Tag Archives: foxglove

Beautiful blooms and some rare treats (1)

26 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by in Beetles, Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, Butterflies of Wales, calcareous grassland, grasses, Insects, Nature, Nature of Wales, nature photography, North Wales, Wildflowers of Wales

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160604-BE6-View across field

160604-BE15-Foxgloves

Foxglove-Digitalis

The first week of June was full of the promise of a glorious summer to come. A  run of warm sunny days had brought forth perfect and prolific blooms and began to coax out the butterflies.

June 4th

Along the woodland trail that circuits the lower slopes of the Bryn Euryn Nature Reserve, the early summer wildflowers are peaking. Foxgloves are at their perfect best, with stems full of open blooms graduating upwards to buds. There are not many plants on this site, but they seem to be gradually increasing in number year on year.

Honeysuckle is blooming prolifically, the best I have ever seen it and it smells heavenly.

160604-BE19-Honeysuckle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wild strawberry patch is also full of flowers, promising a bumper crop to come,although it is in danger of becoming overwhelmed by encroaching ivy and other vegetation.

160604-BE23-Wild strawberry flowers

Wild Strawberry

 

Birds were heard but not seen, concealed by the dense foliage of the tree canopy; Chiffchaff, Wren, and Blackbirds were all still singing between nesting duties.

 

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A Blackbird male paused from singing to hunt  on the woodland track

False Brome-Brachypodium sylvaticum

False Brome-Brachypodium sylvaticum

 

Some of the clumps of grass that grow along the woodland tracks are flowering now. This is False Brome-Brachypodium sylvaticum, a perennial grass common in woodlands where it prefers the shade of the canopy.

 

 

 

 

Oak leaves are already being eaten

Oak leaves are already being eaten

One of the more severe winter storms brought down three Scots Pines. Two have been sawn up and cleared away but the largest has been left where it fell and poignantly continues to live, now producing new cones.

New cones on fallen Scots Pine

New cones on fallen Scots Pine

New leaves on Yew tree

New leaves on Yew tree

Beautiful fresh Speckled Wood butterflies were out in number and busy patrolling territories or sitting on leaves, wings closed in wait for intruders or potential mates.

160604-BE22-Speckled wood on ash

Speckled Wood on Ash leaf

Up the steps and into the small open meadow the first impression was of lush greenery. The grass is growing long and closer inspection reveals it is studded with purple and white clovers, yellow Common Rock-rose and buttercups and the curiously flowered salad burnet.

160604-BE24-Adder's field

160604-BE30-Grasses

A variety of meadow grasses with Common rockrose and Salad burnet

Along the edge of the tree-line another burnet, the beautiful Burnet Rose (visible centre left of the photograph above) is also in full flower. It too smells divine and was absolutely buzzing with a variety of bumblebee species revelling in the pollen and nectar bounty on offer.

160604-BE27-Burnet rose patch

Burnet rose with Tree bumblebee

Burnet rose with Tree bumblebee

In previous years I have noted that the Burnet roses have played host to a bright orange fungus, this is Rust fungus Phragmidium rosa-pimpinellifoliae. It doesn’t appear to harm the plants, but this year the fungus is almost as prolific as the blooms themselves.

160604-BE26a-Burnet rose with fungus

Burnet roses with Rust fungus

On the small rocky outcrop at the top end of the field there are pretty clumps of Common Rock-rose-Helianthemum nummularium.

160604-BE37-Hoary rockrose

160604-BE31-Shiny emerald beetle

Cryptocephalus aureolus

A glint of emerald green drew my attention to a tiny shiny beetle in the centre of a Rock-rose flower. This little Jewel beetle doesn’t appear to have a Common name, so is known by its Scientific name of Cryptocephalus aureolus. The generic name of the beetle and its relatives refers to the insects’ heads being hidden under the pronotum. This is a new species recording for me here on the Bryn, which is not to say they haven’t always been here, just that I hadn’t seen one till now

I saw some little butterflies from here, a couple of Common Blues and Small Heaths, but all flying low in the long grass and in no mood to settle to pose for portraits.

