A closer look at the yellow Dandelion family plants:


Attempting to identify these flowers to species.

15 July 2008
Mill Hill Copse
 

 

15 April 2007
 
The leaves and bracts on this flower from Mill Hill look Dandelion-like. These leaves are mostly hidden under other herbs. 

13 April 2007
 

A type of DandelionCat's Ear
I think this may be the Smooth Hawks-beard, Crepis capillaris.

NB:  Look at the bracts. Look also at the leaves. 

This flower rose on a single stem from a rosette that was completely hidden by other herbs. 

Dandelions (or a related plant) were already common on the Shoreham Bank.

Ref:   Dudman, A.A. & Richards, A.J. 1997. Dandelions of Great Britain and Ireland. Botanical Society of the British Isles Handbook no. 9. London: Botanical Society of the British Isles.

Dandelions (Wikipedia)
Moth larvae that feed on Dandelions

Dandelions of Worcestershire
Dandelion Names

The British dandelions are split into nine sections.

obliqua
officinale
proximum
limnanthes
pastorale
euryphyllum
nordstedtii
hamatum
Ruderalia

Hawkweeds (Wikipedia)
Hawkbeards (Wikipedia)
 
 
cf. Dandelion 
Common Dandelion (with lion's tooth leaves)

28 March 2007
 
This hawkweed (or is this a Rough Hawkbit?) was single flowering on the edge of the path in the Hawthorn copse bit a few metres to the north of where the lower slopes turn into dense scrubland. Several shoots grew out from the rosette of smooth (not hairy or serrated) leaves. These are always difficult to identify.


17 December 2006
 
I have identified this solitary flower as that of the Mouse-eared Hawkweed *.The leaves were not be seen. Apart from the dead heads of Carline Thistle, this was the only flower seen on the lower slopes. There were small amounts of Nostoc Commune.

(* ID not confirmed: the other possibility is the Autumnal Hawkbit, Leontodon autumnalis.)

17 September 2006
As the wild flowers were generally dying out everywhere, I decided to make a note of where the diminished numbers of butterflies were seen and what nectar plants if any they were using.
 

The lower slopes of Mill Hill are one of the only places worth visiting for butterflies in the middle to late September. The numbers were less than earlier in the month. 25 Meadow Browns were counted scattered evenly over the slopes, visiting the common Autumn Hawkbit, Leontodon autumnalis, one making a a visit to the occasional Wild Basil.

21 August 2006
 
Cat's Ear

A Cat's Ear was noticed in flower on the Coastal Link Cyclepath
 

15-18 June 2006

Picture on the far right on 30 July 2006
 

A new plant in flower on the shingle of Kingston Buci Beach was the unattractive
Bristly Ox-Tongue, Picris echioides.
Right: Bristly Lettuce

  The two plants illustrated above are frequent on wasteland throughout Shoreham.

20 June 2006

Mouse-eared Hawkweed on the northern bank

Mouse-eared Hawkweed on the northern bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting

6 June 2006

Cat's Ear
.
Dandelion at Widewater
 
 
9 April 2006
There were no butterflies to be seen at all on a quick passage walk of 15 minutes on the Shoreham Bank . The only thing of note was one of small Lasioglossum bees on a solitary Dandelion. This Dandelion looks a bit unusual with the compressed centre, but I think this occurs when the Dandelion is not in full sunlight, or in the early stages of its growth. 

3 April 2005
 

This Andrena bee photographed above on a Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, at the top of The Drive, Shoreham looks familiar, but it does not seem to have been photographed before.



Overcast Day  14 July 2004
Malthouse Meadows
 
Bristly Ox-Tongue and Black Medick

Bristly Ox-Tongue and Black Medick

July 2003

July 2003

Shoreham Bank, Mill Hill

Spring
 

Location:  northern end of the lower slopes of Mill Hill.

On the middle slopes there are hundreds of leaves of the Mouse-eared Hawkweed, which also plentiful on the Slonk Hill embankment, but are present only occasionally on the lower slopes

 

02: Mouse-ear Hawkweed Hawkweed? showing the rosette of leaves
Click to see the hairs which are not so 
noticeable as usual, much more noticeable 
on the upper slopes