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u3a Botany Group - June 2023
by Merryn - 07:20 on 03 June 2023
Burray Hill Botany Walk 30th May 2023
We met at the car park beside Burray Hall. There were twelve of us and we made our way along the road past Burray Primary School. A small woodland has been planted by the school and amongst the trees were Cowslips and Sweet Cicely, one of the first umbellifers to flower. We continued past the field of Bere Barley where, in the corner of the field we saw a patch of Charlock, a plant that used to make cornfields yellow in the days before modern herbicides (according to my plant book). A cuckoo bee was feeding on it but still seemed to be rather cold and not very active yet. Further along, on a grassy patch of waste ground beside the road, we identified Yellow Rattle (not in flower), Red Clover, Lesser Trefoil, Common Mouse-ear, Meadow Vetchling and Ragwort.
We walked on, up the hill, and saw lots of Marsh Orchids in the fields and on the grass verges. These are beginning to come into flower all over Burray. We have some in our garden. Other flowers identified were Bush Vetch, Silverweed, Creeping Thistle, Red Campion, Cleavers and Garlic Mustard. A tall plant with purple veined leaves and a purple stem caught our eye and there was some discussion about its identity. Was it Foxglove, as first thought, or could it perhaps be Burdock or Mullein? It was not yet in flower. I shall go back to see what the flowers are like. We settled on Foxglove. There were several more growing by the road and track up the hill. A leaf was taken for further study and identification.
At the top of the track was a small patch of stony waste ground where Meadow Vetchling, Speedwell (veronica), stunted Heath Woodrush and Slender St John's Wort, (hypericum pulchrum) were growing. No flowers yet. We spent a while looking at the St John's Wort which was identified as 'slender' by the single stems of leaves.
Walking up to the top of the hill we saw several ferns. The leaves had almost finished unfurling. They were identified as Broad Buckler, Scaly Male Fern, Male Fern (non scaly) and Lady Fern. Beside them was a patch of Crowberry Moss with Sorrell growing through it. Small plants of Lousewort with its pink flowers, Bird's Foot Trefoil and Dog Violet dotted a few areas by the side of the track.
By the time we reached the very top of Burray Hill we realised that there was not enough time to walk out to the potentially interesting boggy bit. Some folk opted to walk back to the car park and others explored the rough ground where Bog Bilberry and Pig Nut were discovered.
Charlock
Foxglove ?
Slender St John's-Wort
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