Botanical Recording around Matfield, Kent - 01/04/18

Spring was well under way at this time, with the Beast from the East fading into recent memory. I did a circular walk around Matfield in Kent and here's what I photographed on the trip.

The first of the Wood Anemones were coming into flower and at the time of writing (22/04/18) they now carpet many woodland floors.

Anemone nemorosa

I always seem to miss them when the leaves appear, then suddenly there's loads of flowers everywhere. They must grow form nothing to full flower very quickly.

In a wood that backed onto gardens I found a relative of the Wood Anemone naturalised along the path.

There are two species of garden anemone that are frequently found in the wild and they look almost identical apart from one having hairy underside to the petals (anemone apennina) and this glabrous form.

Anemone blanda

This Thale Cress is not the most attractive crucifer around and it mostly goes unnoticed. however, it was the first plant that had its entire genome mapped.




Arabidoptis thaliana

















On a path around a woodland edge but near habitation was a huge stand of 2 metre plus tall Bamboo!
The original clump may have been planted, but it had spread over many metres and across the path into the field.


Arundinarieae agg.

Cuckooflowers are out now in force but this was the first I'd seen in flower this Spring, though there were numerous plants in bud along the way.








Cardamine pratensis









Along the banks of a small stream were carpets of Opposite Leaved Golden Saxifrage, their golden anthers looking like tiny petals from standing height.

Chrysosplenium oppositifolium

There must be millions of these Danish Scurvygrass plants now flowering along most of the M and A roads of Kent. In some places they look like snow drifts along the road there's so many.

However, in sleepy Matfield there were just a few clumps here and there along the main road through the village.

Cochlearia danica

I was surprised to find some Common Ramping Fumitory in a front garden, but then most fumitories will take advantage of disturbed soil. I often find these in waste ground and lay byes.

Fumaria muralis

Very easy to miss are the tiny flowers of Barren Strawberry.

Potentilla sterilis

Blachthorn and Cherry Plum were both in flower, but this is the latter. No thorns and shoots are green.

Prunus cerasifera

In a very wet field nowhere near habitation was a stand of Lungwort. How it got there I have no idea but it was nice to see.









Pulmonaria officinalis








Another escapee was this Flowering Currant which I often see in the wild now in Kent.

Ribes sanguineaum

Willows are now in flower but without leaves I can't identify the smaller species. However, this one was obviously from a very large Crack Willow tree.

Salix fragilis

And this was either a Goat, Grey or hybrid willow.

Lesser Periwinkle is a naturalised garden plant that I don't often see, with Greater Periwinkle being the most common. However, all around Matfield were populations of Lesser. Their flowers are quite a bit smaller than Greater and the leaves have no tiny hairs around the margins.

Vinca minor

I hope you liked the selection I found on this trip, there's lots more wildflowers to come very soon.

Take care
Dave
@Barbus59