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Category Archives: wildflowers on limestone

August on the Bryn

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by theresagreen in British wildflowers, Bryn Euryn Local Nature Reserve, flora of a limestone hill, flowering in August, North Wales, plants of calcareous grassland, purple-flowered plants, semi-parasitic wildflowers, wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone, yellow-flowered plants

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centaurea nigra, Common eyebright, common knapweed, Euphrasia nemorosa, hazelnut, hemp agrimony, insects on hemp agrimony, insects on knapweed, insects on ragwort, odontites vernus, ragwort, red bartsia, senecio jacobea

August 5th

In the woods foliage is verdant and heavy, reaching out to the light across the tracks and rides. But the signs of a summer past its peak are beginning to show as plants divert their energies into their most important task; that of fruit production.

160805-Bryn Euryn (16)-Woodland trail

The Hazels bear a few fully-formed nuts, but here at least only a few will achieve maturity. Grey squirrels grab all they can reach, careless of whether they are ripe or not, leaving the debris of their wanton pickings strewn on the ground beneath the trees.

Unripened Hazelnuts
Unripened Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts picked and discarded by grey squirrels
Hazelnuts picked and discarded by grey squirrels

In the meadow the grasses have set seed, their long stems golden and hay-dry. The mid-summer flush of wildflowers has more or less subsided with only scattered blooms of dainty harebell, lady’s bedstraw and white clover tucked down in the long grass.

160805-Bryn Euryn (27)-Adder's field

In their stead the tougher, bolder-coloured blooms characteristic of late summer are peaking and will provide the nectar and pollen vital to the sustenance of the insect population.

160805-Bryn Euryn (60)-stand of Hemp Agrimony

The swathe of Hemp Agrimony bordering between the meadow’s edge and the trees, was literally buzzing with insects on this sunny but windy day. Many of the visitors were male bumblebees. With no hive duties to perform they have only themselves to care for and can afford to spend what remains of their lives lingering long and gorging on nectar. The plant is a favourite of the bigger butterflies too – you may see Red Admiral or a gorgeous Peacock feasting here – provided there are any about of course.

Helophilus sp. hoverfly
Helophilus sp. hoverfly
Bombus terrestris bumblebee
Bombus terrestris bumblebee
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper

Ragwort is  not as abundant here as in other places locally, but what there is was well-visited by a variety of insects from tiny hoverflies to butterflies.

160805-Bryn Euryn (8)-Ragwort flowers

One particular flowerhead was occupied by a damaged 6-spot Burnet moth that was still in situ a couple of hours later as I passed by on my way home. It will be safe there- the moths are poisonous, so left alone by potential predators.

Tiny hoverfly
Tiny hoverfly
Bombus pratorum
Bombus pratorum
6-spot Burnet moth
6-spot Burnet moth

One of the more unusual wildflowers found in this little hillside meadow is the Wild Onion, or Nodding Wild Onion as it is sometimes referred to. In previous years I have found it was particularly attractive to the little Common Blue butterflies, but alas there were no blue butterflies to be found today and the flowers are already producing fruits – a rounded cluster of tiny bulbils.

(Nodding) Wild Onion- Allium vineale
(Nodding) Wild Onion- Allium vineale
Fruiting heads of Wild Onion
Fruiting heads of Wild Onion

160703-Bryn Euryn-Eyebright 2There are two semi-parasitic wildflowers to be found here now. One is the lovely little Eyebright which has been in flower for a while now but that will continue into September; the other in lesser amounts, is Red Bartsia. Both plants take their nourishment from the roots of grasses. Much of the Eyebright here on Bryn Euryn shows up from where it grows low in the grass as all parts of the plant other than the flowers are tinged a strong bronzy-purple.

160805-Bryn Euryn (79a)-Red Bartsia-Odontites vernus

Red Bartsia – Odontites vernus

Higher up towards the summit of the hill and again on the downland slope Knapweed is more prolific. It too is beloved by insects, but on a windy day such as today when the flowers are vigorously bending and swaying, they make for a tricky landing and even trickier photographs.

160805-Bryn Euryn (78)-View

Helophilus sp. hoverfly
Helophilus sp. hoverfly
6 spot Burnet moth
6 spot Burnet moth

Hogweed is still flowering strongly and feeding insects whilst simultaneously setting seed.

