2003 Beachy Head 1 June One Day Meeting
Despite pouring rain at the start 15 members set off enthusiastically on our walk. We started off by walking down to the sea cliffs near Holywell where there is a good mixture of garden escapes and maritime plants.
As we set off the rain cleared and the sun came out. In woods near some gardens Cephalanthera damasonium (white helleborine) was spotted by a keen-eyed member and soon Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican fleabane) was being admired on a wall nearby. Round the corner we squatted down to look at a patch of Soleirolia soleirolii (mind-your-own-business).
The sea cliffs were looking at their best, a perfect natural rock garden and a mass of colour. Among the plants growing here were Matthiola incana (hoary stock), Crambe maritimus (sea kale), once sold in Covent Garden as a vegetable, Raphanus raphanistrum ssp. maritima (sea radish) and Lavatera arborea (tree mallow). Further along we saw the remains of Limonium binervosum ssp. binervosum plus Anthyllis vulneraria (kidney vetch) and Senecio cineraria (silver ragwort).
After lunch (alas it wasn't warm enough for a paddle), we climbed back up and walked along towards Cow Gap. In a hedge bank looking magnificent was Arum italicum ssp. italicum (Italian lord's and ladies) and nearer the sea a bank of Echium vulgare (viper's bugloss) in full flower.
On the grassland above the cliffs Allium vineale (crow garlic) was just coming up. For those who had travelled a long way the Ophrys sphegodes (early spider orchid) was admired along with Rosa pimpinellifolia (burnet rose) in the nearby scrub.
A stiff climb back up to the top of Beachy Head got us back to the cars before the thunder and next belt of rain arrived. A very pleasant and enjoyable day.
GARETH BURSNALL