Bottom Boat and Back

I made the most of the good weather on Tuesday to walkover over to Bottom Boat (VC63). Its not a route I do often, as it requires a bit of a slog up and over the ridge that separates the Aire Valley from the Calder Valley, but it does offer potential for interesting casuals and escapes and usually provides something of interest.

The day started well before I had even left Oulton with some particularly robust Cockspur (Echinochloa crusgalli) on an arable margin. This seems to have sprung from nowhere given I walk pass this field regularly.

Reaching my target destination I stumbled on a patch of derelict hardstanding with a variety of interesting garden throwouts. This is where I met 'Angelina' (see previous post). Other highlights included:

The golden form of Wilson's Honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold').

Pink-sorrel (Oxalis articulata), in association with Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) and surprisingly, as I did not know that it can throw up leaves in autumn, Garden Grape-hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum).

Stinking Tutsan (Hypericum hircinum).

Slightly further on, this attractive bi-coloured cultivar of Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea (Lathyrus latifolius 'Blushing Bride') was still going strong.

While an arable margin nearby had the winged form of Black-bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus var. subalatus). Supposedly less common than the nominate form, but that is not my experience.

Working my way down towards the River Calder I moved into abandoned former colliery land. Not the richest of habitats, it needs a few more decades yet, but still with interest and its great that no one has tried to 'restore' it. 

By the farm track on route was a young and apparently self-established tree of Cherry Crab (Malus x robusta), a variable group that perhaps includes plants of other origin. One of the characteristics of this species is that the individual apples are variable in terms of whether or not they retain their sepals. I think it likely that the fruit will colour further, they were in shade so a little behind.

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is already starting to move in amongst the secondary birch woodland, a species that is very uncommon in the lowlands of Leeds and Wakefield.

But keeping with the theme of unusual non-natives there is also a thicket of sapling Broad-leaved Cockspurthorn (Crataegus persimilis 'Prunifolia'). No idea how that arrived, but it does not look planted. It proved the first of several interesting (at least to me) hawthorns.

Further on, the landscape architects had been in at some point in the last 30 years 'restoring' the landscape and creating 'native woodland'. Of course its nothing of the sort, rank MG1 grassland and the usual mix of false natives and lookalikes. Among these was a tree currently going by the name of Miyabe's Maple (Acer miyabei). The true species is of Japanese origin and, like Alan Leslie notes in Flora of Cambridgeshire, I think our plants are probably something else. The question is what? Potentially it is an unnamed alien form of Field Maple (Acer campestre), but possibly as with many planted 'native' hawthorns, dogwoods, Viburnums and hazels it could be of hybrid origin. Its a striking tree though, with large leaves, long petioles and large keys (glabrous in this case but they can be hairy). The second photo below contrasts it with typical field maple (var. campestre).

There was also Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) and  the hybrid hawthorn Crataegus x subsphaerica. The latter in this case had foliage closer to Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) but with clear hybrid vigour, but those elongate erect sepals give the game away.

One final hawthorn brightened the walk home. Check out the haws on this Common Hawthorn, c. 13mm long by nearly that wide. Living up to its name of var. splendens. These large fruited bushes occur here and there amongst more typical plants. I'm not quite sure what to make of them (valid variety or just chance?), but they make a stunning sight in the autumn sunshine. The bottom photograph compares it with more typically sized haws from a neighbouring bush.

Coatham Dunes (VC62)

A work trip gave me the opportunity to explore the large sand dune system at Coatham, part of Teesmouth & Cleveland Coast SSSI. It is a fascinating site where open mosaic habitats (developed over historic deposits of lime rich slag from the former steel works) and garden escapes blur into a full succession of dune habitats, from grey dunes on the landward side to a strandline community at the top of the beach.

Plants that caught my eye, and sometimes my nose, included:

The famed (see British and Irish Botany) plant of Hart's Pennyroyal (Mentha cervina) at the edge of a pond, one of just a handful of known locations in Britain. Unfortunately it was not in flower at the time of my visit.

The margins of the pond supported good numbers of Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa), always a nice plant to find. These plants were prostrate and therefore probably var. moniliformis. A trip later in the year would likely confirm, as the large buds forming now should start to drop off to give rise to new plants.

Within the pond was a large population of Horned-pondweed (Zannichellia palustris). These plants had fruit on obvious stalks (1.5mm long, clearly apparent with the naked eye) from a common peduncle and are therefore, based on Stace 4, subsp. pedicellatus.

Everywhere within the dunes and on the slag deposits was the dinky coastal form of Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum subsp. maritimum), always a treat to catch in full bloom.

Perhaps one of the most exciting specialities of this dune system is Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus), a species holding its own further north but increasingly rare and patchily distributed in England.

