A plant that has eluded me until now is the tiny Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana).
Until now, on just one allotment plot in Sandwich. Most had their flower stems bitten through…. Who were the nibblers?
#wildflowerhour
A few hours were passed looking for the sweet Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites). Always a joy to find it.
#wildflowerhour
A right, that’s further west than where we were. It’ll be there somewhere I’m sure!
Yes, we looked but did not find!
A serendipitous view of a steam train leaving Dover, while recording plants by Shakespeare Cliff.
In 1894, the Rev. Charles RS Elvin recorded that "on a very clear day no fewer than twenty-one churches" could be seen from Ripple Mill above Walmer.
There being a clear day yesterday, 130+ years later, we saw that all but five are still visible.
kingsdownkent.blogspot.com
The mural flora of St. Augustine's Abbey is important enough for the site to be designated a Local Wildlife Site.
John Tradescant the elder established a garden here in the c17, and maybe some of his introductions have persisted.
We recorded just over 100 species.
To the sound of a Black Redstart.
A good week for medieval wall-flora!
The first Danish Scurvy-grass of the year today
#wildflowerhour
This is the best time of the year to visit St. Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury. Plenty of (mostly tiny) plants thriving on the ruined walls
for #wildflowerhour
I have a shelf-ful of travel books that I know I'll never use, but which are still consulted regularly.
To be content with what you have....that's a valuable condition to be in. Giving up flying is an important part of it, as the lure of easy travel is a temptation.
Railways seem that much trickier, but you concentrate more on the available destinations.
Spring Sowbread (Cyclamen repandum) naturalised enthusiastically under Hazel, in east Kent. Makes up for the lack of Toothwort!
Hairy Violet flowering right on time, on 1st March for #wildflowerhour
Moomin divination based on the first butterfly of the year that you encounter 🤍🐾🦋
'If the first butterfly you see is yellow, the summer will be a happy one... But this one was golden.
'Gold is even better than yellow,' said the Snork Maiden. 'You wait and see!'" 1/2 #WyrdWednesday
A lovely day at Dover Castle, with excellent staff and friendly locals.
Good to catch up with the Dover Castle choughs today. Mostly around the pharos and church, as seemed to fly back to their release point for lunch.
Sète is a great town! And easily reachable by train. You've inspired me to return.
As a nice change from the frequent sightings of Musk Stork’s-bill, it was good to record Common Stork’s-bill this week. In flower too.
#wildflowerhour
Marvellous, we binge-watched Small Prophets last night found ourselves looking for pavement weeds. The director also found a good section of wall for ferns.
Here’s a pic of one of the Green Hellebores in a colony in a wood in East Kent.
The Jutish Forest by KP Whitney has a fascinating chapter (with maps) on the Wealden droveways.
Here's a map of Kentish High Weald droveways, from the High Weald National Landscape group.
storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/...
Two rapidly-spreading species here in east Kent.
Musk Stork’s-bill and Rescue Brome.
If their spread continues they’ll be a real menace (like last year’s equivalent, Water Bent).
Similar elsewhere in the country?
Indeed! Mr Poland’s book is a good companion.
That's what we're finding. Before being crowded out by rank species or being mown out, many smaller species show themselves in the early part of the year. It's been a mild winter, of course.
And the prize for the most unexpected flower in January goes to…..
Water Figwort!
Wingham River in Kent.
#wildflowerhour
The sundial on Wingham church is impressively calibrated!
Oxford Ragwort still flowering beside the railway tracks near Paddington station. #wildflowerhour
This seems to be an unusual pattern of wood grain in Holm Oak - does anyone know what causes it?
