This was the second year I counted wildflowers at Gayles Farm

So I’ve tried not to take all the same pictures as this time last year! Although I was out with the same two recorders – Colin and Chris, and the horses were still there!

Other fauna included a Wasp spider Argiope bruennichi – a spider which I’d never come across before.

Wasp spider web – Argiope bruennichi

This was a surprisingly large spider I came across while looking at Fairy Flax Linum catharticum seed heads (little brown round shapes in the background). Fairy Flax is a tiny white flower that we often spot in chalk grassland. You can see its web if you look carefully in the bottom left of pic. It’s clear why it’s called a Wasp spider from those markings!

Chalk grassland wildflowers

Carline Thistle – Carlina vulgaris

This Thistle is another chalk grassland indicator species which we often see locally, however this was the first one I’ve seen in bud.

Hedge Bedstraw – Galium mollugo

This Bedstraw is not on my list of chalk indicator species, but is related to the yellow Lady’s Bedstraw which is.

Agrimony – Agrimonia eupatoria

We see a lot of Agrimony around here – it has bright yellow flowers, but having photographed it many times, I’m now taking an interest in the later stages of the flower’s life cycle. This pic is of the flowers which have gone over but not yet set seed.

Rest assured we did count many chalk grassland wildflowers such as Birds-foot Trefoil, Lady’s Bedstraw, Squinancywort, Eyebright, Hairy Violet leaves and Short-stemmed Thistle 🙂