The mural flora of St. Augustine's Abbey is important enough for the site to be designated a Local Wildlife Site.
John Tradescant the elder established a garden here in the c17, and maybe some of his introductions have persisted.
We recorded just over 100 species.
To the sound of a Black Redstart.
A good week for medieval wall-flora!
The first Danish Scurvy-grass of the year today
#wildflowerhour
This is the best time of the year to visit St. Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury. Plenty of (mostly tiny) plants thriving on the ruined walls
for #wildflowerhour
I have a shelf-ful of travel books that I know I'll never use, but which are still consulted regularly.
To be content with what you have....that's a valuable condition to be in. Giving up flying is an important part of it, as the lure of easy travel is a temptation.
Railways seem that much trickier, but you concentrate more on the available destinations.
Spring Sowbread (Cyclamen repandum) naturalised enthusiastically under Hazel, in east Kent. Makes up for the lack of Toothwort!
Hairy Violet flowering right on time, on 1st March for #wildflowerhour
line drawing of two moomins riding on clouds, Moomintroll looking up into the sky and the Snork Maden sitting up, a butterly in front of a sun with rays. Below them a flowering trees and shrubs or other flowering plantns. Linedrawing, black and white, Tove Jansson
Moomin divination based on the first butterfly of the year that you encounter 🤍🐾🦋
'If the first butterfly you see is yellow, the summer will be a happy one... But this one was golden.
'Gold is even better than yellow,' said the Snork Maiden. 'You wait and see!'" 1/2 #WyrdWednesday
A lovely day at Dover Castle, with excellent staff and friendly locals.
Good to catch up with the Dover Castle choughs today. Mostly around the pharos and church, as seemed to fly back to their release point for lunch.
Sète is a great town! And easily reachable by train. You've inspired me to return.
As a nice change from the frequent sightings of Musk Stork’s-bill, it was good to record Common Stork’s-bill this week. In flower too.
#wildflowerhour
Marvellous, we binge-watched Small Prophets last night found ourselves looking for pavement weeds. The director also found a good section of wall for ferns.
Here’s a pic of one of the Green Hellebores in a colony in a wood in East Kent.
The Jutish Forest by KP Whitney has a fascinating chapter (with maps) on the Wealden droveways.
Here's a map of Kentish High Weald droveways, from the High Weald National Landscape group.
storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/...
Two rapidly-spreading species here in east Kent.
Musk Stork’s-bill and Rescue Brome.
If their spread continues they’ll be a real menace (like last year’s equivalent, Water Bent).
Similar elsewhere in the country?
Indeed! Mr Poland’s book is a good companion.
That's what we're finding. Before being crowded out by rank species or being mown out, many smaller species show themselves in the early part of the year. It's been a mild winter, of course.
And the prize for the most unexpected flower in January goes to…..
Water Figwort!
Wingham River in Kent.
#wildflowerhour
The sundial on Wingham church is impressively calibrated!
Oxford Ragwort still flowering beside the railway tracks near Paddington station. #wildflowerhour
This seems to be an unusual pattern of wood grain in Holm Oak - does anyone know what causes it?
Am currently on the river, and am glad to read of the success of cleaning the Thames.
Coupled with the cleaner air and improved traffic, the city is a great success.
A nice colony of Moth Mullein has naturalised on the spoil of an East Kent Colliery, out of the reach of nearby builders.
Precious few other species flowering for #wildflowerhour
Where is that sold??
Prance
A Kingfisher on a stick giving a tweet and a twirl at Rye Harbour.
@sussexwildlife.bsky.social
#kingfisher
Thank you for the recommendation- JL Carr will get me through January!
