You don't have to be a Botanist to find Wild Flowers

Heck: we could never refer to ourselves as Botanists. For every Wild Flower we can identify there must be many, many more we have never even heard of! But that doesn't bother us in the slightest. And although it's nice to see something different we are more than happy to see old acquaintances. We class ourselves as 'Enthusiastic Amateurs'.

Yesterday, we decided to Bicycle along to see how the Navelwort (on the Kent Rare Plant Register) that grows locally is faring.  So off we went.

Almost immediately we saw some Sweet Alyssum flowering on a Roadside' Pavement viz.

Further on we saw some Hogweed flowering viz.

and shortly afterwards we spotted a Red Admiral Butterfly.

We have a fondness for Plants that grow on Walls (as does the Navelwort) and were pleased to find both Field Madder and Red Valerian flowering on a Wall beside a Public Road viz.

It was interesting to see the Snail hanging on there: it must have been a tortuous journey to reach that spot and it was a long way down should he/she slip and fall.

Shortly afterwards we spotted Wild Carrot growing in Rough Ground beside a Public Road viz.

And then we were beside the Navelwort viz.

How long has it been there we wonder? How did it get there? But more to the point it is still there, it seems to be doing well and there is quite a lot of it.

So: Job Done. Where to go next?

We decided to go down to the River in the Erith area and work our way Upstream.

Birds seen beside the River included Black-Tailed Godwits, Common Gulls, a Grey Wagtail, Mallards, Redshanks and Teals. Also four Rock Pipits: a party of three Birds and a Single Bird a few hundred yards Upstream viz.

In the Grounds of the nearby Church of St John the Baptist the Ivy Broomrape and Orange Hawkweed were still flowering viz.

A Primrose was flowering too.

Our attention was also attracted by some House Sparrows on the Church viz.

And a Blue Tit viz.

Beside a nearby favourite Footpath we saw a Small White Butterfly viz.

It may be visiting Lucerne (aka Alfalfa) but we aren't sure. Unfortunately Council' Strimming &c. means that we don't get to see the Seeds to attempt an Identification.

Other flowering Plants included Black Medick, Broad-Leaved Everlasting-Pea, Common Field-Speedwell, Creeping Thistle, Goat's-Rue, Narrow-Leaved Ragwort, Ox-Eye Daisy, Red Campion and White Campion.

Also Common Knapweed and Yarrow viz.

Sadly, there was no sign of the Stonechat seen earlier in the week by the small Lake beside Church Manorway.

During our Journey we saw quite a few Dandelions (also Daisies, Red Clover and White Clover). The Dandelions proved attractive to various Little Critters including an assumed Buff or White-Tailed Bee viz.

And nearby, some Dwarf Mallow was flowering viz.

It's always nice to see the Jersey Cudweed (on the Kent Rare Plant Register) that grows locally and on arriving Home we photographed a Shining Crane's-Bill, growing on the Roadside' Pavement, to add to the List of Plants seen in our local Monad viz.

A pleasing End to a more than Satisfactory Outing.