Adur Wild Flowers 2019

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

I seriously underestimated the Knapweed Broomrape on my last visit with 200+ spikes amongst the Greater Knapweed south of the Reservoir on MiIl Hill. The tiny yellow flowers were few and far between though. Swathes of Bird's Foot Trefoil grew in the New Erringham pastures to the east of Mill Hill. Small Scabious was seen in flower for the first time this year by the road.

Frequent Knapweed Broomrape was seen in greater numbers (40+) on the top of Mill Hill (south of the Reservoir) than ever been recorded before. All were seen south of the Reservoir amongst the Greater Knapweed with only occasional flowers The other well known parasitic plant. Yellow Rattle was abundant in roughly the same area. Other flowers seen for the first time this year included the diminutive Wild Thyme and Eyebright, the small Self-heal, upright Perforate St. John's Wort and Yellow Wort, budding Pyramidal Orchid and patches of Meadow Cranesbill swaying in the breeze. The creamy white flowers of Privet now exceeded the white of Elderflower. I spotted Bulbous Buttercups and a Dog Violet still in flower.
Restharrow was flowering on a grass verge.

My overgrown front garden in Shoreham hosted the flowers of Corn Cockle, White Campion, Pencilled/Bloody Cranesbill, Meadow Buttercup, Nipplewort, Brooklime, Herb Bonnet and Herb Robert, all blown about in the breeze and damaged by the rain.

On the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath near the Cement Works on a cloudy midday, I spotted the following amongst the swathes of Ox-eye Daisies: hidden Common Spotted Orchids, a single spike of Bee Orchid, and budding Pyramidal Orchids. Yellow Rattle and Crosswort were frequently in flower and there was a patch of Dotted Loosestrife. Elsewhere in the verges there were clumps of Bladder Campion, and my first of the year Hardheads (a knapweed) and first Greater Bird's Foot Trefoil.
Adur Orchids

Southwick Beach is submerged on a high spring tide and the sea pounds against the concrete of the Shoreham Harbour private road. Terrestrial flora is mostly settled in cracks in the tarmac and small patches of shingle landward of the harbour wall. On a breezy rainy afternoon, the dominant species was the newly flowering Silver Ragwort in excess in bulk of all other vegetation but with notable amounts of Yellow-horned Poppy, new growths of Tree Mallow, leaves of Rock Samphire and Sea Kale, straggly Sea Beet, the last flowers of Sea Campion, patches of past their best Kidney Vetch, clumps of Buck's-horn Plantain, swathes of Thrift on the shallow soil in front of the beach huts, and a few other common waste ground plants.

The sea pushes the pebbles up to a ridge at west Shoreham Beach, with a gradual reverse slope down to the road and houses. This reverse slope is stable (not battered by the waves) and supports a flora of large colourful shrubby plants: Sea Kale, Tree Mallow, Silver Ragwort, Yellow-horned Poppy, Red Valerian, Vipers Bugloss and Hoary Cress in flower, as well as Slender Thistle and Common Poppies.
Adur Ragworts

Summer arrived with the first orchids in flower on the eastern sunnier verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath between Erringham Gap and the disused Cement Works. Flowers seen in amongst the abundant Ox-eye Daisies for the first time this year included the natives and Yellow Rattle, the alien Dotted Loosestrife. I cursorily looked for Bee Orchids without success, but I did find a budding Pyramidal Orchid.

Shoreham Beach is in bloom with swathes of a Sea Kale and Red Valerian in flower on the shingle, with Silver Ragwort plentiful in leaf with the first flowers and others very noticeable in the shorescape were Tree Mallow, Oxford Ragwort, and Thrift, with lesser amounts of Slender Thistle, Cat's Ear, Vipers Bugloss and Yellow-horned Poppy.

21 May 2019
White fluffy Cumulus clouds allowed intermittent sunshine brought frequent butterflies out on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. Wild Mignonette was in flower. The first Dropwort appeared on its tall stalk above the short green vegetation.

I noted the meadow north of the upper car park was now covered in Brambles and the vegetation already up to chest height. I did not venture in as it was getting late in the afternoon. The middle slopes immediately south of the Copse had patches of Horseshoe Vetch and the first Bladder Campion was just about flowering. Crosswort was recorded for the first time (it is easily overlooked) on Mill Hill. Hawthorn was beginning to lose its blossom as Elderflower was beginning.

