Botanical Adventures in Cornwall, End of May 2023

 May was perhaps the driest month for a long time with no measurable rain at all (this extended into mid June), so the annuals and early flowering species quickly shrivelled up and went to seed. I wondered what effect this might have on plants about to flower, but of course, our native plants are well adapted to periods of drought and seemed to cope well. The only obvious difference I have noticed, is that the very dry conditions means they flower and seed much quicker than usual, meaning that you might only see a plant in flower for a couple of weeks instead of for the whole month. Anyway, these are the highlights to round off my May finds in Cornwall.

I had never seen Water Avens, the species being absent from my previous home in the South East, so I made a trip "up North" to see it. I was of course, still in North Cornwall, but quite close to the Devon border. There are only a couple of places this species has previously been recorded and I knew it liked wet or damp conditions, so I concentrated my search near a small stream that ran by the road here. It took a while to find some, and only two plants were flowering. They are much nicer looking than their cousin Wood Avens, but more about those in a while.

Geum rivale

The issue with these populations is that they have hybridised with Wood Avens, which was flowering prolifically all over the area. Most plants I found were big and bushy with hybrid vigour and yellow petals, clearly the hybrid. To be sure, I had the Geum rivale above checked by an expert to determine it was the real deal and not a hybrid. Thankfully it was, but I think the hybrid is taking over at these sites to the detriment of the Water Avens itself.

Here's some photos of that hybrid. Note the yellow petals.

Geum rivale x urbanum = Geum x intermedium

Back on my local north Cornish coast and the Common Ramping Fumitory is back in flower, here at Pentireglaze cliffs.

Fumaria muralis

Last year I looked for, and failed to find Hairy Birdsfoot Trefoil. I put that right at Pentireglaze one afternoon. It has rich egg yolk coloured flowers only about half the size of Common Birdfoot Trefoil. Of course, it's a very hairy plant and looks a bit greyish from a standing height. It doesn't like competition, so grows in short turf or bare areas only.

Lotus subbiflorus

Here's what  patch looks like from afar. Note how bare the ground is of other vegetation and the small, deep yellow coloured flowers. I found this quite quickly which was odd as I had looked over the same area last year and failed to find it. However, if not in flower, it could easily be missed.

Kidney Vetch was now flowering, and as usual on the North Cornwall coast there was a myriad of colour forms. There was the usual yellow, white, yellow and orange and these lovely red forms.

Anthyllis vulnareria var. coccinea

Cornwall is full of streams and streamlets which arise from faults in the bedrock, so even in drought, there are always wet flushes and damp valleys. Here's a fine display of wetland plants from such a streamlet.

In this area I found some Ragged Robin too. It's commonly spread around Cornwall, but I rarely see more than a few plants here and there.

Silene flos-cuculi

I was driving out of my local Tesco store when I noticed a patch of silver grey in the grass by the exit. I stopped and went back to look and found over a hundred Jersey Cudweed plants about to flower, lovely! This was right by the tyre inflation station with a lady inflating her tyres. She obviously thought I was mad, but she was actually quite interested when I showed her the plant.

Laphangium luteoalbum

 

On the last day of May, I took an evening trip to Rock Dunes and found Hairy Rock-cress, which had previously been recorded here. Oddly, I failed to find any in those previousy recorded areas, but I did find a dozen plants flowering at a new location in the dunes. I have seen these on chalk in Sussex and they are quite different. They are much taller here and the leaves are longer and do not clasp the stem as much as their chalk counterparts. They were too tall and thin to get a whole plant photo (about 30cm). Given the differences mentioned, I took the time to key them out properly in the botanist bible "Stace, 4th Edition" which confirmed the identification. Apparently they are  quite variable species.

Arabis hirsuta

 

 Viper's Bugloss is uncommon in Cornwall, but there's always some plants to see at Rock. I love their blue and pink flowers.

Echium vulgare

 

Atlantic Ivy is all over the dunes, though often buried under the sand. Making the most of this population was a huge number of Ivy Broomrapes which parasitise them. There were at least a thousand plants and most were the yellow form (they are usually purple).

Orobanche hederae

 

Yellow Rattle was abundant too in places, another hemi-parasitic plant that weakens grasses, allowing other less competitive species to grow.

Rhinanthus minor

The alien Hare's Tail Grass was super abundant here too in places. 

It's flower head is soft like cotton wool to the touch.

Lagurus ovata

Mind Your Own Business is a common garden escaped plant here and probably all over the UK. This one below was growing on a sea cliff about a metre above the highest tide mark. What merits its inclusion here, is that this photo is the first one where I have managed to capture one of its minute flowers. It has no petals and is dead centre on the red stem.

