So I thought I would head out really early to try to get those darned Nightingales nailed down.....and again they weren't being too helpful....! However....my current possible total is 9 on site though I have a couple of places where there may be some lurking but were just quiet this morning.
Other warblers....Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Cettis Warbler, Reed Wabler, Whitethroat....
Other birds....Cuckoo....Nuthatch.....Mandarin Duck....and 8 Mallards have appeared...
A quick mention for Water Dock which, as you can see from the picture below, is happily on its way to full growth. I love this plant just for its shear size in the dock world. Very impressive.
Water Dock, Rumex hydrolapathum
Its a native species and grows in shallow water. It only occurs in one place that I have found on site and that is over on the eastern side in one of the areas that has some pretty boggy substrate.
Back to Germander Speedwell....so I was told it had hairs on either side of the stem and none on the other opposite....and heres the proof...
Germander Speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys
Apparently you can make a kind of tea with it....and so popular it was that it was almost eradicated in London. It may.....or may not (just saying and theres your warning) be a cure for gout.....anyone out there with gout feel free to try it out and comment....
One of the easiest plants to identify is Lords and Ladies....but it fascinates me that a few specimens have purple spots on...as below....
Lords and Ladies, Arum maculatum
....whilst most species are plain green. This is a heritable polymorphism....wow...big words...which basically means the evlolutionary process modified by natural selection....and is more notable here in the south east. The purple spots are supposed to represent the blood of Christ on the cross as it grew underneath. Possibly....though maculatum refers to 'spot' or 'taint'.
Now you can eat the root if you wish.....hmmm....however...in Autumn leave the berries alone unless you have dastardly plans to see someone off....even a small amount should produce enough problems to stop you going further...irritation of the skin, swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing...stomach pain...shall I go on....
It has lots of other names....Cuckoopint (rhyme 'pint' with 'mint' and not pint of milk) one of the most common....how about 'naked girls'....'sonsie-give-us-your-hand'....'cheese and toast'....
No comments:
Post a Comment