2005 Sizewell Suffolk Branch Y Last Day Hunt 29th October One Day Meeting
Thirteen of us met on an overcast but mild October day on Suffolk's Heritage coastline in the shadow of the power station. We first explored the beach and adjoining grassy areas but common plants like Bellis perennis (daisy) and Stellaria media (chickweed) were hard to find. Hiding in the marram dunes were diminutive forms of Jasione montana (sheepsbit) and a malformed Blackstonia perfoliata (yellow-wort). A few bells of Campanula rotundifolia (harebell) shook their heads in the breeze. On the shingle beach was plenty of evidence of Lathyrus japonicus (sea pea) but not a flower left in sight. There were plenty of stands of Lupinus arboreus (tree lupin) but we only found one yellow raceme still out. The numbers though were slowly advancing and by lunchtime had approached about 75 species.
A change of venue for the afternoon took us to the Sizewell Belts reserve behind the power station which turned out to be mainly woodland which at this time of year was none too fruitful. A couple of ferns in spore Dryopteris carthusiana and D. dilatata (narrow and broad buckler ferns) were added, and a surprise of Rhododendron ponticum still in flower.
An arable field margin was our last exploratory site which yielded a plethora of species. Hundreds and hundreds of Spergularia arvensis (corn spurrey) lined the edge with Anchusa arvensis (bugloss) and Amsincksia intermedia (common fiddleneck) dotted amongst them. Solanum nigrum and S. physalifolium (black and green nightshades) were both keyed out; a knotgrass was found which had an erect habit which we determined as Polygonum rurivagum (cornfield knotgrass) growing by P.arenastrum (equal-leaved knotgrass) for comparison.
Throughout the day we found seven grasses still in flower with Arrhenatherum elatius (false oat-grass) showing a second flush of growth; four Geranium members, molle, pusillum, pyrenaicum and robertianum (dove's-foot, small-flowered and hedgerow crane's-bills and herb Robert). Plus four Senecios, erucifolius, jacobaea, viscosus and vulgaris. (hoary and common ragworts and sticky and common groundsels).
Our total for the day was a very respectable 104 species.
STEPHEN CLARKSON