Equally exciting for me was this curiously short, multi-stemmed (branching from base) and broad-leaved centaury. This meets published descriptions for the very poorly recorded and known sand dune form of Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea var. fasciculare). Thanks to Tim Rich for confirming my identification from photos. See the BSBI Handbook and an earlier analysis of variation in Common Centaury in Watsonia for further information. The pale flesh-pink flowers may or may not be relevant, depending on what other recorder's find in the field.

Another nice coastal plant is the dwarf dune form of Lesser Meadow-rue (Thalictrum minus subsp. arenarium). Some would have you believe this isn't a genuine entity. Bluntly, I don't believe them. Having previously seen its enormous rhizome system exposed by the wind; this is clearly a dune specialist and an important sand binding species at that. It would be interesting to know what the genetic evidence says about the validity of this species.

My dabbling in hawkweeds continued with a chance to examine the known population of Uig Hawkweed (Hieracium uiginskyense), present in huge numbers in the dunes.

Several of the dune slacks were fragrant with the scent of carnations, traceable to plants of Marsh Fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia densiflora). This species packs a real punch.

Equally fragrant and stunning was this escaped Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum var. periclymenum 'Serotina') at the roadside.

To end with another garden plant. I am going to stick my neck out and say this is the hybrid lilac (Syringa x hyacinthiflora), although I would have been happier if I saw it in flower.  Long cultivated, I suspect this hybrid is overlooked elsewhere. This bush was notable for its more shrubby form and stubby heart shaped leaves.

The World's Smallest Centaurium pulchellum?

During my recent July 'botanise-athon' I popped into Fairburn Ings, I fancied seeing what the river had to offer and wanted to have a look at the dog-roses in the knowledge that Rosa canina is soon to be formally split (at least in terms of our standard literature) into three species (canina, corymbosa and squarrosa) rendering most records to-date to aggregate status.

Anyway, I went round to the boot of my car to put my walking boots on and there at my feet were lots of a tiny Centaurium. Of course I new Lesser Centaury (Centaurium pulchellum) was here as a dwarf form, as Phyl Abbott had found it a couple of years previous new to VC64. I just thought I would need to do a lot more looking to find it. It was associated with the narrow strip of gravel along the edge of the car park, so I assumed it had been introduced with this substrate. It is a very rare plant in Yorkshire and indeed this far north where it is mainly coastal.

However, this was not the last I saw of this little gem. Pottering round an area of acid grassland, where there were extensive bare patches where water stands in the winter, I was surprised to find 100's of plants. All tiny and predominantly single stemmed with just one flower on top. Clearly this is a dwarf race, breeding true and undoubtedly maintained by selfing, rather than just an environment induced phenotype. Being so small I doubt it is troubled by pollinators any more, so it has painted itself into a bit of a genetic deadend. But it seems quite happy at the moment and should persist as long as there are areas of bare ground with no competition from larger plants.

Elsewhere there some great stands of Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum var. periclymenum).

And a small colony of this garden favourite, Rose Campion (Silene coronaria).

Hollinhurst Wood to Swillington Park

I made good use of the extra day this month to walk over to Great Preston (VC64) in the last of the sunshine before the rains return. Hollinhurst Wood turned up a few new species that I had not had previously for the site and/or the hectad. These included naturalised Box-leaved Honeysuckle (Lonicera pileata) and Highclere Holly (Ilex x altaclerensis). The latter is widely naturalised in Yorkshire, and I include a photo below in case it helps others get to grips with this species. It is very variable, merging into the parent species at the extreme ends of variation, but this example is pretty representative. Note the relatively matt mid-green leaves and the relatively large and broad leaf shape, which help distinguish it from our more attractive native Holly (Ilex aquifolium).

There was also a small tree of Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) struggling to grow in the dim light of the woodland.

A small area at the northern end had clearly been the targeted by some misguided soul who felt it necessary to introduce garden plants into native woodland. The plants present included Hybrid Snowdrop (Galanthus x valentinei nothosubsp. valentinei) - of which more later in this post - and some well established clumps of Spring Starflower (Tristagma (Ipheion to the gardeners) uniflorum). The latter was not in flower yet and all that was present was these grassy tufts of garlic scented foliage (see below).

In contrast, the Eastern Sowbread (Cyclamen coum) was not very happy (the soil is a bit wet for this species) and is unlikely to persist.

Finally, my walk back took me past Swillington Park where a hedgebank supported a thriving colony of Hybrid Snowdrop. Again, this seems to be the cultivar 'Magnet', which, given it was first found in 1888, has had nearly 130 years to achieve a wide distribution.