Senecio squalidus var. subinteger

This is a curious variety of Oxford Ragwort distinguished by its sinuate-dentate oblong to oblong-lanceolate leaves. There are scattered records for this variety locally, on my patch in Woodlesford and Oulton (VC63) and in wider Leeds and Bradford where it has been recorded by Jesse Tregale and/or Mike Wilcox. Other than one other record in the BSBI Distribution Database from VC37 there are no other mapped records, although Sell & Murrell cite records for Cambridge, Didcot and Exmouth.

I have never been certain if it is a periodic chance mutation or a true variety, but I have known it in the same location in Oulton for at least 5 years. Over most of this period it seemed to persist as a single plant, but this year I found a few more at its main site and a new plant a kilometre away. Hardly vigorous, but I am more satisfied now that it is capable of regenerating itself from seed.

Its a Mixed up Muddled up Shook up World

West Yorkshire has more than its fair share of post industrial land. Much of it has now been reclaimed by nature and a lot of it has been 'restored'. The latter normally means too little patience to let nature take its course, so seed mixes and plantings are thrown about like they are going out of fashion. The end results are always a delight for the eye and provide much of interest for botanists, who are also the only people likely to notice whats wrong.

St Aidan's (VC64) is one such place, and as its behind my village it is a good local spot in easy reach from home. Five years in it is still throwing up new plants for me. I spent Sunday afternoon on The Hillside. I hadn't appreciated how many rose species there were up there. Within an hour, and ignoring the undoables, I had Sweet-briar (Rosa rubiginosa), Dog-rose (Rosa canina groups Lutetiana and Transitoriae), Glandular Dog-rose (Rosa squarrosa aka group Dumales), Hairy Dog-rose (Rosa corymbifera aka group Pubescentes), the common hybrid Rosa x dumalis sens. lat. (canina x vosagiaca), Soft Downy-rose (Rosa mollis) which surprisingly had white flowers (but perhaps bleached as pink beneath and in bud) but otherwise (pending fruit) looked typical, and Sherard's Downy-rose (Rosa sherardii). Last two in sequence below.

Rosa mollis

Rosa sherardii

However, the best was yet to come. I have been  waiting for Round-leaved Dog-rose (Rosa obtusifolia) for so long. You really do have to scrutinise and mull every bush to find the goods. Delightfully delicate furry leaves, and white flowers.

Some of the planted and regenerating birches had tiny leaves and originated from further north, completely the wrong form for lowland Leeds. This was Fragrant Downy Birch (Betula pubescens subsp. tortuosa).

Elsewhere the grasslands had Rough Hawk's-beard (Crepis biennis) (terrible photos) and the tussock-form of Red Fescue (Festuca rubra subsp. commutata).

Next up and one of the treasures of June was the impossible to photograph Grass Vetchling (Lathyrus nissola) by the line drag, and then Cultivated Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa subsp. sativa) on the causeway.

And to end on an orchid, here is one of the many hundreds of Common Spotted x Southern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza x grandis). The orchids are getting better year on year.

Finally, not in St Aidan's but near home (VC63) there was this stunning hybrid ragwort (Senecio x albescens). I must remember to go back and see in flower.

Narrow-leaved Ragwort New to Huntingdonshire

Not more than a week since Pete Stroh noted in BSBI News that Narrow-leaved Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens) was yet to be found in VC31, against national trends for the species, low and behold we get the first record for this species. So well done to Jocelyn Gale for first recognising it and then sending the record in.

Not surprisingly this species has turned up on a roadside in one of our larger conurbations, namely Edison Bell Way, Huntingdon. It must be more widespread, and one of the last major frontiers for botanical recording in the county is urban botanising. We know very little about what grows on the mean streets of Peterborough, Huntingdon and St Ives, although Peter Walker is doing his best to rectify the situation for St Neots.

Photo by Stefan Iefnaer (Wikimedia Commons)

Where There's Muck ...

Sewage Works are not the most glamorous of locations but they are always interesting places to visit (with work I should add - not my normal idea of a good day out!). This time of year is particularly good when all sorts of rarities pop up in composting and other marginal areas.

Yesterday rewarded me and my colleague Hannah with several plants of the stunning Apple-of-Peru (Nicandra physalodes var. violacea) at Esholt (VC64). The colour and size of the flowers never fail to impress and seem out of place on a grey autumn day.

We were also rewarded with a single plant of Cape-gooseberry (Physalis peruviana), unfortunately not in flower. Here are a couple of photos taken at Knostrop, Leeds (VC64) a couple of years back. It has also been seen recently elsewhere in the VC near Spofforth.

And to round off an interesting trip we found one plant of the hybrid between Oxford Ragwort and Sticky Groundsel (Senecio x subnebrodensis) growing with both parents. I was too excited to take a photo, but there is a reliable image here. This find nicely updates an old record for this area by Jesse Tregale.