Week 8 Roundup : 13th May
I have to begin with Blackbirds. Since the start of ‘lockdown’ eight weeks ago, one of the compensatory pleasures of being home-bound has been the opportunity—with the relative lack of traffic noise—to listen to birdsong. And even now, while I’m clack-clack-clacking on the computer keyboard, I’m aware of a more or less continuous backdrop of Blackbird song. From 5 in the morning until 9 at night, one particular Blackbird in our street is endlessly broadcasting its presence from various TV aerials and chimney pots. His song is both wonderfully varied and endlessly repetitive: he has two immediately recognisable ‘stock phrases’, both of them quite different to those of his neighbours. He can start to sound like a cracked record—the same phrases recurring ad nauseam—but listening more closely we’ve noticed that no two phrases are ever quite the same. Each time he repeats, he adds a squeal or a chatter drawn from an evidently limitless supply of ‘terminal flourishes’. So while one phrase might sound strident, like a statement of intent, the next—same phrase, but ending this time with an upward lilt—seems more like a question. Or, same again, but dipping at the end and melancholic in tone, might be followed by another that’s cheerily optimistic—like the punch line of a joke, complete with terminal chuckle. He seems to be playing with his song, testing out what works and what doesn’t, and keeping us on tenterhooks to find out exactly which phrase, with which flourish, he’ll choose to pull out from his bottomless song-bag next. He’s become the talk of the street. And during our VE-Day street party on Friday he was perched on the TV aerial adding his own commentary to the evening’s celebrations.
Week 8, and the start of the eighth week of lockdown, was dry and predominantly sunny again, the first half warm (26°C on Saturday), the second half less so. There was a ground-frost on Monday morning, the temperature overnight dipping to just 2°C in Taunton. Sunday evening’s announcements on the gradual easing of the lockdown seemed to clarify and confuse in equal measure, but one thing we do know is that, from today, we’re free to take as much exercise as we like, and to drive as far as we like to take it – as long as that doesn’t involve driving into Wales, where the ‘stay at home’ instruction still applies. On the face of it, then, for some of us this may open up new possibilities for exercising/botanising further afield. I’m tempted, but I think for now I’ll be continuing to stick pretty close to home. Besides, I’m enjoying the lack of traffic…
Not many non-botanical highlights to report, although Helena seems to be chalking up a new ‘personal best’ of one sort or another each time she dons her Lycra. Her latest was a two-mile run, the first of which she completed in 9 minutes 13 seconds. (She doesn’t say how long the second mile took.) Usually she makes a few plant records while she’s out running—like we all do, I suppose—but now everything’s becoming a bit of a blur, apparently. We’ve also had three first-sightings of Common Blues, Georgina on the 7th, me on the 10th and Andrew on the 12th. And I had a Red Admiral this morning, presumably a newly-arrived migrant rather than surviving over-winterer.
Right! First flowerings. Another good week, but suddenly everything seems to be coming at once, and in no particular order. 123 records and 94 species. I’m beginning to lose track. Anyway, we saw 16 of the 20 species on our target list for Week 8, or 18 if you include records from the ‘eastern enclave’ otherwise known as Fred. Only Viper’s-bugloss, Echium vulgare, and Common Cow-wheat, Melampyrum pratense, seem to have evaded us altogether. The following summarises our Week 8 records: target species, as usual, with their names emboldened, other notables slotted in as and when, and the whole lot loosely arranged in alphabetical order by scientific name…
‘A’. There have been patches of winter-flowering Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, on some road verges this year (my first record of Yarrow in flower in Taunton was between Christmas and New Year), but this is unusual and the decadal (2008-17) average FFD for it is 15th May. So the spring flush of new flower-heads noted in Taunton on the 7th and Wellington on the 9th (Linda) is much in line with expectations. Ground-elder, Aegopodium podagraria, has yet to be spotted flowering in Somerset, the only record so far being from the eastern bloc, in St Michael’s churchyard in Aldershot. Two more records for Black-grass, Alopecurus myosuroides, during the week, Helena in Paulton, and Jeanne between Blue Anchor and Watchet, both on the 10th. Jeanne found it in a field of (flowering) Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum subsp. incarnatum – a stunning plant which used to be much grown as a fodder crop. (Interestingly, on the 9th Maureen Webb, a member of Somerset Botany Group, had Crimson Clover in another field, near Kilve.) Georgina had a ‘hairy’ day in Mendip on the 7th, with both Hairy Lady’s-mantle, Alchemilla filicaulis subsp. vestita, at Black Rock, Mendip, and Hairy Rock-cress, Arabis hirsuta, at Velvet Bottom. Andrew recorded (and photographed) a gorgeous ‘Star of Persia’, Allium cristophii, growing beside a rhyne on Middle Street on the 9th – possibly a first or second record for VC6 and Somerset, and one of a number of unusual aliens to be mentioned in dispatches this week.
