Spotting flowers growing wild in South East UK
Wildflower spotting in spring 2024 This is my second year of taking part in the Wildflower Society diary. As a newbie I have to stick to a set list of common wildflowers, and record them on a spreadsheet when I find them, along with the place, date and grid reference if possible. Last year I…
Last spring we stayed in a cabin on a farm There was an icy wind but the sun shone and Mike and I went for some lovely walks. Weeds of the fields We were located right on the edge of an arable field and were kindly supplied with a stack of vintage books, my favourite…
Wildflowers of Short Cliff and inland Short Cliff is the next cliff along from Hope Gap travelling East. If you head inland towards South Hill Barn you cross a large area of short grass which is managed by Sussex Wildlife trust using grazing. This area is bounded to the West by an area of scrub…
Campervan touring 2021 In June 2021 we took Ethel the campervan for her longest road trip yet. We drove north from our Sussex home to Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, then on to Scarborough in North Yorkshire, Robin Hood’s Bay near Whitby, Harrogate, York, Wensleydale, then on to Buxton in Derbyshire. Robin Hood’s Bay coastal wildflowers…
Flora of Grin Low Solomon’s Temple is a folly built on a hill above Buxton in the Peak District in Derbyshire, and is on a site of special scientific interest, SSSI at Grin Low. The area around Solomons Temple is chalk grassland, so a home from home for me! The surrounding woods and underlying cavern…
Lincolnshire beauty spot Early in June, Mike and I headed off North in Ethel our trusty campervan. We were aiming towards Yorkshire and Derbyshire, so stopped off at lovely Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire on the way. Woodhall Spa was a beautiful spot in the woods with a particularly memorable cream tea and bakery. Kirkby Moor…
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Flowers On the second day of my visit to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in Sussex, I walked out to Camber Castle and the reedbeds at Castle Water. Around the beach Of course there was plenty of sea kale, as seen in the pic above! Herb robert is one of my favourite…
Spring plants in bloom Staying local this March, I have been on lots of short walks in and around Seaford. I looked back on my blog post from this time last year and noticed that a few things I’d spotted then aren’t yet in flower. Plants I thought I might see but haven’t spotted in…
Also known as weeds I guess a lot of people have been wildflower spotting closer to home this spring. The trouble with garden wild flowers is they might also be considered weeds. A weed can be a cultivated plant or a native plant in the wrong place and I have both! What is a native…
Wildflowers on the Local Nature Reserve Seaford Head nature reserve is generally speaking quite an exposed site on chalk next to the sea. There is a golf course nearby and lots of access for dog walking and tourists who like to visit the beach at Cuckmere Haven or view the Seven Sisters cliffs. A plant…