The Plants Of Summer

 June 14th  Norwich & Whitlingham Broad

On Sunday afternoon last week, I decided to go for a walk along the River Wensum from Wensum Park to the centre of the city before meeting my parents who were going to pick me up so that we could visit Whitlingham Broad. My lockdown city plant list grows every week. I discover something new with every visit I've made at any location and this walk along the river was no different. Some, like buddleia, were as expected to be found in an urban environment, but there are many other things I didn't even know were found within Norwich. I wonder how many people even took any notice that there's biting stonecrop, hedge woundwort or even watercress growing along the built up, concrete banks of this part of the river?

 

Biting Stonecrop

 When I eventually got to Whitlingham, I had just enough energy to walk round the broad. There weren't too many new plants for my list, but I did find my first purple loosestrife of the year as well as musk thistle. The birdlife was pretty decent too with common terns, great crested grebes and so many mute swans to count and we also had an encounter with a tiny froglet hopping across the main path that must have seemed like crossing a couple of miles to this minute amphibian.

 

June 18th  Catton Park

 

After a morning of torrential rain, it was a surprise that the afternoon on Thursday was completely opposite. The sun had came out and I felt I couldn't waste the opportunity to not go outside. My local park beckoned me and I wondered what changes in its plant life was I to find this time. The bird's-foot trefoil, buttercups and cat's-tail were trying hard to make sure that the colour yellow was to dominate the park's fields if it wasn't for the tall seed heads of various grass species partly obscuring them. Small patches of purple were now trying to peek through the vegetation in the form of knapweed and rosebay willowherb, while giant stands of hemlock tower above everything except the trees. I also discovered field pansy and what I believe to be black nightshade growing around the edge of log that is used as a border for a path.

 

Cerceris rybyensis wasp on thistle

 

June 20th  Cary's Meadow & Thorpe Marshes

 

Dad took me out to Cary's Meadow, a small site managed by the Broads Authority on the edge of Norwich. If there was one place I knew for certain that could provide me with more orchids for my city plant list, it was here. I haven't been here for years after my last visit ended with disappointment with a landscape that was way too heavily overgrazed by cattle. I wanted to give this place another go though. Could I find orchids this time or will the cattle beat me to them? Well, thankfully not this time. No cattle in sight and after some searching, I hit the jackpot. Not only did I find several bee orchids (including some that were lighter variations), there were also a few common spotted orchids and a southern marsh orchid, too. As well as orchids, I also chalked up scarlet pimpernel, selfheal and a few other odds and ends too.

Common Spotted Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

Bee Orchid

 

Returning to the car, Dad then dropped me off to Thorpe Marshes, just a stones throw away from Cary's Meadow. My plant list was a side project at this point as I was here for birds. This place seems to be attracting a bit of attention amongst local twitchers just recently. First it was the corncrake (which I've heard twice on my previous last two visits) and now there was another scarce and equally secretive migrant paying this reserve a visit. A Savi's warbler has been heard singing throughout the week and occasionally poses for people to see. This is another one of your typical little brown jobs, but has a powerful voice. It sounds similar to a grasshopper warbler, which is described as a reeling fishing reel, but it is far more louder. If I could at least hear it, I'd be happy.

I only had two hours before I had to meet up with Dad, so I spent most of it waiting around staring at the bramble bush that I've been told that it spends most of its time in. Apparently, I learnt that this bird wasn't as active during the day that much, preferring to sing mostly at dawn and dusk. However, it did show well at midday yesterday, so I still had some chance. At least that was what I thought at the time of waiting. In the end it was a no show. I didn't even hear it sing once. The bramble bush attracted sedge warblers, linnets, reed buntings and even a kestrel hovering above it, but no Savi's.

 

On the plant side of things, I had more success. Marsh bedstraw, marsh valerian, common vetchling, meadowsweet and the leaves of what my app is telling me is of a plant called redshank.