‘B’. This was the week for Quaking Grass, Briza media, with first-flowering records from Winford on the 9th (Margaret), Thurlbear and Brent Knoll on the 10th (me and Andrew), and Ubley Warren and Runnington on the 12th (Georgina and Chris L.). The unlikeliest ‘B’ came from Margaret’s garden in Winford, with a report of self-seeded Interrupted Brome, Bromus interruptus, now flowering in one of her flower pots!
‘C’. Spiked Sedge, Carex spicata, actually made its first appearance in Week 7, Margaret seeing it in Winford on the 7th, and Ro at Lilstock on the 5th. Some species, though, really seem to be getting ahead of themselves, and I’ve had two this week, both bindweeds, both in Taunton: Hedge Bindweed, Calystegia sepium, on the 7th, and Field Bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis, on the 11th – the first in South Street, the second on Upper Holway Road. It’s been quite a week for thistles too: Spear Thistle, Cirsium vulgare, our ‘target’ thistle, was seen by Linda in Wellington on the 9th and by Val in Glastonbury on the 13th. Pat, also on the 9th, had a very early Creeping Thistle, C. arvense, at Nettlecombe, while Alastair saw flowering Marsh Thistle, C. palustre, at Crowcombe on the 8th. And Georgina recorded Musk Thistle, Carduus nutans, in Cheddar Gorge on the 7th. As if to emphasise how much later some parts of the county can be than others, Chris B. had her first-flowering Pignut, Conopodium majus, at East Harptree on the 10th, almost three weeks after its earliest sighting near Wellington. Finally, Alastair saw Hound’s-tongue, Cynoglossum officinale, starting to flower at Dunster beach on the 10th.
‘D’. Common Spotted-orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, has been popping up all over the place – at Ivythorn Hill on the 8th (Fiona), Langford Heathfield on the 9th (Ian Loudon), Thurlbear on the 10th, and Middle Street, Brent Knoll, on the 12th (Andrew). Ian had flowering Heath Spotted-orchid, D. maculata, also on the 9th, and also at Langford Heathfield.
‘E’. I had Square-stalked Willowherb, Epilobium tetragonum, in Taunton on the 7th, while Fred reports it in flower in Bordon on the 9th. I know, I’d never heard of Bordon either. It’s between Alton and Haslemere. Chris B. had an Eyebright, Euphrasia agg., in East Harptree on the 10th, while Andrew reminds me that he saw early-flowering Euphrasia tetraquetra at Uphill on 23rd April.
‘G’. Huge excitement beside the river Tone on the 12th, with drifts of Meadow Crane’s-bill, Geranium pratense, just starting to flower—only 43 days earlier than Watson’s FFD for it! Also Flote-grass, Glyceria fluitans, in Taunton on the 9th, and Middle Street, Brent Knoll, on the 12th. And Margaret had Plicate Sweet-grass, G. notata, at Dundry Hill on the 9th.
‘H’. Barely worth mentioning but, following last week’s flurry of records, I can report that Common Rock-rose, Helianthemum nummularium, was just starting to flower at Thurlbear on the 10th.
‘I’. I’m not sure what to make of the yellow-flowered variety of Stinking Iris, Iris foetidissima var. citrina. Margaret had a flower of it at Sand Point in March, and I’ve now found another patch – the first time I’ve seen it in the Taunton area – flowering nicely in a roadside hedge in Killams. I’m guessing it’s either deliberately planted there or else a garden escape/throw-out. Does this variety tend to flower especially early, I wonder? And is it generally regarded as a native variety, or as a plant in cultivation that sometimes leaps the garden wall? Can anyone shed any light please?
‘J’. ‘J’ is for Senecio… Two more records this week for Common Ragwort, Jacobea vulgaris aka Senecio jacobea – Linda in Wellington on the 9th, and Andrew in Highbridge on the 12th.
‘L’. Our first Meadow Vetchling, Lathyrus pratensis, was seen by Linda in Wellington on the 9th, while there were two further records for Rough Hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus, in Brent Knoll churchyard on the 6th (Andrew) and in Taunton on the 11th (me); also I’ve had our first Lesser Hawkbit, L. saxatilis, flowering on the road verge where I’d seen Sea Pearlwort, Sagina maritima, and Sea Hard-grass, Catapodium marinum a few weeks earlier. We’ve also had Privet, Ligustrum vulgare, spotted by Val in the Glastonbury area earlier today.And finally, there was a precocious Honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum, flowering in a hedgerow at Killams, Taunton, on the 9th.
‘M.’ Common Mallow, Malva sylvestris, is now flowering quite widely, with records this week from Minehead (Alastair) and Middle Street (Andrew). Our only flowering Wall Lettuce, Mycelis muralis, was annoyingly from the eastern enclave, so remains on the list as one of our targets for Week 9.
