1995 Cumbria 1st July One Day Meeting
Cumbria is well-known for its good botany and Mrs E. Marper gave the ten people who met her at Maryport on 1 July a splendid botanical time. They started out from Maryport harbour by way of sea walls and mudflats, seeing many plants one would expect, such as Sea Aster, but also many more colourful and, to me at least, surprising ones, such as Kidney Vetch, Yellow Rattle and lots of Pyramidal Orchids. The most recherche plants of the morning were, I suppose, the Yarrow Broomrape Orobanche purpurea and a Medlar Mespilus germanica, still flowering. (How did that get there, and survive?) Later, the party moved on to the Caldbeck Fells: lots of orchids on the way including the Greater Butterfly, and Parnassia in some flushes with Carex hostiana. Caldbeck village provided Mimulus guttatus (Monkey Flower), a welcome cafe and John Peel's grave in the churchyard. The views of the Lakeland fells and the Scottish coast over the Solway were, as Mrs Marper says, a welcome bonus.
Hickling Broad on 22 July could not have been more different. Linda Laxton led a party of 24 which nicely filled two boats for the trip to see Naias flexilis. This of course they duly did. One member provided entertainment by stripping off and diving in to see the plant, as one might well say, in situ. On an island hide, a 60-foot ladder could be climbed, and was by some, for a spectacular view of Norfolk to the coast (no mountains to get in the way - I personally would trade in the Lakeland Fells for this any day!). After lunch some of the group did go to the coast to see the salt marshes close up, with Suaeda vera, Carex extensa and lots of the other species to be expected in the habitat. They finished up at Holt where they had the pleasure of seeing the best display of Goody-era that there had been for many years, and a Purple Emperor flew by. (The Swallowtails had of course been seen in the morning.)
Ten people met Mrs Wendy McCarthy at Cors Erddreiniog Reserve on Anglesey on 19 August. After lunch, the party admitted defeat by the unbelievably hot weather, and went home; but they had a good morning nonetheless. Mostly they were on dry heath with, notably, Gentiana pneumonanthe. Damp places did just exist, however, producing a number of sedges including Carex lasiocarpa and, plant of the day, Utricularia australis flowering in a dried-up ditch. Some pools there still were, with Potamogeton coloratus and Sparganium natans ... but it was very hot indeed! Our season ended with a day, 26 August, looking at heathland plants in Surrey. The leader was Dr Sean O'Leary. The first excitement for the 22 members who came was a splendid grass snake sunning itself in full view on a heathery bank. Nearby, Anaphalis margaritacea was established in a ditch. A boggy area, Wishmoor Bottom, had some good plants despite the drought, among them Common Sundew and Dryopteris cristata, a rare fern found mainly in East Anglia. The party had lunch in the shade on a patch of Agrostis curtisii, a plant frequent on the Surrey heaths. Gnaphalium sylvaticum (Heath Cudweed), uncommon in the county, was located, and Eric Clement spotted several aliens such as Conyza sumatrensis.
I will conclude the reporting on the summer season of 1995 by quoting Dr O'Leary's comment on his meeting. He says: "I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about leading the 'battle-hardened' troops of the WFS, with people like Eric in the group who are so much more experienced than I. However, I say, the group was most enthusiastic, encouraging and grateful for my guidance, and I found the day a real pleasure and most rewarding." That is very nice to hear from a leader. I have no doubt that the participants felt equally pleased with their day out; and I believe that to be so about our short meetings in general. Do keep coming to them. New members are especially welcome. Best wishes for 1996.
E. NORMAN