 

June 23rd  Catton Park to Mousehold Heath

 

I went back to Catton Park to get a better photo of the black nightshade I found the other day. I had never heard of it before and thanks to my app, it has helped me discover something I never knew existed in my local patch. The plant is so small with dainty white flowers and is quite beautiful. It makes me wonder if anyone has ever noticed it before.

Black Nightshade

Catton Park was just a brief stop on my tour of my local area. My main destination I had in mind was Mousehold. There's a bit of a distance between the park and the heath, but walking to Mousehold made me discover even more plants to my list. Field scabious, reflexed stonecrop, large-flowered evening primrose, hoary mullein and goat's-beard. In fact, when I was at Mousehold, I didn't find too many more new things in comparison, just bell heather and a couple of new tree species. On the way home, I was really hot and tired at this point, but I still managed to locate great willowherb before I could finally put my feet up from a very long morning's walk.

Orchids At Last!

June 9th  Norwich

 

Common Broomrape

What I really wanted for my Norwich lockdown plant list are orchids. There were two places I knew where I could find bee orchids, but I soon discovered evidence of a lawn mower had been used on both sites. My heart sank. However, it turns out that one of these sites wasn't mowed completely and there were still patches of long grass untouched and left wild. My hopes were raised again. So, I went to this site on Tuesday to try my luck. After some searching, I found one, though it wasn't the best specimen with sepals (petals) missing. I also found one that was still in bud, but that was about it. I could not find any others hidden in the layer of grass. My mission was still successful though. All I wanted was an orchid and I found one.

With mission complete, I slowly made my way home, walking along the river and scanning every bare patch of ground along the way. From here on, I began to really appreciate these tiny patches of untamed land ranging from cracks in the pavement to edges of a car park. In front of a gym, I discovered a small cluster of broomrape (parasitic plants that have no leaves of their own) and bladder campion. Poking their tiny blue heads from the cracks of the pavement beside a hotel were lobelia, while under a flyway bridge was a colony of viper's bugloss. The best display, though, was the Anglia Square car park with the edges red with the flowers of poppies. I also found white melilot, mugwort, weld, hoary mustard and black horehound to name a few. It goes to show how amazing these little nooks and crannies in the city are. I just hope they avoid the council's mowers and pesticides.

 

While walking along the river, I also encountered a kingfisher whizzing low over the river alerting me with its high pitched peeping call as it went. Only the second time I've seen a kingfisher along this stretch of the river.

 

Wild Mignonette

June 12  UEA

 

After 2 days of rain, I was able to go plant hunting again. This time, I went to the UEA (University of East Anglia) with Dad for a walk around the lake and the surrounding playing fields. Wild mignonette and the yellow dandelion-like flowers of cat's-ear were on display within patches of long grass, providing valuable nectar for the bees, butterflies and other insects. Around the UEA lake, I found a few new species to add to my list such as white bryony, tufted vetch, common vetchling and white water lily.

June 4th Hickling Broad



Wren

The swallowtail season is well and truly underway, but as Strumpshaw is closed due to lockdown procedures, I was fearing that I was going to go swallowtail-less for this year. However, while the RSPB have kept most of their reserves closed off to the public, the NWT (Norfolk Wildlife Trust) have opened some of theirs again but with a few changes. Hickling Broad is one such reserve allowing the public to walk around, though the visitor centre, toilets, hides and a few paths remain closed. To enforce social distancing rules, a one-way route system is set up, though the route does split up in places allowing you some freedom to explore the site. It is a strange experience, but if I was to find a swallowtail this year, this was my best chance and location to do so.

 

Bee Orchid

The weather wasn't exactly on our side as my dad and I arrived at Hickling. Grey clouds threaten to rain and it was a bit chilly and little windy. Not the best conditions for swallowtails. We made one circuit around the reserve, following the arrows and sections blocked off by tape guiding us. There were spells of drizzle, but it was brightening up as we returned to the visitor centre for lunch. We saw bearded tits, marsh harriers, sand martins, swifts, terns, reed buntings, reed, sedge, Cetti's and willow warblers, avocets, greylags with goslings, lapwings, shelducks, many dragonflies and damselflies and a couple of butterflies, but no swallowtail. There were also a few new plant species, but I'm not adding them as I'm out of Norwich.