Onwards and upwards along the Summit Trail, taking the track that comes out at the bottom of the steep ‘downland’ slope. This is often a good place to find Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies, but not today, although there were a good number of Small Heaths to be seen, again not settling for me.

160604-BE38a-Summit Trail woodland

Summit Trail

I progressed fairly slowly up the steep slope and near the summit was  attracted to a sheltered corner backed by trees, bordered by raspberry brambles and where the ground was covered by Common Rock-rose and Bird’s-foot Trefoil flowers. I was drawn there by the sight of a small brown butterfly, which I hoped may be a Brown Argus, but which turned out to be a female Common Blue.

160604-BE42c-Dingy skipper on bramble

Then I noticed a slightly larger brown flutterer that I thought at first was a moth. A closer view changed my mind, this was a butterfly and although it was rather faded and a bit tattered round the wing-edges, was the right size and shape for a Skipper. Old records for the site indicate the presence of the Dingy Skipper-Erynnis tages, whose common name may not inspire much excitement, but this is a fairly uncommon butterfly in the UK, with recorded sightings at sites in North Wales not exceeding low single figures. I hope now my ID is right – if anyone knows better, please let me know!

Dingy Skipper

Dingy Skipper from a distance

I’m sure I’m not alone here, but I get nervous when I’m confronted by a new-to-me species of anything; especially when I’m aware this may be my one and only chance to record a sighting. So, I find I hold my breath, begin to panic slightly that I won’t get a photograph that will help me confirm its identity back at home and pray no-one will pass close by and disturb my target. My ‘technique’ thereafter is quite basic – to start from a distance and gradually move in closer, capturing as many images as I can before my subject takes off!

160604-BE44-Dingy skipper

Dingy Skipper-Erynnis tages

This particular butterfly was not making things easy and was restlessly flitting about amongst the flowers, staying low to the ground and frequently hidden amongst the plants. I felt quite dizzy staying focussed and following it around, probably down to lack of oxygen intake from the not-breathing. As ever, I would have liked more opportunities for photographs, but did manage to get a couple of fairly clear images that at least have given me my sighting record.

160604-BE45b-Dingy skipper underside

Dingy Skipper underside

After a few moments the butterfly took off away down the hill and I lost track of it. The camera battery also chose that moment to expire and as this had been a spur of the moment, travel light walk, I had no spare with me!

I have written detailed posts about many of the subjects mentioned in this one, so rather than repeat myself, I have added links to click onto if you would like to see more about any of them. For more about the Dingy Skipper, go to http://butterfly-conservation.org/679-1101/dingy-skipper.html

 

 

Conwy Mountain

19 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in Nature, nature photography, Snowdonia National Park, wildflowers

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Conwy Mountain is beautiful now, it’s rocky cliffs and crags are coloured and softened with masses of pink/purple heather and the lower slopes are clothed with a mantle of ferny green bracken.

Heather softens the rocky limestone cliffs of the mountain

Heather is mixed with gorse which is just beginning to open its flowers

Bell Heather- Erica cinerea

Erica cinerea – Bell heather, is a species of heather that is native to western and central Europe. It is a low shrub growing to 15–60 centimetres (5.9–24 in) tall, with fine needle-like leaves 4–8 millimetres (0.16–0.31 in) long arranged in whorls of three.

The plant’s common name is taken from its pink/purple bell-shaped flowers that are 4–7 millimetres (0.16–0.28 in) long, and produced during mid to late summer.

This species occurs mainly on dry heaths where the soil is acidic or peaty; it tends not to be found in wetter places, where it is likely to be replaced by the similar-looking Cross-leaved Heath, Erica tetralix. Its growth is not as large or dense as that of common heather or ling.

PRACTICAL USES

Bell heather has been used extensively over centuries in a wide variety of ways, including use as bedding material for both livestock and people. Bundles of the dried stems have been used to make brooms and to thatch roofs; it has been burnt as fuel, wound into ropes and used to repair holes in tracks and roads.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES

Heather has a long history of  use in traditional or folk medicine. In particular it is a good urinary antiseptic and diuretic, disinfecting the urinary tract and mildly increasing urine production.

