1996 Norfolk and Suffolk 6th to 7th July Main Meeting
Eighteen members met at Strumpshaw Fen, an RSPB reserve a few miles outside Norwich where our leader, Edwina Beaumont, supplied us with a list of plants we would possibly see during the weekend and told us about the area we were to visit.
The first part of the walk was through an unimproved meadow grazed by cattle for some of the year. Here there was a profusion of Rhinanthus minor (Yellow Rattle) Dactylorhiza praetermissa (Southern Marsh Orchid), and Lychnis flos- cuculi (Ragged Robin) along with Juncus subnodulosus (Blunt Flowered Rush). Thalictrum flavum (Common Meadow Rue) was just coming into flower.
After lunch we made a circuit of another part of the reserve which included dykes and the banks of the River Yare where we found Myosoton aquaticum (Water Chickweed), and some beautiful plants of Daucus carota (Wild Carrot) showing the conspicuous red central flower. Halfway round the circuit we had the added bonus ot seeing a pair of Marsh Harriers. Our next exciting find was Lathyrus palustris (Marsh Pea) seen at its best scrambling up the neighbouring plants and this was followed by several plants of Peucedanum palustre (Milk Parsley), the host plant ot the Swallowtail butterfly**, but sadly no butterflies! On the edges of the dykes were some excellent plants of Cicuta virosa (Cowbane). Previously this plant had been decimated by the coypu but happily the coypu is now under control and Cowbane is flourishing. During the day various sedges and grasses were identified including Carex appropinquata (Fibrous Tussock Sedge), C. pseudocyperus (Hop Sedge) and Cladium mariscus (Great Fen Sedge). Interestingly, the latter is used by thatchers for the apex of the roof.
On Sunday we met in pleasant sunshine on the cliff top at Pakefield where on the beach we saw several different plants, among them X Calammophila baltica (Hybrid Marram) and Glaucium flavum (Yellow Horned Poppy). Unfortunately Eryngium maritimum (Sea Holly)) was not in flower. The star plant of the area is Salpichroa origanifolia (Cock's Eggs) and to find this we returned to the grassy slope of the cliff where this rare plant is flourishing.
We then moved on to Dunwich which is a National Trust Reserve and where the usual beach plants were seen, as well as Calystegia soldanella (Sea Bindweed), Corynephorus canescens (Grey Hair Grass) and Malva neglecta (Dwarf Mallow). Hypericum elodes (Marsh St John's Wort) edges one of the dykes here but we were too early to see either this or Leucanthemella serotina (Autumn Ox-eye) in flower.
Our next stop was a small area ofheathland near Minsmere where members were to be seen lens in hand, on their knees searching and finding the minuscule plants of Trifolium ornithopodioides (Fenugreek), Ornithopus perpusillus (Common Bird s Foot) and Potentilla argentea (Hoary Cinquefoil). In an adjoining field of poppies we discovered Filago minima (Small Cudweed) and Amsinckia lycopsoides (Fiddleneck).
Time was running out and we had another site to visit. This was further south on the coast at Thorpeness where in the car park we couldn't miss the seven foot plants of Heracleum mantegazziamum (Giant Hogweed). On the beach there were some lovely patches of Lathyrus japonicus (Sea Pea) which were eagerly photographed by several members. As we returned to our cars we noticed lots of Allium vineale (Crow Garlic) and a flourishing plant of Cortaderia selloana (Pampas Grass), neither of which one would expect to see in this habitat.
This brought a most interesting weekend to an end and we were all very appreciative of the time and effort Edwina had spent in reconnoitring the sites and preparing our comprehensive plant list.
JOAN CHILDS