to this country.

The second find was another species with potential to become a bit of a thug. This was Three-cornered Garlic (Allium triquetrum) on a ditch bank in Colne. I couldn't get to it for a photo, so here is one from Wikimedia Commons.

Photo by Kenpei

Interestingly the latter species was also growing with what in the UK we know as Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica). This is my first observation of this species in VC31 (its common in VC64), and I had to date not trusted previous records. This robust species is triploid and bears little resemblance to the wild Spanish plant; current thinking is that it may have evolved in cultivation, but more work is needed. I had only seen the hybrid (H. x massartiana) since taking on the VC in 2008, and it is proving quite widespread. Despite being far more common than Spanish Bluebell, the hybrid still seems to be widely misunderstood and under-recorded in some quarters. 

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).