Spotting flowers growing wild in South East UK
A weekend in Sussex woodland At the end of July Mike and I took Ethel the camper van to the other side of Sussex to visit friends. It was very wet underfoot but we managed not to get rained on! Flora of Guestling Wood Blue Star Creeper – Pratia pedunculata I have never seen this…
Thistle plants and more Hairy Mallow This was my last day with Chris and Colin counting wildflowers on National Trust land above the Seven Sisters cliffs in the South Downs National Park in Sussex. Counting wildflowers on the South Downs We found many flowers from the species list mentioned in Part 1 but they’re not…
Holiday by the river Ouse Back to nature in a shepherd’s hut We always take our adult kids away during the summer holidays but this year was slightly different due to covid. Not wanting to commit to a large or foreign holiday, we booked a few nights just up the road from us in Ringmer….
More chalk grassland indicator species We returned to Gayles Farm the following week to survey another field or two. I should say that the survey methods and recording were all carefully adhered to, and were ably undertaken by Chris and Colin, I was just along to speed up the spotting! The main photo above shows…
Chalk grassland indicator species in South Downs National Park Three days after visiting Crowlink, a smaller group of us found ourselves nearby at Gayles Farm. This time it was just myself, Chris (experienced amateur botanist) and Colin who was recording. It was a lovely sunny morning and the views were fab. The main image is…
Summer evening walk with many wildflowers I went for an evening walk after being recommended a visit to Cradle Valley on the outskirts of Seaford. I was particularly looking for Burnt orchids but came across many beautiful flowers including three more orchids: Fragrant orchid, Common Spotted orchids and Pyramidal orchids. Other highlights were finding many…
Chalk grassland surveys I spent some very pleasant mornings in July counting wildflowers on the South Downs with some like-minded people. Spotting chalk loving wildflowers at Crowlink The chalk grassland surveys were carried out by Seaford Natural History Society in association with the National Trust. These are carried out across numerous fields near the Seven…
New Forest wildflowers In July 2021 we took Ethel the campervan to the New Forest in Hampshire for the weekend and stayed at Hollands Wood campsite near Brockenhurst. I love it that we can park in amongst the trees. Plants in the boggy field Right next to the campsite is a very wet field where…
Flowering around the town This month, either side of my big campervan holiday I wandered around my Sussex hometown to see what wildflowers I could find. Early June blooms on Seaford Head On a hot early summer day I went for a walk looking for Twayblade orchids and found a Common Spotted orchid at the same…
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…