Spotting flowers growing wild in South East UK
Wildflower spotting in late summer 2024 Since my previous post about the Wildflower Society diary, things have been a bit quieter. This isn’t due to the lack of flowers, more about my lifestyle! I’ve been on two campervan trips since I last wrote – to see my brother in Somerset, and to Latitude Festival –…
Water loving wildflowers of Lechlade Mike and I stayed in a moored narrowboat for the weekend in Lechlade which is on the edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire. We went for some lovely walks along the river Thames and visited nearby Buscot Park. July riverside flora Who needs net curtains when you’ve got Meadowsweet and…
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…
Burnt-tip Orchids in Sussex Neotinia ustulata grows in a few places locally The Orchid is on the Red List but locally frequent because it likes the short chalk downland turf. I’ve heard that another local haunt is Mount Caburn near Lewes. Last year I was pleased to be able to catch it in flower in…
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….
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…