I noted the following wild flowers for the first time this year: Rough Hawkbit, Mouse-eared Hawkweed, Hairy Violet, Dog Rose and the first flowering on Mill Hill of the large shrubby Hounds-tongue. The smaller than usual amount of flowering Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was disappointing, with none around the Tor Grass, which appears to have spread. Dog Violets were still flowering.
Adur Violets

Elderflower was beginning to flower as Wayfaring Tree was losing its flowers on the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath just north of the Tollbridge, where an Holly Tree was seen with its small white flowers. Slender Thistle was flowering by the River Adur by Ropetackle North with the first single flower of Welted Thistle, but no flowers yet of Spear Thistle or Creeping Thistle.

10 May 2019
Blackthorn was in leaf at Cuckoo's Corner and Hawthorn was in flower. Cow Parsley was dominating the verges with Garlic Mustard elongated so it appears that it has lost its top leaves (but it is not so). The biennial plant grows taller and takes on a spiky appearance. Red Campion and White Campion produced the prettiest colour in the verges, but there were also very large-leaved Dandelions, and both the tall Meadow Buttercups and the ground hugging Creeping Buttercups. Welsh Poppy and Yellow Flag were seen in flower.
Adur Buttercups

The first flowering colonisers on the exposed Pill Box Way Bank were the predictable Oil Seed Rape, hundreds of White Campion, scores of Hoary Cress, a surprise (probably seeded?) group of the violet Field Pansy, Viola arvensis, at least one Pineapple Weed, and plenty of leaf flora not yet in bloom. It will be interesting to see what flowers emerge? At the side of the exposed towpath from the Tollbridge to Cuckoo's Corner, there were plenty of Stinging Nettles, plus flowering Cow Parsley and White Deadnettle the most noticeable flora. On the shady verges of the Coombes Road there was the common Garlic Mustard. Red Campion and Bluebells were frequent and noted especially underneath the raucous Rook nest canopy.

The Downs Link Cyclepath from Botolphs back to Shoreham (as the shadows grew longer) was not worthy of copious notes, except the expected Cowslips on the verges, newly flowering Hawthorn and Wayfaring Tree in the green hedge-like boundaries, areas of Three Cornered Garlic, clumps of Bugle, and just the large leaves of Coltsfoot. Adur Recreation Ground was densely covered in Common Daisies near the Railway Viaduct. Slender Thistle was seen for the first time this year on the western pavement side of the road bridge over the Flood Arches.

Blackthorn had lost its flowers and Hawthorn was budding at Cuckoo's Corner, but further up the Coombes Road by Ladywells Stream and the scout's hut (Streamside), Blackthorn was still flowering. Garlic Mustard was beginning to flower on the Coombes Road verges as well as the first of the Spanish Bluebells. Lesser Celandine was still prevalent on the verges, with the first of the Cow Parsley amongstthe taller vegetation.

8 April 2019
Blackthorn dominated the white blossom plentiful in the hedgerows and amongst the scrub on the downs. Cherry Plum had virtually finished and so had the early Blackthorn, but Hawthorn was yet to flower in the wild. Alexanders were abundant as usual near the River Adur. There were abundant White Deadnettle and smaller clumps of Red Deadnettle.

Cowslips were common on the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath between the Erringham Gap and the Cement Works. These verges also hosted Lesser Celandine, Dandelions, Coltsfoot, Ground Ivy, Field Speedwell and Three Cornered Garlic, Allium triquetrum. Cows Parsley was flowering in one plant on the banks of the Adur at Upper Beeding by Dacre Gardens. Green Alkanet was found by the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham, and at Cuckoo's Corner.
Garlic Mustard was just appearing on the Coombes Road verges near Cuckoo's Corner. The small Dove's Foot Cranesbill was scattered over a few grass verges.

A Common Bee-fly visited the first few Cowslips on the the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath south of the Cement Works. False Oxlip was also present in one clump.

Spurge, Euphorbia, has escaped from the gardens and has begun successfully colonising the beach near Ferry Road, Shoreham. It looks reasonably attractive but it could become dominant.

12 March 2019
Oxford Ragwort was clearly seen in flower by the railway tracks at Eastern Avenue level crossing, Shoreham-by-Sea, as I waited in the rain for three trains to pass.

At last, the first flowers appeared on the verges of the Downs Link Cyclepath between Old Shoreham (south) and Shoreham Cement Works with just a couple of clumps of False Oxlip and Spring Snowflake, Leucojum vernum (looking like a larger than life Snowdrop) nearer the southern end. This is possibly a Double-flowered Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno, Two yellow Coltsfoot were in their usual place on the first verge south of the Cement Works. Cherry Plum blossom appeared with their bright orange anthers on a solitary tree.