A Botanical Journey mostly from Kent & SE England

From Cors Bodeillio we headed North on a casual exploration of this part of the coastline. It was very nice seeing a multitude of wildflowers along many verges of country lanes, including orchids, unlike the mostly mowed verges of Kent. We stopped in one area and I had a short walk around the road verge. This is what I found in a very small area. This area had around 50 or more Common Spotted Orchids along the verge. Of course it was raining again. Dactylorhiza fucshii Not far away was a nice display of Bell Heather, turning the area purple. Erica cineria Imitating an orchid from a distance were some Marsh Woundwort in a wet ditch by the roadside. Stachys palustris Near the hedgeline was a Tutsan, a shrubby species of St. John's Wort. Hypericum androsaemum Meadowsweet was in abundance in the roadside ditches. Some areas had as much Meadowsweet along the road as we have Cow Parsle...

We spent a week on holiday in a lovely cottage near Penmon in Anglesey in the last week of June. It's the first proper holiday we've had in 10 years so we were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I came down ill just before leaving with a heart problem. However, despite making life difficult I was determined to make the best I could of the holiday. After a long drive from Kent we arrived and after unpacking had a look around. This view was nearby from a local beach. The headland in the background is the Great Orme, a venue I was also keen to visit during our stay. Of course, even with great views I had a look at plants growing along the beach. I found a Common Spotted Orchid flowering up a steep slope but couldn't get to it for a photograph. I also found Sea Aster, quite common in North Kent, but took a photo anyway.  I'm glad I did as I later found it was a new record for this area. Aster tripolium var tripolium  The photo wasn't t...

This seems like ages ago, but it's still only about a month at the time of writing. I had decided to spend some hours recording a couple of under-recorded monads near Detling in Kent and set off from home this Sunday to do so. I found a quiet area in a country lane to park and set off. There were several areas that had been coppiced the year before and these are always a good place to look. The extra light triggers plants to grow whose seed may have been in the seed bank undisturbed for several years. I didn't take any "view" type photos, so I'll just get on and show what I photographed. The Willowherbs were out in force, including this Rosebay, Hoary, Great and Broad-leaved and several hybrids I couldn't identify! Chamerion angustifolium The beautifully named Enchanter's Nightshade usually grows in deep shade. However, with the coppicing they were now in the light, and looked very fine indeeed, glinting in the sunlight. Ci...