160805-Bryn Euryn (21)-hogweed flowering & seeding

And there are ripe blackberries and sweet wild raspberries to add little treats to the walk home.

Blackberries
Blackberries
Raspberry-Rubus idaeus
Raspberry-Rubus idaeus

The ‘Bryn’ referred to in the post title is Bryn Euryn, a limestone hill of which much is a Local Nature Reserve, located in Rhos-on-Sea (Llandrillo-yn-Rhos), in Conwy, North Wales.  Grid Reference: SH 832798

The Bryn is the basis of many posts on my longer-established blog ‘Everyday Nature Trails’.

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Yarrow-Achillea millefolium

29 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in asteraceae, British wildflowers, daisy family, flowering in August, flowering in July, folklore of plants, traditional medicinal plants, traditional uses of plants, wildflowers important to insects, wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone, yellow-flowered plants

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achillea millefolium, meadow wildflowers, milddail, roadside wildflowers, wildflower essential oils, wildflower with white flowers, yarrow

Yarrow-Achillea millefolium, also known in English as woundwort; nosebleed plant; staunch grass; old man’s pepper; devil’s nettle, sanguinary; milfoil; soldier’s woundwort; thousand-leaf, and thousand-seal. In Welsh it is Milddail.

Yarrow is tough, a survivor in a wide variety of habitats, with a history of use by mankind culturally and medicinally reaching back to ancient times.  

160714-Gt Orme 02-West Beach-Yarrow jpg

Flowering: (June) July to September

160714-Gt Orme 01-West Beach-Yarrow

14/7/16-Yarrow lining a sandy path of West Shore, Llandudno

Habitat: Yarrow grows from sea level to 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) in elevation. It thrives throughout the British Isles in meadows and hedgerows, on road verges and wasteland and in sandy coastal places.  Having deep, water-seeking tap roots, yarrow is able to resist drought and to persist on roadsides and verges that are mown: cutting blades are usually set high, resulting in only the flowers being lost while the rest of the plant remains to grow again. They also flower after the spring cut and by the time the autumn cut is made, most of the plants are seeding.

140722TGNW-Yarrow-Little Orme

Description:

A plant native to Great Britain, Yarrow is a member of the Asteraceae (Daisy) family.

Yarrow is an upright, short to medium height, downy, strongly aromatic perennial plant. Stems are furrowed, stiff, unbranched  and creeping. The flowers are 4-6mm across and arranged in clusters in flat-topped  heads comprising yellowish disc florets and white to pink ray florets. The attractive feathery leaves are dark green and finely divided. Fruits are achenes.

Flowers
Achenes

THE PLANT NAME

The genus name, Achillea is said to have been attributed to the plant as Achilles, the legendary Greek warrior-hero, was said to have applied yarrow to heal wounds made by iron weapons in the Trojan War. The species name millefolium, meaning ‘thousand leaf’, refers to the plants numerous feathery leaves.The English name yarrow comes from the Old English word gearwe, which is related to both the Dutch word gerw and the Old High German word garawa.

IMPORTANCE TO INSECTS

It attracts predatory wasps, which drink the nectar and then use insect pests as food for their larvae.

Wasp nectaring on yarrow flowers- Llandudno

Yarrow provides a rich source of nectar in late summer when many earlier wildflowers have finished flowering. It is particularly attractive to predatory wasps and hoverflies and is useful in gardens as a companion plant to attract these insects, which drink the nectar and then take insect pests as food for their larvae.

 

FOLKLORE & LEGEND

2012-9-15TGNW-Yarrow seedhead

Yarrow seedhead

In East Anglia, as late as 1900, yarrow was credited with the power to avert spells and sickness if it was scattered on doorsteps and hung on cradles on Midsummer Eve. In the Fens, yarrow-stuffed cushions were a safeguarding household accessory. Similarly in Ireland, yarrow was held to drive away evil and sickness, but also as a potion that would not only increase physical attractiveness, but also protect people from being hurt by the opposite sex. In a Gaelic chant a woman says: ” I will pick the green yarrow that my figure may be fuller… that my voice will be sweeter… that my lips will be like the juice of the strawberry… I shall wound every man, but no man shall harm me.” In the Hebrides a leaf held against the eyes was believed to give second sight.

