Mad Dogs ...

 ... and botanists go out in the mid-day sun on the hottest day of the year so far. Crazy, but I'm not one for wasting sunshine (I live in Leeds after all), especially after a spring lost to covid and excessive rainfall. So, I took one of my lazy weekend routes out along the shade of the river corridor towards Mickletown (VC63) and then back via St Aidan's (VC64).

Over the winter the Canal and River Trust had cleared a path through the woodland on the river bank near Lemonroyd Marina (VC63). This new route gave me the first good find of the day - several bushes of the irredeemably pungent Stinking Tutsan (Hypericum hircinum subsp. majus). A new species for my home patch.

Further on was a bush of hazel yet to be stripped of its nuts by voracious grey squirrels. This is one of the hybrids between the native Hazel (Corylus avellana) and the Filbert (Corylus maxima). This form could be easily mistaken for the latter but the involucre is not fully closed over the nut and consequently the nut is visible. This would key*, given the nuts are obviously longer than wide, to the form Peter Sell distinguished as Corylus avellana f. schizochlamys. However, the length of the involucre and the pronounced pinching over the nut means it is not a good match. It looks to have much more of an influence from Corylus maxima than is typical for this form.

Further on, and handy for comparison purposes, I found another bush likely to be part of this hybrid spectrum. Its a common form with very large nuts that are about as long as wide. Under Peter Sell's classification it can be called Corylus avellana f. grandis. Again the involucre exceeds the nut, which is a trait potentially derived from Filbert.

Out in the sun near Mickletown (VC63) there was an impressive mixed stand of Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea (Lathyrus latifolius), a garden escape. The pale-flowered plants seems a good match for the cultivar 'Rosa Perle', while the darker ones seem to be 'Red Pearl'.

Next to the pea was a distinctive bramble. This being, Slender-spined Bramble (Rubus elegantispinosus), a species that I learnt under lockdown last year. Baby steps with this genus. I remain ever hopeful for a regional handbook with photos.

The final treat of the day was the swathes of Hare's-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense) lining the track through St Aidan's (VC64). This species has exploded in numbers in recent years and is always a welcome sight.

* Update: I would modify this to accords with the pictures in Sell & Murrell. The descriptions seem back to front with the pictures. While it would be tempting to rely on the descriptions, I am also swayed by the description of var. grandis (the "big round nut" as originally defined in its latin diagnosis) in this account (European Journal of Taxonomy 409(409):1–45). This also seems to indicate that f. schizochlamys is not correctly applied in Sell & Murrell. All this is possibly academic given the more you look, the more variation can be found. It seems likely that these named forms only represent a tiny proportion of the true variation of this long cultivated tree, and at best are only loose groupings. I am increasingly inclined to take the stance of Alan Leslie in his excellent Flora of Cambridgeshire.

Clustered Clover

It was a great treat last weekend to find some Clustered Clover (Trifolium glomeratum) at Newsam Green (VC64) on my way back from a walk to Temple Newsam via Skelton Lake. A new plant for me. 

I can't claim to have found it first, as Mike Wilcox saw it last year when he went to have a look at my find of Small-flowered Buttercup (Ranunculus parviflorus). But as I could not find it then, its good to be able to add a record for the new decade.

February Highlights (VC31)

Brian Laney has sent the first records for 2017, following a recent botanising session at Peterborough Services of all places. However, as I know from my own experience, it is such places that often turn up the goods. Brian definitely did.

Brian's best find was Knotted Clover (Trifolium striatum), spotting it in its vegetative state. He sent this photo.

He also found several rosettes of Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera), offering the promise of flowers to come.

Other good finds for this part of the county were Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica) and Knotted Hedge-parsley (Torilis nodosa).

Knotted Hedge-parsley (photo by Pancrat, Wikimedia Commons)

Recent News - Huntingdonshire

Brian Davis has been to Kimbolton Airfield and refound the Nationally Scarce Slender Tare (Vicia parviflora) after a 20 year gap of records from the relevant tetrad. This species should be kept at the back of ones mind at this time of year when botanising on the clays across the centre of the county, particularly if there is lots of Smooth Tare (Vivia tetrasperma). It often grows with and is disguised by this latter species.

Brian sent the following compare and contrast image which, while I'm sure he won't mind me saying isn't a classically great photo, does show the characteristics of the species (albeit with no mature seed pods to show >4 seeds per pod in parviflora) much better than the multitude of photos viewable via Google.

Slender Tare (left) versus Smooth Tare (right)

Brian also refound Sulphur Clover (Trifolium ochroleucon), another notable, albeit much diminished in recent years, species of the Huntingdonshire clays.

Photo as published on Wikimedia Commons by Bernd Haynold

Meanwhile, Barry Dickerson has been to a favourite spot on his local patch - the area known as railway meadow. This site continues to develop botanical interest and the orchids are thriving this year.

Barry reports 13 Common Spotted-orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), 72 Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera), 135 Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis) and a single Southern-orchid (Dactylorhiza praetermissa). A photo of a fine stand of Pyramidals was sent by Barry and is presented below.

Finally, Jane Croft has followed up my tip-off on the presence of Thick-leaved Stonecrop (Sedum dasyphyllum) at Buckden Towers, and immediately returned news of its presence in the Knot Garden. I have seen this species previously on the old wall by the main gate and on the ground by the church. This is the only known site in the county and it was first reported here in 1762. Jane sends this photo.

The tenure of the stonecrop has been nearly as long as that of the magnificent London Plane (Platanus x hispanica) in the grounds. These enormous trees are likely to be the oldest in the country and deserve to be better known. More information is available here.

Lesser Centaury at St Aidan's

Phyl Abbott sent me news the weekend before last that Lesser Centaury (Centaureum pulchellum) had been found at St Aidan's (VC64), so I couldn't resist going for a look. This a rare plant in the county with only one other known location at Fairburn Ings. Sure enough I found it, the tiniest of tiny plants edging the causeway at the spring high water mark. Just a shame the flowers were closed that day.

The drawdown zone was carpeted with the non-native Buttonweed (Cotula coronopifolia), while elsewhere the gravelly edges of tracks supported some good stands of Hare's-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense).

I can't resist also sharing a photo of the Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) butterflies that lit up one sheltered corner of the site.

St Aidan's Part II

There is much more to St Aidan's than obscure species of rush! The wetland habitats are extensive and surrounded by grasslands that are in peak bloom at the moment.

One of the most prominent species currently in flower is Chalk Knapweed (Centaurea debeauxii) which is not uncommon on the lighter soils to the east of Leeds, but the plants here undoubtedly came in with the seed mix that was sown over most of the site during restoration of the former colliery.

The grasslands also support a range of legumes, including several robust fodder forms of native British species such as Bird's-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. sativus), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense var. sativum), and White Clover (Trifolium repens var. grandiflorum). There were also several large monospecific stands of a very large form of Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica), again probably a fodder selection. The Medick had gone to seed and was smothered in its characteristic coiled seed pods.

Another native legume present was Zigzag clover (Trifolium medium) with its large bright pink flowers and distinctive elongated leaflets.

I wasn't the only one enjoying the flowers.