After lunch, the weather was much improved and the sun was breaking through. It was now warm enough for swallowtails to possibly be on the wing. So, I decided that we do another walk. While starting off the route again, I discovered something that we missed the first time; a bee orchid! I wonder how many people have walked by and not noticed it? It was a great find, but I really want to find one in Norwich. As the sites I know of are now mowed down, I don't really know where else to go. These orchids will pop up just about anywhere, its like trying to look for a needle in a built up, urbanised haystack.

Swallowtail

Mission Swallowtail 2020 was still going on with little luck going my way. All that suddenly changed when we reached a small boardwalk with yellow flag irises dotted around it. Immediately after making my first step onto the wooden path, I spot a swallowtail landing onto an iris. It was a bit flighty when I tried to sneak up to it and was tricky to get a photograph in at first. But then it landed onto the path just a few metres in front of me. Despite it facing the wrong way, I could finally get a few photos. Despite all the odds stack against me with lockdown and the weather, I was pleased that 2020 wasn't going to be the year I miss out on seeing a swallowtail after all. Seeing this one was like seeing all the rainbows done by children stuck on windows. It is bright, cheery and gives me some hope in these dark, uncertain times. Even with lockdown lifting, who knows for certain when life can get back to normality in its entirety.

May 30th & June 1st Catton Park & Thorpe Marshes

May 30th  Catton Park

 

It has been a very dry spring this year and the landscape around me looks like it needs some rain desperately. I've been playing around with a new plant ID app on my phone lately called PlantNet. Basically, I take a photo of any plant I see (even trees, ferns and grass) with the camera on my phone, post it on the app and it narrows it down to a possible list with photos of what it could be.  Its not perfect and its better to use the scientific name than the English name as the English name might not be one you are familiar with, however this app has been rather handy. I recommend using the result the app gives you as a reference and use a book to double check. I've been using this app as I walk around the streets of Norwich as I make my way to work, its quite addictive.



Common Blue Butterfly on Bird's-foot Trefoil

 

On Saturday, I took my camera and my phone to my local park to take photos of more plants. There's been a remarkable change since my last visit here. The fields are bursting with the colour yellow as bird's-foot trefoil and buttercups cover the landscape with patches of white ox-eyed daisies and the tufts of various grass species poking out amongst them. There were even a few red heads of poppies bouncing in the light breeze. And to add to the colours of this scene of early summer are common blue butterflies fluttering over to pollinate the trefoil.

 

What I really was hoping to find though are orchids. I was at least hoping that common twayblades and bee orchids would call this park home. Sadly, my more reliable spots in the city for orchids are now mowed down early for some reason (especially the spot near Carrow Road where I had great success with bee orchids last year). If anyone know of any orchid hotspots in Norwich that I don't know of, let me know. To include orchids to my city plant list would be the cherry on top of the cake.

 

June 1st  Thorpe Marshes

 



Norfolk Hawker

I was back at Thorpe Marshes yesterday looking for even more plants as well as the elusive corncrake that I can gladly say was still at this reserve. He was calling on and off in one corner of the grazing fields during this latest visit. Hidden somewhere deep within dense grass, there really wasn't any chance I was going to see it no matter how long I waited. At least I heard it, though sometimes it took 10-20 minutes until he made another outburst. An amazing sound nonetheless.

 

The corncrake may have been a no show, but at least the dragonflies weren't afraid to show themselves. There were plenty of them whizzing around the ditches as they competed in fierce aerial battles as they fought for territories. Norfolk hawkers brought a part of Strumpshaw that I've missed so much as I watched them hover in place with big green eyes clearly visible before they rush off to their next fight. I also saw four-spot chasers, hairy dragonflies and banded demoiselles as well as linnets, a kestrel, a buzzard, reed buntings, reed and sedge warblers and few more species to add to my plant list. I think I'm well over 100 species and there's so much more out there that I haven't added yet.