TRADITIONAL USES

In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of an herbal mixture known as gruit used in the flavoring of beer prior to the use of hops. Yarrow has also been used as a food or in teas, and was very popular as a vegetable in the 17th century. The younger leaves are said to be a pleasant leaf vegetable when cooked like spinach, or in a soup. Yarrow is sweet with a slight bitter taste. The dried leaves can also be used as a flavouring herb in cooking.

MEDICINAL USES

A. millefolium has a well-documented historical use in traditional medicine, often because of its astringent effects. The herb is purported to be a diaphoretic (inducing sweating), astringent, tonic,]stimulant and mild aromatic. It contains isovaleric acid, salicylic acid, asparagin, sterols, flavonoids, bitters, tannins, and coumarins. This medicinal use is also reflected in some of the common names mentioned above, such as ‘staunchweed’ and ‘soldier’s woundwort’.

As with Achilles, in Great Britain the Anglo-Saxons also believed that the plant, which is sometimes also referred to as woundwort, would instantly cleanse and heal injuries made with sharp-edged tools. In this event it was pounded with grease and applied as an ointment or poultice. Another old name ‘nosebleed plant’ is a little confusing, some sources claim the fresh leaves will staunch a nosebleed, whilst others say it will cause a nosebleed, thus relieving a headache or ‘megrim’. In Suffolk an old rhyme says ‘Green yarrow, green yarrow, you bears a white blow, If my love loves me, my nose will bleed now!’

AROMATHERAPY

The dark blue essential oil, extracted by steam distillation of the flowers, has been traditionally used for a wide variety of complaints including fever, nervous tension and digestive problems and also as an anti-inflammatory and in chest rubs for colds and influenza. It is said to promote hair growth and as it has astringent properties, to tone skin. This oil also kills the larvae of the mosquito Aedes albopictus.

 

Lady’s Bedstraw-Galium verum

19 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by theresagreen in flowering in July, folklore of plants, plants of calcareous grassland, traditional medicinal plants, traditional uses of plants, wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone, yellow-flowered plants

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brwydd felen, galium verum, lady's bedstraw

Lady’s Bedstraw-Galium verum,  also known in English as Our Lady’s Bedstraw; Yellow Bedstraw; Maid’s Hair; Petty Mugget;cheese rennet; cheese renning. In Welsh it is Briwydd felen.

In the summer months frothy sunshine-yellow Lady’s Bedstraw brightens the grass and on a warm sunny day scents the air with the delicate fragrance of fresh-cut hay.

160703-55-Bryn Euryn-Lady's BedstrawFlowering: June to September

Habitat: Lady’s Bedstraw most often occurs in dry habitats, often near to the sea. It grows in dry grassland, on dry banks, on downs and old established sand-dunes. However, it has also been seen beside wet flushes on coastal cliffs.

A native plant to Great Britain, Lady’s Bedstraw is a member of the Rubiaceae family. A near relative of goose grass, or cleavers, but has no prickles. This slightly downy and sprawling perennial plant, bears tiny bright yellow 4-petalled flowers (2-3mm ), borne in clusters. The stem is branched, square, long, thin and weak. Leaves are exceptionally small and borne in whorls of 6-8. 

Lady's Bedstraw on sand in Norfolk-East Runton cliff

Lady’s Bedstraw on sand in Norfolk-East Runton cliff

IMPORTANCE TO INSECTS

Lady’s bedstraw is a food source for the huge Elephant hawk-moth caterpillar, then is favoured by the adult moths as a rich source of nectar. The migrant Humming-bird Hawk Moth is attracted to it too.

FOLKLORE & LEGEND

One version of a Medieval legend has it that the Virgin Mary lay on a bed of Lady’s Bedstraw in the stable of the inn in Bethlehem; a variation is that she used it to line the manger in which she laid the baby Jesus. Either way is likely that the common name for the plant was taken from this legend. It also led to the belief that a woman lying on matress filled with Lady’s Bedstraw would have a safe and easy childbirth.

160703-46-Bryn Euryn -Lady's Bedstraw

Lady’s Bedstraw growing on calcereous grassland-Bryn Euryn, North Wales

TRADITIONAL USES

150712-55-Bryn Euryn--lady's bedstrawLady’s Bedstraw was once one of the most useful of the meadow herbs; domestically it was used as a ‘strewing herb’, a natural form of air-freshening. The dried flower tops were used to stuff matresses, in part because the scent of the chemical coumarin produced by the plant acts as a deterrent to fleas.