Part used : flowers
Uses : Particularly used for urinary infections.
Antiseptic, Cholagogue, Depurative, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Expectorant, Sedative, Vasoconstrictor

Heather and gorse shrubbery accented by spikes of foxgloves

Foxgloves that have flowered prolifically this year are still bearing flowers at the tips of their elongated stems.

Foxgloves open their flowers starting with those at the lower end of the stem, which continues to lengthen.

The heather-covered rocky slopes give way to bracken at their base. Grasses and other plants surround the pool creating a rich tapestry of lush vegetation

The large mountain pool is currently full to overflowing and the ground for some distance around it is soft and boggy, with large pools of surface water covering the walking tracks. On what would have been the edge of the pool a few weeks ago, I was excited to spot some spikes of Bog Asphodel. I wanted to get a photograph of  them of course, but they were now surrounded by water and very boggy mud. I managed to get fairly close to them, but as there was no way I was going to kneel to put myself on a level with them, the resulting picture is not as clear as I would have liked, but you get the general impression.

Bog Asphodel –

Bog Asphodel – Narthecium ossifragum

A fascinating and unusual plant that grows in short wet grassland on acid soils, Bog Asphodel has bright yellow flowers with six narrow widely-spaced petals and six long stamens that are surrounded by yellow hairs, like a miniature bottle-brush, with a prominent orange anther on top.

There were just a few flowers to be found here, but in other places where the appropriate habitat occurs, during July and August carpets of the deep orange yellow flowers may be seen, to be replaced later in September by a carpet of orange and russet-brown as the flowers fruit.

Despite the plant’s English name, it is not particularly closely related to the true asphodels. The Latin name means “weak bone”, and refers to a traditional belief that eating the plant caused sheep to develop brittle bones.

In Northern climes it was once used a yellow hair dye and as a cheap substitute for saffron.

Bog Asphodel may be poisonous to both sheep and cattle, although not all stands of the plant are toxic, and the toxicity may be the side effect of the plant’s response to a fungal infection. However, affected plants , if ingested, cause serious kidney problems and a photosensitive disorder which is variously called ‘alveld’ (elf-fire), in Norway; ‘saut’ in Cumbria; and ‘plochteach’, ‘yellowses’ and ‘head greet’ in Scotland that are brought about by tri-saccaride saponins, ‘narcethin’ being the major one. 

Waxcaps

A real surprise was to find this little collection of mushrooms, which I’m fairly sure from mushroom forages in Spain, are Chanterelle’s, but not sure enough to risk picking them!

Spear Thistle – Cirsium vulgare

And finally, thistles.

Cotton Thistle – Onopordum acanthium

The Foxglove – of Fairytales, Myths & Medicine

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in coastal walks, flower folklore, flower mythology, Nature, nature photography, The Wales Coast Path, wildflowers, Wildlife of the Wales Coast Path

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June is the month when elegant Foxgloves are at their best in many parts of Wales. I took most of the photographs in this post in Pembrokeshire where they adorn woodlands, roadsides and cliffs of the mainland and some of the offshore islands. Beautiful to behold, poisonous in the wrong hands yet life-saving when used for good, they have a long-held and fascinating place in our natural history.

Foxglove-Digitalis purpuraea

 

Foxglove–Digitalis purpurea – Welsh – Ffion or Maneg Ellyllyn — The Good People’s Glove

The graceful Foxglove is a downy biennial herb that thrives in acidic soils in a wide range of habitats. In their first year large downy basal leaves are produced, followed in their second year by impressive flower spikes from 3-6 feet (1-2m) tall. The plants die once they have seeded, but if the flowers are picked before they go to seed, the basal leaves will last another year and they will attempt to seed again.

 

Flowers open first at the base of the stem and graduates upwards

A stand of Foxgloves in a Pembrokeshire woodland

Three basic colours self-seed – pink, purple & white. They can come true to the parent plant where colour forms are isolated, but they cross-pollinate freely & many stands of foxgloves include all three shades.

