2005 Hedgecourt Nature Reserve Surrey 19th July One Day Meeting
An elite group of five (including Joan on holiday from Gloucester) met Tony Anderson, the Warden, at the entrance where he had carefully guarded a group of Epipactis helleborine (broad-leaved helleborine) in bud. Tony said the site was an SSSI with three unusual plants for Surrey - Cirsium dissectum (meadow thistle) which flowers in June, Impatiens noli-tangere (touch-me-not balsam), July flowering and the only site in the south of England, and the alien Sagittaria latifolia (duck-potato) which flowers in August. He had chosen July for our walk; last year hundreds of touch-me- not balsam had flowered, and this year? Would that one flower seen the day before still be there?
He led us into the wood looking at Blechnum spicant (hard fern), then Dryopteris affinis ssp. barren (scaly male fern), later finding ssp. affinis. We found Scutellaria minor (lesser skullcap) and were able to compare it with S. galericulata (skullcap). The last time I saw the meadow thistle there was one plant. Tony has worked so hard - the plant has spread and we saw it still flowering with Hydrocotyle vulgaris (marsh pennywort) and Lysimachia vulgaris (yellow loosestrife). Great relief - there was the balsam's yellow flower with its sepal spur held at 90 degrees. Then down to the lake where the duck-potato or broad-leaved arrowhead had spread - huge leaves. Another board walk brought us to Mimulus guttatus (monkeyflower) and Filipendula ulmaria (meadowsweet) in full flower and the leaves of Menyanthes trifoliata (bogbean). There was also a more heathy area with Calluna vulgaris (heather), Hypericum pulchrum (slender St. John's-wort), H. humifusum (trailing St. ]ohn's-wort), Achillea ptarmica (sneezewort), Potentilla erecta (tormentil) and Melampyrum pratense (common cow-wheat).
A warden always adds the personal touches: 'Marsh tits nest here in the hole in this tree; I've made a seat here to watch the lake and swipe at the invasive Phragmites australis (common reed).' I listed over 70 plants in flower. A delightful spot. Thank you,Tony.
PRISCILLA NOBBS