Nevertheless, over the past few months we have maintained copious Records of our local Sightings.
That being said, there are Plant Families we know next to nothing about so we are sensibly ignoring them for the time being viz. the Cabbage Family, the Daisy Family &c.
Acting on the somewhat scary suggestion that we submit our Records to the Kent Botanical Recording Group (KBRG) we went through the process of learning about Grid References &c.
And although very much aware of our considerable limitations, we became Members of the KBRG, the London Borough of Bexley and the Immediate Surrounding Area falling within Vice-County 16 (West Kent) for Biological Recording purposes.
The KBRG have super-kindly supplied us Lists of Plants Recorded within various (local) Grid References; earlier this week we took the plunge and with considerable trepidation, submitted some Records for Grid reference, TQ5079.
The Submitted Records were compiled from Plants seen beside the Thames Path and on the Thames' Foreshore, beside the Public Footpath that leads up from Church Manorway to the Thames Path and beside Church Manorway itself.
And Wow; we were able to add Sixty plus Plants to the Register. However, it is perhaps appropriate to mention that the area hasn't been frequently visited for Recording Purposes; thus explaining the fairly high number of Plants we were able to add to the Register.
Three of the Plants included in our Submission are on the Kent Rare Plant Register, namely:
Ragged Robin viz.
Wild Clary viz.
and Yellow Vetchling viz.
all of which were seen growing beside the Public Footpath that leads up from Church Manorway to the Thames Path.
And we learned that a Plant we had been led to believe was Neapolitan Garlic viz.
might instead be Hairy Garlic. We understand the Key to Identification is the Leaf ' Margins. Something to look out for next year if, God Willing, we are still around (this year's Flowering Season being over).
Also; that the oft-seen Danish Scurvygrass growing in profusion on the Thames' Foreshore, is in fact, English Scurvygrass viz.
Whoooooooooops!
Other Plants new to the Register for TQ5079 included:
Biting Stonecrop
Black Spleenwort
Bladder Campion
Common Mullein
Dark Mullein
Hop Trefoil
Knotted Clover
Lesser Sea-Spurrey
Rosy Garlic
Sea Arrowgrass
Sea Aster
Sea Club-Rush
Sea Milkwort
Sea Plantain
Sea Purslane
Slender Thistle
Wall-Rue
and Welted Thistle
