Lengthy discussions took place as we tried to sort out the Catsears from the Autumn hawkbits and the Hawkweeds. And, if that wasn’t easy, trying to differentiate the Horsetails, the fields, marshes and the hybrids wasn’t straightforward either.

Fortunately, some plants didn’t tax us in the same way. The 3 Heathers, (Ling, Bell and Cross leaved heath), 4 Bedstraws ( Cleavers, Marsh in full flower, Ladies and Heath, the last two now past their best), 3 Ferns (Male,Lady and Broad Buckler), and 3 Willows (Tea- leaved, Eared and Creeping).

 

While not everyone gets excited about grasses, sedges and rushes, a fine selection was on display. Purple moor grass,Tufted hair grass, Common and Purple Bents, Cocksfoot, False Oat grass, Red, Viviparous and Tall Fescues, Mat grass, Yorkshire Fog and Perennial Rye grass. Green-ribbed and Common sedges, as well as Jointed rush, Greater woodrush and Common spike rush were also seen.

Right down at the loch shore there is an extensive bed of Common reed, Shoreweed,( a member of the plantain family), Water horsetails, Burr reed, Bog bean and Sea arrow grass.

 

On such a lovely, sunny day as this, some flowers were really looking their very best with Rosebay willowherb and the heathers offering great swathes of purple across the landscape.

Tormentil, Slender St John’s wort, Meadow vetchling, Common and Rayless Ragwort, one solitary hybrid Monkey flower, Sneezewort, Yarrow, Angelica, Water mint as well as Creeping and Marsh thistles.

Other flowers / plants are now past their prime like Meadowsweet while others such as the Clovers, Yellowrattle, Violets, Flag Iris, Buttercups, Cow parsley, Marsh pennywort, Common sorrel, Broad leaved dock and Hogweed could be identified only by their leaves or seed heads.

 

We should mention how much we appreciate John’s contribution to our meetings. Without his presence we would not have been shown Bladderwort, a carnivorous, aquatic plant, sadly not in flower at this time of the year, nor had our attention drawn to the patch of Marsh Woundwort and how to distinguish it from the more commonly seen Marsh/Hedge hybrid. We hope he also enjoys and learns something when he’s with us!