‘O’. Once again, Brent Knoll leads the charge, with the county’s first (and so far only) record of flowering Corky-fruited Water-dropwort, Oenanthe pimpinelloides – on the 10th, in Brent Knoll village, where Andrew says, “I was amazed to see these plants, which went from basal rosettes to 18 inch stems and first flowers in less than a week!” A couple of alien ‘O’s too this week: Linda had flowering Star-of-Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum, on the 9th in Wellington, while I had Upright Yellow-sorrel, Oxalis stricta, on the 12th, growing as a pavement weed on East Reach.
‘P’. A motley collection of ‘P’s this week, only one of which was on the target list – Creeping Cinquefoil, Potentilla reptans, seen by Andrew on the 9th at Middle Street, and by me in Taunton on the 12th. Another Common Poppy, Papaver rhoeas, this time at Dunster beach on the 10th (Alastair), while Pat had an extraordinarily early Corn-parsley, Petroselinum segetum, at Nettlecombe on the 6th. Andrew’s Hoary Plantain, Plantago media, on the 10th at Brent Knoll, was also very early – its 2008-17 decadal average FFD for the Taunton area is 31st May.Lastly, I had Common Knotgrass, Polygonum aviculare, on the 8th on Cotlake Hill, Trull. Another early date: Watson would have been amazed, his own FFD for P. aviculare from the 1920s/30s was 16th June!
‘R’. Lots of Yellow Rattle, Rhinanthus minor, seen this week, including Chris B. at East Harptree on the 4th, Margaret at Winford on the 9th, me at Thurlbear on the 10th, and Sue Carpenter (a new contributor) in St James’s churchyard, Taunton, on the 12th. Other than that, our first Weld, Reseda luteola, was flowering well on waste ground on Canal Road, Taunton, also on the 12th, along with my own first Bramble, Rubus fruticosus agg., which, as expected, was ‘Himalayan Giant’, R. armeniacus. And today, Alastair has seen Marsh Yellow-cress, Rorippa palustris, flowering at Wimbleball Reservoir.
‘S’. Like Chris B’s Pignut, so also Ellen’s just-flowering Elder, Sambucus nigra, on the 8th, which again illustrates the difference in FFDs between the ‘balmy south’ and the ‘frozen north’. A ridiculously late ‘first date’, really, given that our earliest FFD for it this spring was on Easter Sunday, 12th April—but even Ellen’s date would have seemed early to Watson, his FFD (from the Taunton area, don’t forget) was 20th May! See also ‘U’, below.
More ‘S’s… First, Schedonorus pratensis, Meadow Fescue – and how did its old name sneak onto last week’s list? – which several of us have seen, including Pat at Nettlecombe on the 6th, and me in Trull on the 11th. And Fred’s had it in the Far East too. Ragged Robin, Silene flos-cuculi, was flowering in Longrun on the 7th, while Chris L. had Bladder Campion, S. vulgaris, at Thorne St Margaret on the 8th. Several more records of Bittersweet, Solanum dulcamara, this week too, including Taunton, Minehead and Aldershot. And early records for Branched Bur-reed, Sparganium erectum, in Taunton on the 9th, and Lesser Stitchwort, Stellaria graminea, at Nettlecombe, also on the 9th (Pat). We’ve had two records for Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica, at Sandford on the 7th (Andrew) and in Taunton on the 11th.
‘T’. Andrew spotted first-flowering Knotted Hedge-parsley, Torilis nodosa, at Oldmixon on the 8th, and we have had another good record for Salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius, this time Linda in Wellington on the 9th. Our target ‘T’ was Hop Trefoil, Trifolium campestre, which Alastair spotted in flower on the 7th on North Hill, Minehead.
‘U’. Ellen would, I’m sure, want everyone to know that on the 8th, on Greendown, she saw Common Nettle, Urtica dioica. In an email entitled ‘Catching up with Taunton’, she says: “[I’ve had] my first flowering Urtica—and I had to go out of my way to find it out of thousands searched…” Here in Taunton, meanwhile, I’m struggling to find any that’s not flowering! Interestingly, very few of you have reported this species, so I’m starting to wonder, could Taunton be out of kilter with the rest of the county? If it’s any consolation, Watson’s FFD for it was 22nd May—so you’re in good company, Ellen!
‘V’. Heath Speedwell, Veronica officinalis, seems to be flowering quite widely now, with records this week from Black Rock, Mendip (Georgina), Langford Heathfield (Chris L.) and Wimbleball (Alastair). Plus a record from Bramshill (Fred). And, for what it’s worth, I’ve finally seen Brooklime, Veronica beccabunga, at Thurlbear on the 10th.
Winding up for another week, here are a few lines from a poem, about spring, printed in last week’s Guardian Weekly:
“… the lights of the flowers / coming in waves / as I walked with the budburst / and the flushing of trees …”
Exactly.