2005 The River Thames Towpath 18th to 19th June
Fourteen brave members joined me for one of the hottest weekends of 2005 and what I hope was an enjoyable two days on the River Thames Towpath between Richmond and Hampton Court.
Day one began with the party meeting at Richmond railway station where once assembled we adjourned to a small alley full of Galinsoga quadriradiata (shaggy soldier) in flower. Appetites whetted and cameras uncased we moved on towards the riverside. At this point all but three of the party attempted escape along the Chertsey Road. (A record for me, it usually takes a little longer than fifteen minutes). Once reset on the right track we headed for the towpath and were straight into large quantities of Veronica anagallis-aquatica (blue water-speedwell), Oenanthe crocata (hemlock water-dropwort) and Angelica archangelica (garden angelica). A tough looking hybrid Senecio caused us some difficulty with the specimen collected being unidentifiable by the end of the day. A return visit confirmed it as Senecio squalidus x vulgaris = S.x baxteri.
As is often the way when walks are planned so far in advance some plants had gone past their best. Torilis nodosa (knotted hedge-parsley) was one such non-starter with not a trace to be found. Petersham Meadows where it is usually to be found is grazed by cattle. These were not present on the day but I suspect they may have been responsible for the plant's absence.
Compensation was to be found at Ham House which was our lunch stop for the day. A patch of Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle) was found though it is debatable whether this is the result of sowing of wild flower seed. The walls to one side of Ham House are a well known location for Hieracmm speluncarum and this was to be seen in full flower over one arch in the walls.
Suitably revived after lunch we staggered on in the unrelenting sunshine. Ham Riverlands was to be our next main goal but along the way there were a few Lathyrus nissolia (grass vetchling), one L. hirsutus (hairy vetchling) and leaves of Epilobium parviflorum (hoary willowherb) to examine.
On reaching Ham Riverlands we were joined by Geoff Hyde (no relation), a local resident with an extensive knowledge of the flora of the lands. This meeting was only set up the evening before when Geoff and I met up at a party at the nearby London Wetland Centre. With this extra expertise we were quick to find Lepidium latifolium(dittander) flowering in abundance. The Bunias orientalis (warty-cabbage) was coming to an end but was displaying the distinctive seed pods that give its name. A patch of Allium scorodoprasum (sand leek) was admired and photographed before we moved on to Teddington Lock Island for Rubus tricolor (Chinese bramble). At this point the lure of a riverside pub overcame us and a botanically rich bit of Thames foreshore was foregone in favour of long cold drinks.
Day two was spent near Hampton Court walking along the towpath there and in Home Park. Rumexpulcher (fiddle dock) which had been searched for unsuccessfully the day before was found within minutes along with large amounts of Salvia verbenaca(wild clary). Disappointingly the Hypericum hircinum (stinking tutsan) stayed firmly in bud throughout the day despite attempts to open the buds by force or heavy breathing.
On entering Home Park we found an elephant hawk-moth resting on the grassland there. An excellent chance for photographing a moth that is usually very quick flying. The Hampton Court Flower Show was under preparation so access to part of the park was restricted but Spergularia rubra (sand spurrey) could be found in abundance along the grass paths. An ancient oak tree reputed to be over 700 years old was then visited. Here within sight of Henry VIII's palace we found Chenopodium bonus- henricus (good-king-Henry). A brisk walk to our lunch stop and some shade before the afternoon's walk back along the towpath to Hampton Court.
Some scrabbling in a hedgerow uncovered Conyza bonariensis (Argentine fleabane) along with C sumatrensis (Guernsey fleabane), neither in flower. On the riverbank itself were large specimens of Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed), Lythrum salicaria (purple-loosestrife) and Lotus pedunculatus (greater bird's-foot- trefoil). An island in the middle of the River Thames was covered in Spartium junceum (Spanish broom) and one spike of Ophrys apifera (bee orchid) flowered right next to the Thames cycle path unnoticed by all but us.
The heat once again meant a short day's botanising and my congratulations to those who stayed the course. Amongst the pleasures of leading walks are meeting fellow enthusiasts who help with the identification of tricky species (special thanks to Stella and Stephen for this). Also those who supply the leader with drinks and ice- cream (thank you Brian and Richard), and those who wrote me such lovely thank you letters and sent emails afterwards. You all make it worthwhile.
PIPPA HYDE