sun spurge

I've got round to identifying a spurge photographed on the 8th of June. It turns out to be sun spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia), and my first record of that species within the area.

trailing tormentil

I passed a specimen of the other common procumbent Potentilla, i.e. trailing tormentil (Potentilla anglica), yesterday, so it can be added to the running list along with creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans).

creeping cinquefoil

This evening I passed a clump of creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) just over the border into the Florula Urbana area. To my surprise it hasn't already been incorporated into the running list.

self-heal

Seal-heal (Prunella vulgaris) seen yesterday, growing in mown grass at a retail park.

today's tally

I've confirmed a previously suspected occurrence of yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) in the park to the east of the town.

One instance of winter cress has been identified as Barbarea vulgaris.

Crack willow (Salix fragilis) is among the willow species present in the area. There are also sallows (Salix caprea agg.), and several other types.

town centre

While visiting the library and supermarket today I took the opportunity to record plants present in the town centre.

Just two days after first observing small nettle (Urtica urens) in the Florula Prima area, I found another one here. Another new plant is lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis).

Having made a start on identifying willows I note that sallow (Salix caprea agg.) is present.

A yellow-flowered crucifer that I saw last year, but was unable to identify, is still present. It appears to be tall rocket (Sisymbrium altissimum) - the fruits are too long for any other plausible match, and are held at the right angle, but the upper leaves are unlobed and narrowly lanceolate, rather than with narrow lobes.

The path connecting Tesco with the main row of shops is planted with various shrubs, which includes sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), which appears to be regenerating. (I'll wait until I'm sure that it's seeding rather than suckering before adding it to the list.) A couple of plants of love-in-a-mist (Nigella sp.) is also growing here.

I came back along the canal, where I passed a meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense).

remnant woodland

I had a look round an area of remnant woodland which has survived urbanisation because it is on land to steep to be built on. A large number of tree species are regenerating here - the following were observed.

field maple (Acer campestre), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastaneum), birch (Betula sp.), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsion), holly (Ilex aquifolium), oak (Quercus robur), elder (Sambucus nigra), whitebeam (Sorbus aria), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia, larged leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos) and elm (Ulmus sp.)

The ground flora is dominated by bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.), but a variety of other plants occur, especially towards the edges of the area. These are cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), a bitter-cress (Cardamine sp.), rose-bay willow-herb (Chamaelirion angustifolium), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), broad-leaved willow-herb (Epilobium montanum), Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), cleavers (Galium aparine), woodruff (Galium odoratum), wood avens (Geum urbanum), ivy (Hedera helix), hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), privet honeysuckle (Lonicera pileata), honesty (Lunaria annua), Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica), dog's mercury (Mercurialis perennis), lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum), a rose (Rosa sp.), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolium), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale agg.) nettle (Urtica dioica), ivy leaved speedwell (Veronica hederifolia) and dog violet (Viola riviniana agg.)

This adds columbine, privet honeysuckle, honesty, rhododendron, large-leaved lime and elm to the overall list.

There are also specimens of a heath (Erica sp.), Wilson's honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida), flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and more specimens of privet honeysuckle (Lonicera pileata).