Townclose Hills SSSI (VC64)

Making the most of sunshine and a day off work I decided to walk over to Kippax and see what I could find at Townclose Hills SSSI, a fabulous remnant of unimproved limestone grassland affording great views over the lower Aire Valley. I wasn't quite sure what I would find, as the season seems to be whipping on at a rapid pace this year, with Butterfly-bush (Buddleja davidii) unbelievably in full bloom at the end of June. Thankfully, recent rain seems to have reinvigorated increasingly stressed flora, and grassland habitats at least are about where they should be for the time of year. Certainly, the grasslands of the SSSI were a carpet of flowers, with plenty to see. Highlights included:

Carpets of the native form of Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. vulneraria), strictly prostrate to prostrate-ascending on weak stems.

Masses of Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa var. scabiosa), an uncommon plant locally.

Good swathes of Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor subsp. stenophyllus), a subspecies more typical of calcareous fens further south but less fussy in Yorkshire where the local climate is more accommodating.

Perforate St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum) which many will not consider that exciting, but I'm increasingly of the view that its not that common. I suspect it is widely over-recorded, especially in Yorkshire, for its hybrid Des Etang's St John's-wort (Hypericum x desetangsii). Recorder's shouldn't assume Perforate St John's-wort unless they have not checked the sepals carefully for the absence of teeth. By default it is therefore a plant that should only be named when in flower.

Plenty of Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata) just starting to come into bloom.

With time to indulge this spring, and with an exceptional new BSBI Handbook to accompany Vince Jones' regional monograph (criminally under-printed by the Yorkshire Naturalist's Union), I've been dipping my toe into hawkweeds. One of the commonest locally, and earliest flowering, is Southern Hawkeed (Hieracium argillaceum). There was plenty of this in the grassland on steep slopes.

Moving down slope to the wooded margins of the SSSI provided:

Orange Whitebeam (Sorbus croceocarpa)

The largely sterile hybrid between Dewberry (Rubus caesius) and Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) i.e. Rubus x pseudoidaeus.

And, surprisingly, a highly scented hybrid Mock-orange (Philadelphus Lemoinei Group).

Into the woodland proper was a welcome plant of Soft Shield-fern (Polystichum setiferum), an uncommon species in the lowlands to the east of Leeds but one which is increasingly being found in small numbers in woodland habitats.

Highlight of My Year So Far

This rather nondescript image has to be my best find of the year so far. You are looking at a close-up of the buds of a Wintercress and the tips are hairy. So, after several years of (if I'm honest) half-hearted searching, I have finally found Small-flowered Wintercress (Barbarea stricta).

I found a few plants today at the edge of an osier bed near Ulleskelf. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more locations to be found in that part of the county.

This also happens to be the first record for VC64 since 1975, and that previous record was the first since the 1800's. I'm so glad I checked for hairs!

Barbarea vulgaris subsp. arcuata

I last saw this variant of Wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) in 2017 and had been starting to doubt myself. So I was glad to find a colony at the weekend, within a kilometre of my previous record, at Skelton Grange in Leeds (VC64).

This is a taxon that seems to have passed British botanists by in recent years, but Google suggests that it is widely accepted in mainland Europe. In particular, studies in Denmark have concluded that it is genetically distinct from subsp. vulgaris, and that it also comprises two genetically distinct forms (one with glabrous leaves, as per my plants, and another with hairy leaves). Whether the genetic differences justify recognition at subspecies level is perhaps debatable.

Sell & Murrell provide a description of this plant (as var. arcuata), but it is not too challenging to identify once you are certain of the species identification and it is in fruit. Subsp. vulgaris has more or less erect fruit orientated close to the alignment of the stem (and also perhaps more densely arranged as well), whereas subsp. arcuata has widely spreading fruit +/- curving upwards.

Subsp. vulgaris seems to be common everywhere, while I suspect subsp. arcuata may be of introduced origin (at least in Yorkshire). Photographs of both are provided below. There are also several informative herbarium sheets of subsp. arcuata in Herbaria@Home, for example.

Subsp. arcuata

Subsp. vulgaris.

Interesting Trees

In sorting out photos from the last couple of months, I realise that I have quite a few photos of unusual trees that may be of interest to others. So for an easy post ...

2020 seems to have been an exceptional year for blossom, with a non-stop heady rush that was perhaps over a little too soon. One tree I always look out for a few weeks after the Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) flowers, is its double-flowered cultivar 'Plena'. This can be found in plantation woodland around the boundary of Oulton Park (VC63).

Near the above tree, is the double flowered cultivar of Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum 'Baumanii'). I have been walking under this tree for years and never noticed it, but perhaps work commitments in a normal May mean I have never passed at the right time. I find its stumpy little candles rather unexciting, and that probably explains why its not seen more often. Foolishly I seem to have mislaid my photos, so here is an image from the Deepdales nursery website.

