Wild flowers

[Lankyman]

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Lots of these jasper's in the Dunden valley

Where is the Dunden valley?

 

[Lankyman]

Down along the canal again today. September rain has greened the grass but most of summer flowers are gone. In places there are masses of ivy which is attracting late season pollinators like hover flies

The place was really 'buzzing'! Signs of the recent drought and heatwave - ivy on a canal bridge

 

[Karen L]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of plants appear to have made use of the rain and started to flower again. Just random flowers here and there, but I saw strawberries and meadowsweet along the Cromford Canal last night.

 

[Lankyman]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of plants appear to have made use of the rain and started to flower again. Just random flowers here and there, but I saw strawberries and meadowsweet along the Cromford Canal last night.

I haven't really noticed if they'd actually started again but I did notice a few isolated examples of meadowsweet by the Lancaster Canal today. I also saw a few tiny white flowers of barren* strawberry on the sunny side of a canal bridge.
* I think it was 'barren' - they do look very like proper wild strawberries.

 

[Karen L]

Hm, I've come across barren strawberries before, so it could have been.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

Some fungi from North Wales over the weekend..

Clustered Domecap

Yellow Staghorn

Clustered Bonnet

Classic Fly Agaric

 

[bagpuss]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of plants appear to have made use of the rain and started to flower again. Just random flowers here and there, but I saw strawberries and meadowsweet along the Cromford Canal las night.

Yes, have noticed some amongst the meadows and wild flower patches.
These are on Walton Common, also picked up a tick for my troubles!

St John's Wort

Common Agrimony

These were on Goblin Combe (limestone area)
Mint, possibly a garden escapee

A type of Scabious, not sure which one

Fairy bonnet

Dog lichen?

Sulpher tufts

Oysterling?

 

[Lankyman]

There isn't a lot of fungi appearing in my local bit of woodland. I'm wondering if it's to do with the rhododendron that's in there. I did encounter some shaggy inkcap on a nearby verge

When I was sitting for a break I noticed something moving. At first I thought I'd trodden on a mushroom and it was rebounding, then I saw that someone else was having a snack

I only hope they know their fungi ...

 

[Lankyman]

For a change I went for a walk along the cycleway which runs from Lancaster up the Lune. Not particularly inspiring until you get closer to Caton and can see up towards the Dales (Ingleborough!). I saw some sea asters (the nearby river was still tidal)

Up at the Crook of Lune, a single betony flower (not seen any for a while)

 

[pwhole]

First Liberty Caps I've found this year - but it feels like summer again around here, and there's not much of anything other than giant Agaricus, growing inside belland yards, so I gave those a miss. I can get them across the road in the local supermarket, with no added lead

 

[pwhole]

 

[Lankyman]

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Was it very windy?

 

[pwhole]

Not at all, but there were lots of sheep grazing in the field, and I think they just kick them over.

 

[pwhole]

Growing on a shaft hillock.

 

[Mr Mike]

Large Cep, 20cm cap, Roddlesworth Woods, West Pennine Moors

 

[Lankyman]

Red valerian by the canal in Lancaster today

I recall this grows in profusion on the Warton limestone crags when I was climbing regularly on them.

 

[aricooperdavis]

I don't know how true this is, but I was told by an old Cornish apple expert that apple trees used to be planted by mine shafts when they were abandoned or capped to mark them as hazards. I can't find any other documentation of this (although Terrafirma make the claim about trees in general), but it provides a nice link between flora and the underground. There are certainly a lot of apple trees near shafts around me, but that could just be because the disturbed ground makes a very good place for pioneer species to grow, or maybe people chuck their apple cores away into mine shafts!

 

[Lankyman]

I don't know how true this is, but I was told by an old Cornish apple expert that apple trees used to be planted by mine shafts when they were abandoned or capped to mark them as hazards. I can't find any other documentation of this (although Terrafirma make the claim about trees in general), but it provides a nice link between flora and the underground. There are certainly a lot of apple trees near shafts around me, but that could just be because the disturbed ground makes a very good place for pioneer species to grow, or maybe people chuck their apple cores away into mine shafts!

A long time ago I heard on the radio that the Romans introduced garlic to Britain. Apparently, the soldiers would put the cloves between their toes to prevent/cure fungal infections. When they were done they just threw the cloves by the roadsides. I can't recall now if it was April 1st. I've also heard that rowan trees were planted outside upland cottages to ward off witches. As I've never encountered a witch by a rowan I suppose it must be true?

 

[AR]

I don't know how true this is, but I was told by an old Cornish apple expert that apple trees used to be planted by mine shafts when they were abandoned or capped to mark them as hazards. I can't find any other documentation of this (although Terrafirma make the claim about trees in general), but it provides a nice link between flora and the underground. There are certainly a lot of apple trees near shafts around me, but that could just be because the disturbed ground makes a very good place for pioneer species to grow, or maybe people chuck their apple cores away into mine shafts!

I've heard tell the Peak miners encouraged thorn trees to grow near their shafts so that they had an easy way to "cap" the shaft if they abandoned the mine - cut the tree down, stuff it into the shaft and pile rocks on top. Works fine until the tree rots away, the rocks are staying in place through force of habit, then a cow steps on it...

I've also heard that rowan trees were planted outside upland cottages to ward off witches. As I've never encountered a witch by a rowan I suppose it must be true?

Rowan as a ward against witchcraft is a well-known superstition in the North Country such as a hooped twig over a byre door or under the butter churn.

 

[Lankyman]

Not flowers but they're stuck in the ground and out in the sticks. Beech trees showing signs of autumn (and possibly recent drought stress?) at Grizedale (the Bowland one)

Quite an autumnal feel on the track out to the road nearby