1995 Milverton, Somerset 16th July One Day Meeting
Our programme began early in the spring when Noreen and Roy Sherlock had a party of 19 members for a meeting in the Guildford area. At most sites, old walls were examined for Aspleniums (Spleenworts), Polypodium and smaller plants such as Saxifraga tridactylites (Rue-leaved Saxifrage). Among about 80 species noted were Symphytum bulbosum (Bulbous Comfrey), Corydalis solida (Bird-in-a-bush) and both Helleborus foetidus and H. viridus (Stinking and Green Hellebores).
The next on the meetings list was at Torrington, North Devon, on 13 May. The 14 participants, led by Mr Bill Tucker, first walked along the steep slopes of a hill, giving splendid views over the Torridge valley and producing such early plants as Trifolium ornithopodioides, Lepidium heterophyllum and Erodium moschatum. Later, in an attractive old piece of valley scrub and woodland, were Melittis melissophyllum and Orobanche rapum-genistae, and finally the party walked a section of the Tarka Trail where a tree pipit sang from an oak top with great panache and the plants seen included Hypericum humifusum, Aconitum napellus and Hieracium patale. Six species of sedge were also counted during this most satisfactory day.
Mr Rob Stokes was the leader of the next meeting reported to me. Ten members gathered on 1 July to visit several sites in north Shropshire. Orchids, including Platanthera chlorantha, were conspicuous in the Llanymynech area; then the party moved on to a region of meres and pools where Carex elongata, Elatine hexandra and Cicuta virosa were well appreciated. At the end of the day. Brown Moss yielded an excellent selection of water plants with Littorella showing well on the receding edges of the pool. The highlight for most members, however, was Alopecurus aequalis putting on a colourful show.
On 16 July, six members were led by Miss Muriel Holmes and Mrs Moira Greenwood on a very pleasant stroll around the alleys and byways of the picturesque village of Milverton in Somerset. The stone walls and pavement cracks produced some interesting plants such as Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican Fleabane) and self-sown garden species such as Pittosporum tenuifolium which was a new county record. A damp lane had Epilobium roseum (Pale Willowherb) and Symphytum orientale (Soft Comfrey). In the afternoon, Hillfarrante Brook was visited and Aconitum napellus (Monkshood) was seen growing in abundance. Along the verge of a busy bypass, the party examined with interest the dead spikes of the orchids Dactylorhiza praetermissa and Ophrys apifera growing side by side. A most enjoyable day was ended by visiting Higher Park Kiln Covert where Paris quadrifolia was seen in fruit.
The WFS joined the BSBI on 22 July to explore Titterstone Cree in South Shropshire. This, the second highest hill in the county, provides, with its environs, a wide variety of habitat, from acid to base-rich and from block scree to wet grassland and damp flushes. Ferns and sedges bulk large in the flora, but these were varied with Apium inundatum, Scutellaria minor and Wahlenbergia hederacea. The 'best' fern to be found was Parsley Fern which is rare in the area. After lunch, Cramer Gutter, the nearest habitat to valley mire in the neighbourhood, was explored and here the flora was colourful indeed: among an abundance of Drosera and Narthecium were Anagallis tenella (Bog Pimpernel), Pinguicula vulgaris (Butterwort), Menyanthes trifoliata (Bogbean) and Gulium uliginosum (Fen Bedstraw). A good day, in which over 140 plants in all were seen.
Finally, for the time being, I can report on a nice meeting in Oxfordshire, led by Mr Tom Fowler on 23 July. About eight people came. In a belt of woodland where we began our walk was a bush of Ribes rubrum (Red Currant), looking quite 'natural' and well away from gardens, but the surprising thing about it was that its fruit was white, the fruit of a garden white currant, and I had never seen that in the 'wild' before. Then we walked over Watlington Hill where the chalk vegetation was as shrivelled as had to be expected, but the Candytuft (Iberis amara), had found shelter at edge of a wood of yew and was as fresh as if it were damp spring weather. We went on later to the famous Warburg reserve of Bix Bottom where we could see and compare two of the difficult Epipactis species, E. helleborine with its spirally- arranged leaves and E. leptochila the leaves of which are rounder and in two rows up the stem. E. purpurata was also to be seen. A feature of our walk that day was the abundance of butterflies of various species and the red kite made its now scheduled appearance over the Chilterns. It was very hot, but we had a really nice day.
There are several other local meetings listed which I have not yet heard about and I hope to be able to report on them in the next Magazine.
ELIZABETH NORMAN