Cadnam flower walk - 14th August

Highlights were Small Fleabane, Pennyroyal, Chamomile, Ivy-leaved Bellflower, trifid Bur-marigold and a Hobby.

The windy and drizzly weeks of late were broken this morning by sunny calm weather, but we did have a rain shower during the walk! The walk today was mainly along the lanes around Cadnam where some very rare flowers grow. Soon after we started off we found Common Fleabane, Evening Primrose, Wild Carrot and Himalayan Balsam growing near a stream. There was also Perforate St. John’s Wort and Enchanters Nightshade nearby. A little further on there were a couple of plants of Small Fleabane with much Common Fleabane, a bank of Harebell by the road and Robins singing.
Further on we reached some very wide grassy verges grazed by Ponies, cattle a piebald Donkey and several pigs with piglets! There was much Chamomile here with Scentless Mayweed, Sticky Mouse-ear and Marsh Cudweed in a bare patch. Small Fleabane was numerous in many patches and in some of the wet ditches we found Pennyroyal, Water Pepper and Lesser Spearwort. As we looked at the plants a Hobby whizzed by giving us a brief view and there were Swallows, House Martins, Jackdaws and a Pied Wagtail feeding around and over the grass. We crossed over the road and found Trifid Bur-marigold, Marsh Ragwort, Bird’s-foot Trefoil and a little more Pennyroyal. A few Greenfinches were feeding in bushes by these plants.
We left this area and continued along the lanes. In the bushes we saw a young Chiffchaff, Goldfinches, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown butterflies and there was Corn Mint and Brooklime growing in a damp verge. Further on we stopped where the lane went past a more open grassy area. There was a damp patch with grassy hummocks. We watched Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies nectaring on the Marsh Thistle flowers and Carole spotted some Cinnabar caterpillars. We went to get a closer look and then I noticed a flower that I hadn’t seen for many years growing on the hummocks near some marsh pennywort – it was Ivy-leaved Bellflower. A great plant to finish the walk on.
Simon Curson