Soleirolia soleirolii

There are so many amazing plants at Rock, but I'll make the next one the last for brevity. It's Sea Bindweed, but unlike its inland cousins, it doesn't climb up other plants. Its leaves are rounded and fleshy and can withstand being buried by shifting sand, only to pop up through it a few weeks later. They grow with Marram Grass in the sandy parts of dunes, usually closest to the sea, but above the high tide mark. Keep an eye out for them.

Calystegia soldanella

That's wraps up a very hot and dry May which continued well into June. But I have learned that our wild plants are very resilient and no doubt I will find some lovely plants in June too.

Until then, take care.

Dave

Mid May Botany in Cornwall 2023

 This blog is a compilation of short trips out and about in Cornwall, usually just for a couple of hours in the evening. On a walk near my house I found a patch of Greater Quaking Grass growing on a roundabout of the A39. It wasn't there last year, so I wonder how it got there? It's quite a common escape here, but the seeds are big and heavy, so they tend to form large patches rather than spread much. I can only think birds have spread them, but who really knows.

Briza maxima

Nearby was Fodder Salad Burnet, which I did find last year on this road verge. It can grow up to around a metre tall and has much bigger, deeply cut leaves than the native form.

Poterium sanguisorba subsp balearicum

Common Vetch is in flower all over the place, but the vast majority have two tone pink and purple flowers. There's a patch of plants near my house which were all white, quite unusual.

Vicia sativa subspecies segetalis var. albiflora

A visit to the coastal path near Treligga was a nice walk, competely alone with nature and off the tourist areas. The vivid blue flowers of Sheep's-bit were now in flower. They are also found inland on Bodmin Moor and heathy places in Cornwall.

Jasione montana

I finally found Changing Forget-me-not in the subspecies that has yellow flowers (not white) that turn to blue. There are other differences, but it gets long and technical, so I'll leave it there. This plant was very small and the flowers tiny.

Myosotis discolor subspecies discolor

It seems cattle don't like Ivy-leaved Water Crowfoot plants. I went through such a field full of cattle, but they left these alone, so I guess they may have toxins in them. The flowers are much smaller than most other species and of course, the ivy shaped leaves are a giveaway too.

Ranunculus hederaceus

Near Treligga, I came across some boulders with very short turf around them. I was pleased to find some unusual clovers there. Trifolium striatum (Knotted Clover) had previously been recorded here, but unfortunately, I couldn't find that one.

Birdsfoot Clover - Trifolium ornithopodioides

Subterranean Clover - Trifolium subterraneum

Slender Trefoil - Trifolium micranthum

A big surprise plant was in the village of Treligga itself on a rural road verge. Below is Pyrenean Valerian, a very uncommon garden escape here. It's only been recorded in the wild in East Cornwall once before, back in 1951. Given this rarity, it will feature in the upcoming BSBI News under the "Aliens and Adventives" section, always worth a read to see what alien plants you might now find in the wild.

Valeriana pyrenaica

Below is the path from Treligga to the coast path, empty of people, just how I like it. This was the area where the unusual clovers were found and pretty much, nowhere else.

On an evening trip to Trevone to sit by the sea for half an hour, I took a wander around near the car park and found several spikes of what is now called Carrot Broomrape. It parasitises Sea Carrot (rarely Buckshorn Plantain too). I think Broomrapes are impressive plants and they do not seem to harm the host to any extent. You can see the Sea Carrot leaves at the bottom of the first photo.

Orobanche minor subspecies maritima

Actually in the beach car park and driven over most days, were patches of Toothed Medick. As the name suggests the leaflets are toothed, but what you really need to look for are the stiplules at base of the leaf junctions. They are very spikey (laciniate), unlike any other medick/clover like plant. A few weeks later I went back and noticed the very dry car park stuffed full of their little spiny seeds, waiting for a small animal or someone's sock to latch onto and be dispersed.

Medicago polymorpha

At the back of a pub car park near Wadebridge, was a gravel area and the aggregate appeared to come from the Clay Country (St Austell area). This aggregate has hardly any nutrients and nothing much grows on it for several years. One early coloniser is Birdsfoot, a tiny pea like plant that forms small clumps close to the ground.

Ornithopus perpusillus

Common Broomrape, typically parasiting Clovers (this was on Trifolium dubium and T. campestre) close to my house, a new monad record too.

Orobanche minor subspecies minor

My final offering on this blog is the wonderful, though poorly named, Bastard Balm. It's flowers are large and brightly coloured with pink or purple blotches. You can find it on shaded road verges and woodland paths in early May here. This species is completely absent from the South East where I used to live, so it was great to see it.

Melittis melissophyllum

That beautiful plant concludes my botanical adventures up until mid May, but watch out for the rest of my end of May discoveries, coming soon.

Take Care

Dave