In a Pembrokeshire woodland

 

In Wales the Foxglove  is a characteristic plant of early summer, thriving on acidic soil in the shady conditions of open woods, woodland clearings and hedge banks. But it also tolerates the open and exposed habitats of moorland and heath margins, sea-cliffs and rocky mountain slopes.

It may also  appear where  ground has been disturbed, such as in newly cleared woodland, or where the old vegetation has been burnt.

 

Pembrokeshire Coastal Path

ORIGIN OF THE NAME

There have been many suggestions for the derivation of the name “foxglove”. It is an ancient name and exists in a list of plants as old as the time of Edward III (King of England from 1327-1377). The prefix ‘fox‘ has most likely been commuted over time from “folks”, who to our fourteenth century ancestors were the fairies, but so-called as to speak of them  explicitly was believed to get their attention & cause them to do mischief.  ‘Glove‘ may have come from the Anglo-Saxon gliew, which was the name for a musical instrument consisting of many small bells. So, put the two together and you could make it ‘Fairy Bells’. However it came about, Foxglove is the English  common name we all know and love it by.

There appear to be two Welsh names for the Foxglove, one is Ffion, from which the popular Welsh female name is taken and the other Maneg Ellyllyn which translate as  “The Good People’s Glove.” Similar then to Folk’s Glove and its association with fairies.

In Gaelic they were Lus Mor, the Great Herb, for being the most magical of all herbs.

Plants that are widespread & medicinally potent invariably acquire a large number of folk-names, & the foxglove’s many names are a case study in our ancestor’s imaginations.

A whole host of alternative common names reflect the association with fairies Fairy Caps, Fairy Gloves, Fairy Thimbles, Fairy Herb, Fairybells, Fairy-fingers, Goblin Gloves, Fairy Petticoats, Fairyweed.

Another name, Dead Man’s Bells served to warn of the plant’s poisonous disposition.

The names Flopdock, Floppydock, Flop-a-Dock, Flapdock, Popdock, Flop-poppy, Flop-top, Cowflop, Gooseflops, Rabbit’s Flowers or Bunny Rabbits all allude to the foxglove’s large soft downy leaves.

Mythology and legends

One story has it that fairies would hide themselves inside the flowers. Mischievous children, wanting to hear fairy thunder, would hold one of the flower bell then strike the other end on their hand. The poor fairy, rightly upset and probably rather cross, would make a snapping sound, a clap of fairy thunder, while she escaped from her retreat.

Another Welsh legend explains why foxgloves bend and sway so gracefully. It has nothing to do with the wind, but that as the flower is sacred to the fairies, it has the power of recognising them, and indeed all spiritual beings who pass by, and that it bows in deference to them as they waft along.

Foxgloves supposedly bowed to Fairies

IN ENGLISH LITERATURE

At least two great poets, Wordsworth and Tennyson were moved to immortalise the foxglove in words; the former clearly aware of  the deadly qualities of the plant. In The Borderers, a tragedy, a woman describes a dream she had:

“My poor Babe
Was crying, as I thought, crying for bread
When I had none to give him; whereupon,
I put a slip of foxglove in his hand,
Which pleased him so, that he was hushed at once:
When, into one of those same spotted bells
A bee came darting, which the Child with joy
Imprisoned there, & held it to his ear,
And suddenly grew black, as he would die.”

Sounds more like a nightmare to me!

Tennyson names the flower in the poem ‘In Memoriam’ –

” …. Bring orchis, bring the foxglove spire…”

and also in ‘The Two Voices’ –

”  ….The foxglove cluster dappled bells …”

MODERN MEDICINAL USES

Foxglove-digitalis purpurea. A plant that is beautiful on the outside but toxic at its heart. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Foxglove is the source of  digitalis, derived from several cardiac glycosides produced by the plant, and widely used as a heart medication. It is used to increase cardiac contractility and as an antiarrhythmic agent to control the heart rate, particularly in individuals affected by irregular (and often fast) atrial fibrillation and especially if they have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Which basically translates to it regulates the heartbeat.

The use of Digitalis purpurea extract containing cardiac glycosides for the treatment of heart conditions was first described in English language medical literature by William Withering, in 1785, which is considered the beginning of modern therapeutics.

