1999 Harefield Middlesex 17 April One Day Meeting
Twenty enthusiasts met with Bill and Carol Hawkins by St Mary's Church in Harefield for a joint meeting with the London Natural History Society. Most were early of course, so an adventure into the arcanum of taraxacology was mooted. More of this we shall not record save that the group divided evenly. The profane, who sated with Tarax. off. agg. taking the name Dandy Lions and those initiates into greater mysteries, the Dan Dee-lee-ons!
On firmer territory, both sub-species of Ranunculus ficaria (Lesser Celandine) were easily identified Anemone nemorosa (Wood Anemone) were going over, but Cardamine bulbifera (Coralroot) and Ranunculus auricomus (Goldilocks Buttercup) were at their best. Our way wended through two blocks of ancient woodland, the small Church Wood and the splendid Bayhurst Wood. Both of these are sites for the Tulipa sylvestris (Wild Tulip) which was first recorded in 1839. Linking the two we traversed a woodland strip bright with Bluebells and the delightful Adoxa moschatellina (Moschatel). Bayhurst Wood is a remnant of the former old Middlesex Forest when in earlier times, Hornbeam with Oak covered half the country. Hornbeam makes excellent charcoal and was much exploited when gunpowder production expanded in the 1700s. Here though there are good populations with trees of all ages. A small reserve sits in one corner of the wood where some fine, mature specimens of Buxus sempervirens (Box) are proliferating. Sorbus torminalis (Wild Service Tree) is also well represented. We saw everything from saplings to a giant 70 foot high specimen in full flower. Then there was the lone Fritillaria meleagris (Fritillary) spotted in a nearby meadow. "Planted or chuck-out!" we all said, but the excellent Historical Flora of Middlesex (D. H. Kent) records a letter dated 11 December 1736 claiming the plant had grown there for about forty years. Would we accept, well naturalised?
Between times, of course there was much botanising with violets, speedwells, sedges, grasses and the like. This led to a fairly replete group dawdling back in the sunshine across verdant fields, reluctant to call it a day.
BILL AND CAROL HAWKINS