Unusual Sycamores (Acer pseudoplatanus) always catch my eye, and a favourite is f. variegatum 'Simon-Louis Fréres'. There is a fine tree in the churchyard at Swillington (VC64).

This handsome Common Whitebeam, at the edge of plantation in Water Haigh Woodland Park (VC63) is Sorbus aria 'Lutescens'. It remains white well into the summer when the young fruit are markedly pubescent.

In complete contrast this (I think) is Sorbus aria 'Majestica', with very large glossy leaves. It has been planted on the boundaries of Swillington Brickworks (VC64).

At the same location, Purple Filbert (Corylus maxima 'Purpurea') has self-sown from an unknown source. I think I am on safe ground (in the absence of fruit) with the ID given the excellent purple coloration, but most hazels encountered from introductions seem to be hybrid Kentish Cob types. Last year I found some of these with pale muddy purple leaves suggesting 'Purpurea' in the parentage.

The woodlands round the capped landfill at Newsam Green (VC64) include a few trees of Paperbark Birch (Betula papyrifera) amongst the Silver Birch (Betula pendula). These are only just reaching an age where the bark turns white, and the juvenile bark can be confusing.

Finally, to encourage more people to look at hawthorns as they come into fruit later this summer, here is a compare and contrast between the typically (not always, its not definitive) small-flowered Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and its often large-flowered hybrid with Large-Sepalled Hawthorn (Crataegus rhipidophylla) i.e. Crataegus x subsphaerica. The hybrid is common and spreading locally, and probably elsewhere. Flower size is often a good way to pick out the non-native hybrid and its parent. However, the hybrid usually (but not always, some forms have clearly intermediate foliage) needs to be confirmed later when in fruit. Therefore, the large flowers may be the first indication that there is something potentially interesting to check again later in the year.

Find of the Year (so far)

Yesterday was a big day for recording in Huntingdonshire (VC31) with the surprise of the year, our first record of Lizard Orchid (Himantoglossum hircinum). Admittedly its not been a vintage spring for botanical recording, but what a way to rectify this.

To some extent its not too surprising given recent range extension elsewhere, but even so. Huntingdonshire! Of course, I would be foolish to (so don't) post precise locations online.There are still plenty of idiots out there who hear the word orchid and reach for the trowel. But for those in the know, its a real treat.

Thanks to Barry Dickerson for a photograph. The plant was first found by Rosie Surridge, and I was first informed of the find by Simon Morley.

Recent Highlights

Time for a catch-all post of recent finds, providing a selection of plants that have caught my eye for one reason or another on daily lockdown walks.

First up, Garden Peony (Paeonia officinalis 'Rubra Plena') the old fashioned and long grown 'female peony' of the apothecaries. While this plant is not always in flower when encountered, when it is it always seems to be this double-flowered stalwart. This photo is a bit washed out, the flowers are a more red in the reality. An attractive plant in an unattractive location near the Newsam Green landfill (VC64).

I was pleased to re-find my long known plant of Coralbells (Heuchera sanguinea) on an old stone retaining wall in Woodlesford (VC63). Every year I think its been lost to the ivy, only for it to reappear. This plant is a particularly fine red. There is a possibility that some naturalised populations are Heuchera x brizoides, and this probably needs further consideration, especially if the leaves are silvered. This plant appears to be the true species, but I might revisit this later.

I have a fondness for Crane's-bills, so it was nice to find this Dusky Crane's-bill (Geranium phaeum var. phaeum) on the margin of one of the local rhubarb fields in Woodlesford. It is also a good chance to contrast (second photo) with Munich Crane's-bill (Geranium x monacense nothovar. anglicum), a plant recorded a couple of weeks back in Swillington (VC64). Note the strongly reflexed petals. It also comes in a dark-flowered form (nothovar. monacense), and a reliable spot for this used to be (not checked recently) the Engine Fields, Yeadon (VC64).

Near Fishpond Lock, Woodlesford there is this large bush of a cultivar of Evergreen Spindle (Euonymus japonicus 'Mediopictus'). Very striking, but ...

... if it is not maintained it often reverts and now most of this bush is green. Unfortunately, some variegated cultivars are not particularly stable over time. So how to record? Chances are the cultivar won't be there to find in 5 years time, when the next observer will likely be confronted with a clearly unvariegated bush?

Finally, after blogging recently about Pale Pink-sorrel, another highlight of Oulton churchyard (VC63) is the well naturalised London-pride (Saxifraga x urbium). Nothing beats the froth of this charming little plant when seen en masse and thriving.

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.