In the north of England the yellow flowers were once used to curdle milk, giving rise to several associated names such as cheese rennet and cheese renning. The name of this genus, Galium, from the Greek word gala, milk, is supposed to have been given from this property of the plants. In Gloucestershire, it was used to colour Double Gloucester cheese. The leaves and stems yield a yellow dye and the roots a red dye, although as the plant parts are so small, large quantities are needed for that purpose; it was said that when cattle feed on it, it reddens their bones.

MEDICINAL USES

Lady’s Bedstraw contains the chemical coumarin, used in the drug dicouramol, which will prevent the blood clotting. In herbal medicine it was claimed the herb was a remedy for for urinary diseases, epilepsy and gout.

 

A flowery meadow on a limestone hillside

29 Friday May 2015

Posted by theresagreen in flowering in May, orchids, plants of calcareous grassland, purple-flowered plants, wildflowers of Wales, wildflowers on limestone, yellow-flowered plants

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bird's foot trefoil, Bryn Euryn, burnet rose, common rockrose, common vetch, cowslip, early purple orchid, flowering in June, flowering in May, hoary rockrose, hop trefoil, kidney vetch, salad burnet, wild thyme, yellow flowers

The meadow, known by older locals as the Adders’ Field is located on a limestone hillside in North Wales. It is not much of a field really, maybe more of a clearing in the woodland and I have yet to spot an Adder there, but despite the through-traffic of folks and dogs it is home to an array of lovely wildflowers.

At the entrance to the Adders' Field

At the entrance to the Adders’ Field (click on image to enlarge)

Although the area is relatively small, it has dry open grassland as you can see, a small rocky outcrop that is the other side of the rise, top right of the image, that dips down to a damper area sheltered by trees. On the left is a woodland edge with gorse and hawthorn shrubbery and at the top end a lovely mix of trees including oak, ash and silver birch. May is the perfect month in which to see many of the wildflowers at their best and now as June approaches those at their peak a couple of weeks ago are fading and beginning to set seed, but there are others waiting to take the limelight.

15th May-Cowslips and Early Purple Orchids

15th May-Cowslips and Early Purple Orchids

This year the Cowslips and Early Purple Orchids have produced prolific and beautiful displays.

A quietly stunning display of  Cowslips

A quietly stunning display of Cowslips on field edge

Cowslips with Salad Burnet

Cowslips with Salad Burnet

A deeply shaded Early Purple Orchid

A lighter shaded Early Purple Orchid

A lighter shaded Early Purple Orchid

The rocky outcrop I mentioned earlier is a miniature natural rockery. It is well sheltered and gets plenty of sun and is now supporting a surprising number of plant species, most of them with yellow flowers.

A natural rockery

A natural rockery

There are a couple of clumps of Hoary Rockrose, a nationally rare plant that thrives on this hillside.

Hoary Rockrose

Hoary Rockrose

Common rockrose, which is prolific across most of the upper areas of the hill;

Common Rockrose

Common Rockrose

there is Bird’s Food Trefoil cascading over the  rocks which shows off how pretty this plant is. It’ s more often at ground level where it’s harder to appreciate.

Bird's Foot Trefoil

Bird’s Foot Trefoil

There is a small patch too of Kidney Vetch; this is one of the few spots I am aware of it growing locally.

Kidney Vetch

Kidney Vetch

Then there is a little bit of the tiny- flowered Hop Trefoil

Hop Trefoil

Hop Trefoil

and for a tiny touch of contrast, a sprinkle of Wild Thyme.

Wild Thyme

Wild Thyme

This combination of plant species, except the Kidney Vetch, occurs on other parts of the upper hillside, but it is nice to see them here in this ‘mini-habitat’. The grassy area around the outcrop is also studded with golden yellow, here in the form of buttercups. 150513TGBE-Bryn Euryn woodland path 20-Buttercups In the original image you can just see the white flowers of a Burnet Rose peeking in to the frame. They are flowering now, although I fancy not as prolifically as last year and many of the flowers seem smaller.

A straggly branch of Burnet Roses

A straggly branch of Burnet Roses

I did though spot one spray of bigger roses that would have been perfect as an off-the-shrub bridal bouquet, if a bit prickly to hold.

Burnet Rose

Burnet Rose

Nearby, growing up through the grass, was a much more modest plant, a pretty pink/purple Common Vetch.

Common Vetch

Common Vetch

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