2002 Sandwich Bay 21 - 23 June Main Meeting
Those staying at the new field centre at the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory met up on the Friday afternoon and were able to familiarise themselves with their quarters and the excellent facilities available. Some took advantage late in the day to have a quick look at some of the nearby flora.
The meeting started properly on the Saturday morning when the residents and those staying elsewhere all met up in the observatory car park at 10 a.m. In glorious sunshine the party made their way to the beach. Over the first grassy meadows progress was slow as we encountered numerous grasses such as Vulpia ciliata ssp. ambigua(bearded fescue) and various clovers such as Trifolium subterraneum (subterranean clover). Some of the highlights of this area included a fine colony of Parentucellia viscosa (yellow bartsia) that was just coming into flower, and a number of Epipactis palustris (marsh helleborine/
As we reached the fixed sand dunes of the golf course then fresh plants put in an appearance such as Trifolium suffocatum (suffocated clover) and Orobanche minor(common broomrape). Then, and thankfully still in flower, were some fine Orobanche caryophyllacea (bedstraw broomrape) which soon had everybody engaged in photographing the plants or sniffing the sweet clove scent that the plants produced. This was followed immediately by our first Himantoglossum hircinum (lizard orchid) which again had the photographers in action. From then on for the rest of the day we were to see many hundreds more of these most exotic orchids. Lunch was taken on the beach amongst Eryngium maritimum (sea holly), Silene conica (sand catchfly) and Festuca arenaria (rush-leaved fescue). In the heat it was decided that the long walk to the salt-marsh at the point could wait for another day and so we walked back along the shore and were rewarded with Melilotus indicus (small melilot), Cynosurus echinatus (rough dog's-tail) and the hybrid couch grass Elytrigia x obtusiuscula. A look at an area that had previously been gardens of some houses destroyed during the last war (over fifty years ago) produced some interesting additions for several diaries, including Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston-ivy), Ficus carica (fig) and Kniphofia uvaria (red-hot-poker). Returning back to base we took in a damp gully, which gave us plants such as Samolus valerandi (brookweed) and Carex elata (tufted-sedge).
The party again met at the Bird Observatory car park on the Sunday morning, but this time we walked inland. At first through some arable land we found plants such as Malva neglecta (dwarf mallow) and Phalaris paradoxa (awned canary-grass), and then onto a waterway known as the North Cut. Here, those with grapnels enjoyed themselves in seeking out what water plants were present, much to the amusement of those not acquainted with this method of botanising. Amongst the Potamogeton pectinatus (fennel pondweed) and P. perfoliatus (perfoliate pondweed) the best find was P.friesii (flat-stalked pondweed). On reaching the village of Worth, where the dykes provided Groenlandia densa (opposite-leaved pondweed) and Potamogeton natans (broad-leaved pondweed), the party took lunch. In the afternoon a stroll around Worth Minnis produced Potamogeton coloratus (fen pondweed) and Sparganium natans (least bur-reed), and as we walked back a small arable field produced a final flourish wih Fumaria muralis ssp. boraei (common ramping-fumitory), F. officinalis (common fumitory) and F. densiflora (dense-flowered fumitory).
The meeting appeared successful with good weather, excellent accommodation, and, most important, wonderful company. A total of 294 species of plant were recorded, which included 25 clovers and allies (Fabaceae) and 47 grasses (Poaceae). The only slip-up appears to have been with the leader who failed to delegate someone to write up a report and so has had to do it himself.
ERIC G. PHILP