Holy Island Meeting July 15th & 16th 2006
Narthecium ossifragum(Bog Asphodel)
Teucrium scorodonia(Wood Sage)
Saxifraga stellaris(Starry Saxifrage)
Filipendula ulmaria(Meadowsweet)
Epilobium brunnescens(New Zealand Willowherb)
Myosotis laxa(Tufted Forget-me-not)
Cheviots, Morning July 16th: College Valley
Having learned over the years that getting wet shirts, pants and boots is all part of WFS meetings, I used my spare pair for this part of this meeting as the others were still quietly marinating from their dip near St Cuthbert's Island.
This day was to be spent in the hills looking for interesting plants in the Cheviot crags. Elizabeth had organised permits to allow us to take a few cars as near as possible to our site. College valley is one of many which radiates from the Cheviot mountain itself. Elizabeth tentatively asked if any of the party wanted to go up the mountain itself but the proceeded to ensure that no-one would by describing the top. It is apparently a flat topped mountain on which a basin shaped granite rock has been filled over time with vegetation making it one giant bog with large peat hags. Not an attractive proposition even for a Corbett/munro-bagging enthusiast but we listened in polite silence.
The Cheviots are a granite mass into which lava has flowed through faults melting the surface rock and creating Andesite. The crags of College Valley known as The Bizzle were formed in the ice age and judging by the flora the weathered Andesite forming the soil is different and more basic from the rest of the acidic Cheviot mountain slopes.
At first the botanical prospects were decidedly unpromising. Acres of Pteridum aquilinum (Bracken) were interrupted by scree on which some Calluna vulgaris (Ling or Heather) and, just coming into flower, Erica cinerea (Bell Heather). The odd Rowan tree also indicated an acid soil on which there would be little botanical variety.
It is worth noting that statistically Northumberland is the coldest county in England. In winter and early spring the low ambient temperature is made even colder by the east winds which seem to gather speed as they whistle straight across the the county from the Urals. In full winter gear with hat, scarf, double gloves and hot coffee I have never been colder in my life than attending North eastern football matches in February.
And the weather in College Valley on Saturday July 15th 2006?
Scorchio. No breeze. Relentless sun.
Was that a deer or a camel on the ridge?
We first followed the stream towards The Bizzle and soon came across Narthecium ossifragum (Bog Asphodel) in full flower. This is a common summer plant of boggy areas but close-up it is an elegant plant with prominent “furry” anthers and yellow star shaped flowers.
The path narrowed and in single file we moved along the upper bank of the stream past Oreopteris limbosperma (Lemon Scented Fern) with its peripheral sori, Dryopteris affinis (Scaly-male Fern), Luzula sylvatica (Great Wood-rush) very little of which had any flowers, Teucrium scorodonia (Wood sage) and the occasional Filipendula ulmaria (Meadowseet) until it was time to cross the stream and start the ascent to the crags.