1994 Hereford 17th to 19th June Main Meeting
The group of about 15 assembled on the Friday evening for a most interesting introductory talk including the geology of the area by Peter and Stephanie Thompson. On Saturday morning we assembled at Stretton Sugwas and then moved on to Little Mountain to visit a good pond and bog area. Here we found two species new to many of us, the very small Apium inundatum (Lesser Marshwort) and Pilularia globulifera (Pillwort) with its elusive 'pills' hidden in the mud. By this stage, although it was mid-June, some members were only too pleased to be able to partake of hot thermos drinks.
Moving on to the Black Daren was quite a challenge to our leaders as the route took us through the narrowest of twisting lanes, however no-one was lost and we set off for the scree on one side of a landslip of great age which Peter explained had been effected by snow being trapped at different stages in its evolution. Clambering over this scree was quite different from scree I had previously encountered as it consisted of metre-sized blocks which often rocked in a frightening manner as you stepped on them. We were rewarded by seeing many clumps of Gymnocarpium robertianum (Limestone Polypody) and later Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh Poppy) in one of its few truly native sites. Asplenium trichomanes- ramosum (Green Spleenwort) unfortunately eluded us, old records having indicated its presence.
On the return journey we visited Dulas churchyard, a delightful piece of ancient meadow, now a reserve, in which vast numbers of Listera ovata (Twayblade) were in flower together with Platanthera chlorantha (Butterfly Orchid) and Dactylorhiza spp. A final stop for Oenanthe silaifolia completed a rewarding day.
Our meeting place on the next morning enabled us to see the only local example of genuine Black Poplar which Stephanie had known of for some while, but had only been able to see at the right time to identify it as female when the farmer had complained of all the fluffy mess it made. Today was to cover ancient woodland sites on the Silurian scarplands of the Woolhope Hills; at Paget wood Helleborus foetidus (Stinking Hellebore) and Daphne laureola (Spurge Laurel) were seen. Further south, on carboniferous limestone, Great Doward held Cardamine impatiens(Narrow leaved Bitter-cress), Aquilegia vulgaris and Carex montana. On emerging from the wood we found we were on the precipitous ledge of the Seven Sisters near Symonds Yat. The party spent some time just enjoying the beautiful tapestry of flower colour around them, including Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill), Anthyllis vulneraria (Kidney Vetch) and Hippocrepis comosa (Horseshoe Vetch). Persistent and somewhat precarious searching over the edge enabled one member to find Carex digitata (Fingered Sedge) for us. Our final sightings in the woods were of two saprophytes, Neottia nidus-avis (Bird's Nest Orchid) and Monotropa hypopitys (Yellow Bird's Nest).
We would like to express our thanks to Stephanie and Peter for the work they put in to organising the meeting, and our appreciation of the information they passed on to us about the area. They certainly had no need to apologise for the lack of exciting flora in their county, as they made our weekend so interesting.
PAM MILLMAN