Flowers

I have been all round the Reserve today doing various jobs and noting some wild flowers in remoter parts. These include black medick (in the gutter in Sunnyside Lane near the acupuncturist) and foxglove (under the Aldcliffe Road wall). Perhaps these are just outside the reserve??? But well within our boundary are ox eye daisy and common meadow rue in the West Field. There are very few wild flowers in this field due to its history of heavy fertilization so it is nice to find a couple of interesting ones. People will have noticed the flourishing crop of bird friendly plants in the arable field. One of these is in flower and google research showed it to be Fodder Radish. Not in the wildflower books but worth recording I think. Underneath the Aldcliffe Road wall, which has escaped fertilization I found one of the hawkbits. I am not good at distinguishing these but I think it is Smooth Hawk’s Beard.I will be posting pictures of these plants in the wildflower collection plus a photo of cleavers or goosegrass which gets everywhere and is unpleasant but we must not discriminate against the weeds.