With careful usage and expert pharmaceutical  guidance, doctors have subsequently used digitalis and saved thousands of lives, but it is at the same time a dangerously toxic plant. Used wrongly it can cause heart palpitations, delirium, hallucinations, vomiting, & possibly death.

TRADITIONAL, FOLK & HERBAL MEDICINE

Modern-day herbalists have largely abandoned the use of digitalis because of its narrow therapeutic index and the difficulty of determining the amount of active drug in herbal preparations. Once the usefulness of digitalis in regulating the human pulse was understood, it was employed for a variety of purposes, including the treatment of epilepsy and other seizure disorders, which are now considered to be inappropriate treatments.

The Doctrine of Signatures

The openings of the bells were thought to resemble an open animal’s mouth

Foxglove flowers were supposed to look like an animal’s open mouth. Within the doctrine of signatures this meant it must have some medicinal value in treatment of injuries of the mouth & throat. The speckles in the mouth of the flower were, according to the Doctrine symbolic of inflammation of the throat. Another array of folk-names reflect foxglove’s association with the mouth: Throatwort, Rabbit’s Mouth, Bunny Mouths, Tiger’s Mouth, Duck’s Mouth, Gap-Mouth, & Dragon’s Mouth.

Another, less charming name of Scabbit Dock came about as in Culpepper’s day Foxglove was used in an ointment or shampoo for treating impetigo or “scabby head”.

Midwifery

An association with midwifery probably gave rise to the names Granny’s Gloves or Granny’s Bonnets, & Witch’s or Witches’ Gloves. Witches & grannies, or at least midwives & other herbal practitioners, had many uses for this plant. Dr William Withering, the aforementioned man credited with discovering digitalis as a heart remedy circa 1775, apparently learned of its potency from an unnamed midwife.

September – The dried seedhead of a Foxglove still stands-Conwy Mountain

 

A Trip to Pembrokeshire:Part 3: Woodland walk

17 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in ferns, Nature, nature photography

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Our plan had been to head off to Skomer Island on Friday, but clearly we were thwarted in that by the extreme weather conditions and then constrained further by the fallen tree. We returned to the house after our ‘reccie’ of the tree situation, hung our waterproofs up to drip dry and headed indoors to warm up in front of the Aga.

Leaves ripped off the trees littered the ground and guessing that caterpillars and other tree-dwelling fauna may have come down with them, we thought some of the smaller birds may have been struggling to find food. On previous visits here we have always baited the bird table, usually with seeds and nuts, mainly to bring down the Nuthatches, who’s presence is surprisingly easy to buy. All we had to offer today was left-over bread (it was the more wholesome stuff), so we put it out anyway to see what was still around despite the rain. Within minutes a Nuthatch appeared, picked out what it fancied and took it back to a nearby tree. They don’t share well, so Blue Tits had to wait to dive in the cover of shrubbery till it was gone. A lone Chaffinch, I think it was a young one, pecked around beneath the table, as did a Robin. The Nuthatch made repeated visits, then the big boys arrived, crows and a gorgeous jay that grabbed great beakfuls and carried them off. A squirrel was not far behind them.

Grey Squirrel sitting cheekily beneath the bird table

A young blackbird in odd-looking transitional plumage hunting worms on the lawn in the rain

The song thrush was out hunting in some very heavy rain

The Pilgrim’s Way

By mid-afternoon the wind and rain had subsided enough for us to venture outside for a proper walk. We thought that if we stuck pretty much to the woodland that we would be protected from the worst of the rain and sheltered from the wind.

A pathway runs close behind the property, partially cutting through its private woodland but part of a publicly-accessible circular walk beginning and if you like, ending at Nevern Church. The church, dedicated to St. Brynach is at the end of an historic Pilgrim’s Way from St.David’s cathedral, dedicated to Wales’ patron saint and regarded as the holiest place in the country. (More detailed Nevern history to follow in a later post.)

