Adur Wild Flowers 2014

To see a World in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour

William Blake

26 December 2014
A Field Scabious, Knautia arvensis, was spotted in flower! (July to September is the usual range). The stem was only 50 mm long and just the one flower was spotted at Anchor Bottom.

Rain and the occasional gale and paucity of wild flowers have prevented any photographs.

Bloody Cranesbill is a native English plant but most incidents are now probably garden escapes. These specimens are still flowering in my wild front garden. These are the horticultural species/variety Pencilled Cranesbill, Geranium versicolor &/or Geranium x oxonianum, Cultivar: 'Claridge Druce'.

Flowers recorded included Small Scabious and Yellow Wort at Anchor Bottom before the first spots of rain, and Viper's Bugloss on the Down's Link Cyclepath.

No butterflies were present on Mill Hill in a substantial breeze (Force 5). The purpose of the trip was to try out my new camera on still subjects as the only critters vaguely noteworthy were two Common Darters, a bumblebee and a grasshopper over the lower slopes. In circumstances like this I make a mental note of the relatively few wild plants still in flower: Carline Thistle, Rough Hawkbit, Bristly Ox-tongue, a few diminutive Smooth Hawk's-beard, Crepis capillaris, one Lesser Centuary, a few Great Knapweed, a few Lesser Knapweed (=Hardheads), a few Wild Basil, one Ragwort, one Scarlet Pimpernel, one Creeping Thistle, one Sow Thistle, one Hogweed bush and that was all that were seen on the lower slopes and southern part of Mill Hill Nature Reserve. (The top part of Mill Hill would have added more, but it was too breezy for comfort.)
In Shoreham town, I noted a Common Daisy (one), Dandelions and Nipplewort in flower.

16 October 2014
I noted in passing Bristly Ox-tongue, Yarrow, Rough Hawkbit, Red Clover, Toadflax and Melilot. And Wild Parsnip still around and Bloody Cranesbill in my wild front garden. But this was just a casual cycle detour to the outskirts for some fresh air.

* The larva of the midge Kiefferia pericarpiicola causes a striking gall to form primarily in the flowerheads of the host plant which is usually Wild Carrot. The galls occur in clusters. Each gall starts off greenish-yellow and eventually turns bright purplish-red to brown; it is up to 5 mm in diameter and contains a single orange larva of the midge. The gall is seen more often than the adult midge.

As we have passed mid-summer, many more chalkhill herbs were beginning to flower on Mill Hill, notably Hawkbits, Yellow Wort, Greater Knapweed, Musk Thistle, Centaury, Small Scabious, Field Scabious, Marjoram, but only the first of Stemless Thistle, Wild Basil, Great Mullein and one budding Round-headed Rampion. Autumn Gentian appeared above the short turf but it was not yet flowering.

19 May 2014
Shoreham beach was in bloom. Of most notice were the large amounts of Red Valerian, flowering Sea Kale, swathes of Sea Thrift, clumps of Sea Campion, and the Tree Mallow as I cycled past.

A few Bulbous Buttercups were spotted in flower on the edge of the cyclepath immedately north of Ropetackle on the northern side of the Railway Viaduct. One buttercup flower was visited by about a dozen pollen beetles, Meligethes.

27 February 2014
The first five buds of Lesser Celandine were seen on the road verges at Kingston Buci.

1 January 2014
The first wild flower recorded in 2014 was Dandelion, although a few Buttercups were in flower in my front garden.


Hawkweed Ox-tongue Picris hieracioides	Cat's Ear ??
Near Shoreham Redoubt, Shoreham Beach	Near Shoreham Redoubt, Shoreham Beach


Carline Thistle	Poppies	Snowberry	Wild Basil


Hop Trefoil	Hop Trefoil	Yarrow	Wild Thyme


Brooklime	Herb Robert	Teasel	Blackberries


Small Scabious	Tall Melilot	Hawkweed Ox-tongue	Marjoram


Hawkweed Ox-tongue	Pistil of Pencilled Cranesbill	Rough Hawkbit


Viper's Bugloss	Viper's Bugloss	Lesser Hawkbit	Dandelion & Bumblebee


Rough Hawkbit	Smooth Hawk's-beard Crepis capillaris	Lesser Hawkbit, Leontodon saxatilis


Spider on Carline Thistle	Scarlet Pimpernel	Wild Basil	Wild Basil


Rough Hawkbit	Rough Hawkbit
Top of Chanctonbury Drive, north Shoreham	Downs Link Cyclepath at Old Shoreham


Hawkbits	Devil's Bit Scabious	Carline Thistle	Wild Basil Devil's Bit Scabious


Bittersweet	Teasel	Greater Knapweed	Wild Carrot


Red Bartsia	Carline Thistle	Hawthorn	Wild Carrot


Hogweed	Wild Carrot	Perforate St. John's Wort	Ragwort


Dwarf Thistle	Ploughman's Spikenard	Round-headed Rampion	Field Bindweed


Lesser Burdock	Common Mallow	Rose Hips


Sea Campion	Cat's Ear	Thrift


Bramble	Wayfaring


	Sea	Campion


Ploughman's Spikenard	Hardhead Violet leaves	Greater Knapweed


Carline Thistle	Autumn Gentian	Wild Basil	Yellow Wort


Fine-leaved Water Dropwort	Dwarf Thistle	Hardhead (=Lesser Knapweed)


Hare's Foot Clover	Hare's Foot Clover	Childing Pink	Childing Pink


Marbled White Stemless Thistle	Common Poppy	Lower Slopes of Mill Hill	Marbled White Greater Knapweed


Teasel	Great Mullein	Scentless Mayweed	Field Bindweed


Field Scabious	Dwarf Thistle	Vervain	Musk Thistle


Dotted Loosestrife	Spear Thistle	Marjoram Meadow Vetchling	Greater Knapweed


English Stonecrop	Common Mallow	Feverfew	Feverfew


Yellow-horned Poppy	Hare's Foot Clover	Childing Pink	Childing Pink


Musk Mallow	Lesser Burdock	Marjoram	Hardhead (=Lesser Knapweed)	Bellflower	Tufted Vetch


Silver Ragwort Red Valerian	Silver Ragwort	Lesser Burdock	Great Willowherb


Lady's Bedstraw Galium verum	Lady's Bedstraw Galium verum	Hedge Bedstraw Galium mollugo	Tall Melilot


Spotted Orchid	Restharrow	Greater Knapweed	Ox-eye Daisy


Ox-eye Daisies	Ox-eye Daisy	Restharrow	Purple Toadflax


Spotted Orchids	Pyramidal	Orchids	Greater Bird's Foot Trefoil & Kidney Vetch


Cleavers (or Goosegrass) Galium aparine	Ox-eye Daisies	Rosebay Willowherb	Viper's Bugloss Echium vulgare


Creeping Thistle	Viper's Bugloss	Dropwort	Hedge Woundwort


Greater Knapweed	Hedge Woundwort	Broad-leaved Willowherb	Perforate St John's Wort


Creeping Cinquefoil	Silverweed	White Clover	Red Clover