The route of this walk has become familiar over the last few years, but each time I have visited there has been something different to see. This year I have resolved to take more notice of ferns and make a proper effort to identify the ones I see and learn more about them. The damp woodlands of Wales is a great place to find them without having to try very hard at all and I spotted one I was looking out for within a very short time, a Hard fern.

A lovely specimen of Hard fern-blechnum spicant growing from the rocky bank

Most ferns produce their spores on the mature fronds, but the woodland hard fern is one of a few species that does it differently. This plant has developed special fronds, the sole purpose of which is to bear spores, so they resemble a flowering plant in form with a rosette of leaves and some spore-producing structures in the middle.

The most abundant species here is the Lady Fern – Athyrium filix-femina, which forms large graceful clumps with the fronds arising from a central point rather than along a rhizome. The fronds are a light yellow-green and very dissected.

The frond of a lady fern

Ferns lining the steep banks of the woodland path which is cut into the rock and roughly follows the course of the river.

The river runs along the bottom of a valley that is bounded on ‘our’ side by the steep rocky hillside that is thickly wooded with a variety of tree species including beech, ash, sessile oak and sycamore. On the opposite side is a narrow belt of trees with grassy farmland beyond. This combination of  old mature woodland, the river and adjacent farmland has created the perfect habitat for a wonderful variety of flora and fauna.   In April and May, before the tree canopy closes over there are masses of colourful wood anemones, primroses, bluebells and ramsons (wild garlic), but now we were surrounded by lush greenery in a myriad of shades and forms broken surprisingly often by the flower of the moment, the glorious foxglove.

A beautiful display of foxgloves in a clearing

More foxgloves on the side of the path

Navelwort and moss growing on a shady length of the stone wall that bounds woodland from the farmland

There were birds singing despite the rain, Song Thrush and Wren mainly, but also Blackbird, Chiffchaff and a very tuneful Garden Warbler. On other occasions we have had lovely sightings of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, an array of Tits – blue, great, coal and long-tailed. Some of my all-time favourite sightings of birds have occurred here; the three following photographs are all from our May 2007 trip.

A Coal Tit with food for chicks taken in Nevern woods in early May 2007

We had gone out quite early one morning and reaching the point along the path where there are two, now tumbledown, old stone buildings, we heard a sound from the roof of one and looked up to see a young Tawny Owl watching us.

11/5/07 A young tawny owl peering down at us from the chimney of an old tumbledown stone cottage

The end of this section of path intersects with a wider access track. Turning left onto it brings you to a bridge that crosses the river that is just wide enough for one vehicle to cross. Today the river was in full flow and deep muddy water rushed through the arches of the bridge, but usually at this time of year the water is shallower, although still quite fast flowing and it splashes over rocks that are now submerged. We have had lovely views of Grey Wagtails here, balancing on the rocks and chasing after flies; beneath the bridge has been a favoured nesting site for them and one year we were treated to views of  newly-fledged young perched on nearby vegetation being fed by their parents.

It has also proved an excellent spot from which to see the charismatic Dipper, a bird that is present along this stretch of the river all year round. Sadly we had not even a glimpse of either bird this time.

9/5/07- Looking down on a Dipper from the bridge

We didn’t linger long on the bridge as it was raining again and crossed the stone stile to take the slightly higher farm track where we had some cover from more trees.

Stone stile

Frothy elder blossom

Further down the track passes between some old stone farm buildings, no longer in use, which we had a little nosy around. We have done this several times before, always hoping we may find evidence of a Barn Owl nesting there, but still no luck with that.

More navelwort, this time in a more open spot, but overhung by pine trees

Maidenhair Spleenwort -Asplenium trichomanes

At the end of the surfaced track there is a gate that leads into an open meadow; much of it is marshy and supports a lovely array of flora that thrives in such conditions, including the glamorous Yellow Iris, or Yellow Flag Iris as it is also called and an abundant amount of Water Horsetail.

Yellow Iris-Iris pseudacorus

Passing through the gate at the far end of the field brings you out into Nevern village, almost on the bridge. It is a lovely old stone bridge, dating back to medieval times and is a Grade 2 listed building. The rain had eased by the time we got here and we stood for some time watching a party of young House Martins practising their fly-catching skills over the river. They seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, swooping through the arches of the bridge and skimming low, sometimes perhaps a little too low over the surface of the water. It was hugely entertaining and a real treat to watch them, but a bit risky too – more than once we had excited birds passing at great speed by our ears, close enough to feel a change in the air pressure.

Nevern Bridge has been a Grade 2 British listed building since 1952.

Moving on we continued walking towards the church, another fascinating building that again I will describe in more detail later.

The tower of St.Brynach’s Church, Nevern

Just before reaching the church we turned left to continue our circuit and return home. A short way up the first hill is the Pilgrim’s Cross that it is thought may have been a way marker to reassure Pilgrims of old that they were on the correct route to or from St.David’s.

The Pilgrim’s Cross is set quite high up in the rock face and can be difficult to see.

 

Quite difficult to spot initially, it is set just above head height on a rocky outcrop ; coins pushed into the cracks in the rocks may help to pick out the outline. There is a legend that behind this rocky outcrop is a hidden cave that contains the remains of Merlin, King Arthurs Wizard and one theory has it that the cross is not carved into the rockface, as such, but into the stone of a bricked-up entrance to a cave….

Even I know of several sites spread throughout Wales that reputedly hold the remains of the fabled King Arthur, but who knows? This is as  likely a spot as any other.

A trip to Pembrokeshire:Part 2: Flowers in the rain

15 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in Nature, nature of woodlands, nature photography, wildflowers

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As we surveyed the ash tree the tree surgeon arrived and quickly assessed the work involved in removing the obstruction, estimating that it would take him about two hours to clear. The rain and wind persisted, but had eased at that point, so as we had piled on waterproofs anyway, we wandered back towards the house stopping to see how the saturated wildflowers had fared.

At this time of year Red Campion-Silene dioica is a familiar sight on the banks of Welsh lanes, along the roadsides and on woodland edges. Its flowering season is quite a lengthy one, beginning in May when it accompanies bluebells and continuing on through the summer and into September. Individually, the plants are rather straggly and untidy, but beautiful en masse at the peak of  its blooming when it can colour large swathes of ground.

Red campion – Silene dioica

Foxgloves typify June in most parts of Wales, appearing in a wide variety of habitats from the lanes and woodlands to clifftops and mountains. This morning some of the more exposed blooms were  looking a little the worse for wear in the aftermath of their night’s battering, but even those with bent stems still managed to look graceful and elegant beaded with droplets of rain.

Foxglove bent by the wind & rain

Cow Parsley flowerheads were drenched, but the drooping buds, each adorned with a droplet of water at their tips looked so pretty, like miniature chandeliers adorned with clear crystal beads. The presence of the little slug on the flowerhead in my photograph spoils that metaphor slightly, but it was quite attractive in its own way.

Cow parsley being investigated by a small brown slug

In the hedgerow I came across a few flowering trusses of purple Woody Nightshade, or Bittersweet – Solanum dulcamara. The plant stems grow long, but are not equipped with any climbing aids such as hooks, nor do they twine, they simply leans on other plants for support. A member of the potato family, the plant’s purple flowers with yellow centres are attractive, but I grew up in fear of it, being strongly warned to stay well away from it as it was very poisonous; in fact we knew it as deadly nightshade, although that name really applies to another member of the family, Belladonna.

The attractive, but potentially poisonous flowers of woody nightshade, alternatively named or bittersweet

There were a surprising number of insects around, particularly flies of various kinds. I noticed quite a few of the species in the photograph below, most sitting on leaves rather than flying around and wondered if they were sucking up tiny droplets of water from their surfaces. I’m not sure what they are, but think they may be dung flies; if anyone knows I’d love to know for sure.

There were a lot of these flies sitting around on various leaves, this one on the reverse, or stinging side of a nettle leaf. With its proboscis extended down to the leaf’s surface, was it drinking?

The Dog Roses are spectacular this year with shrubs smothered with  pink-flushed blooms; the after-effects of their being subjected to the heavy rain will probably be apparent in a day or two’s time, but at the moment they are gorgeous.

Dog Rose-Rosa canina