...
There is a tendency to ignore the things that are in front of us ...
With this in mind and having previously half-heartedly looked around us for Wild Flowers &c. while out walking &c. we have now decided to see which Wild Flowers &c. we can find in our local Monad, TQ****, which falls within Vice-County 16, West Kent (for various reasons we prefer to keep the TQ Reference private).
That being said, we imagine that where we see Wild Flowers the vast majority of people see unsightly and untidy Weeds! From the odd conversation we have had, that would most certainly appear to be the case. Indeed, one person became exceedingly agitated that we were photographing
Jersey Cudweed growing in a Public Alley viz. why would anyone photograph a 'Weed'?
There will of course be many Plants we are unable to identify but Nothing Ventured &c.
For example, we have never really gotten going nor probably ever will with a number of Plant families, including the
Daisy Gang viz.
But perhaps over time this
might change?
We initially hoped to see Fifty Plants growing in Grassy Areas (sadly, few and far between except for Road Verges and all are fairly regularly Mown/Strimmed), on Pavements, beside Roads &c. (vulnerable to Street Cleaning &c.) but passed that Target within a few days.
We shall also include assumed Self Seeded Plants, seen growing in Front Gardens and clearly visible from the Pavement (see
Common Fumitory,
Lady's Bedstraw,
Orange Hawkweed &c. below).
Records have been submitted to the Kent Botanical Recording Group (KBRG)
American Willowherb
Annual Meadow-Grass
Annual Mercury
Antirrhinum (assumed Self-Seeded: growing and flowering on the Pavement)
viz.
Aster (assumed
Michaelmas Daisy growing in a Roadside Gutter) viz.
Black Bindweed viz.
Black Horehound viz.
Black Medick
Black Nightshade
Bramble
Bristly Oxtongue viz.
Broad-Leaved Dock viz.
Broad-Leaved Everlasting-Pea viz.
Buck's-Horn Plantain viz.
Buddleia
Bulbous Buttercup viz.
California Poppy
Charlock (growing/flowering beside Recycling Bins) viz.
Cleavers
Cock's-Foot
Common Bird's-Foot-Trefoil (very pleased to find this growing on the edge of a Pavement although of course ever-vulnerable to Council' Street Cleaning) viz.
Common Chickweed
Common Dog-Violet (growing in our Front Garden)
Common Field-Speedwell
Common Fumitory viz.
Common Hogweed
Common Mallow
Common Mouse-Ear
Common Nettle
Common Poppy
Common Purslane (although aware of single Sea Purslane Plants growing beside the Thames in both the Belvedere and Erith areas, we had never heard of Common Purslane before finding this and a few nearby Plants growing in a Roadside' Gutter ~ mentioned in Kent Botany 2017)
viz.
Common Ragwort
Common Stork's-Bill (flowering on the Pavement) viz.
Common Vetch (growing [i] in a 'Wild' Front Garden and [ii] beside a Public Footpath) viz.
Common Whitlowgrass viz.
Couch Grass
Cow Parsley
Creeping Buttercup viz.
Creeping Cinquefoil
Creeping Thistle viz.
Creeping Yellow-Cress viz.
Daisy
Dandelion viz.
Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill
Dwarf Mallow viz.
Evening Primrose
Fat-Hen
Feverfew viz.
Field Bindweed
Field Forget-Me-Not viz.
Field Madder
Field Wood-Rush (growing in a Front Garden)
Four-Leaved Allseed (on the Kent Rare Plant Register) viz.
Goat's-Beard
Grape Hyacinth (growing in our Front Garden) viz.
Great Willowherb viz.
Greater Celandine
Greater Plantain
Green Alkanet
Ground Elder (we suddenly realised we were looking at Ground Elder. We wouldn't normally be excited to see it but we were when we saw it growing in the Upper Bedon Stream area) viz.
Groundsel
Hairy Bittercress
Hedge Bedstraw
Hedge Mustard
Henbit Dead-Nettle (the flowers, when seen side-on, put us in mind of Happy Giraffes)
viz.
Herb Robert (we have been surprised how little we have seen considering how prolific it is in the Garden at Home)
Hoary Cress
Ivy viz.
Ivy-Leaved Speedwell viz.
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax viz.
Jersey Cudweed (on the Kent Rare Plant Register and seen in a number of different locations although in some instances just a single Plant and all ever-vulnerable to being Weeded Out or damaged/destroyed by Council' Street Cleaning) viz.
Knotgrass
Lady's Bedstraw (very surprised to see any but Wow: the Lady's Bedstraw has essentially replaced the Grass in an 'Open-Plan', Front Garden) viz.
Least Yellow-Sorrel (growing in the Grass in a Front Garden)
viz.
Lesser Burdock (not expecting to find any so a very Pleasant Surprise) viz.
Lesser Celandine
Lesser Swine-Cress viz.
Love-in-a-Mist viz.
Meadow Grass (species undetermined) viz.
Mind-your-own-Business viz.
Mouse-Ear Hawkweed
Narrow-Leaved Ragwort
Nipplewort
Opium Poppy
Orange Hawkweed (we were surprised and really pleased to see this growing in the Grass in a generally untended Front Garden)
Oxford Ragwort
Pellitory-of-the-Wall (there is quite a lot scattered around)
Perennial Wall-Rocket
Petty Spurge
Pineappleweed viz.
Pot Marigold
Prickly Lettuce viz.
Prickly Sow-Thistle
Procumbent Pearlwort viz.
Purple Toadflax
Purple-Leaved Procumbent Yellow-Sorrel viz.
Red Clover (seen in just one location unlike
White Clover which is widespread) viz.
Red Valerian viz.
Redshank viz.
Red Dead-Nettle
Ribwort Plantain
Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill
Rue-Leaved Saxifrage viz.
Scarlet Pimpernel viz.
Selfheal (growing in the Grass in a Front Garden)
assumed
Shaggy-Soldier viz.
Shepherd's-Purse
Shining Crane's-Bill viz.
Smooth Sow-Thistle
Spear-Leaved Orache viz.
Spear Thistle
Spotted Medick
Spotted Spurge (mentioned in Kent Botany 2017, a few Plants growing in Roadside' Gutters: according to Kent Botany 2016, it was first found in Vice-County 16, West Kent, on 27 July 2016, in the Eltham area. Seen again during 2018)
viz.
Sun Spurge
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet Violet viz.
Thale Cress
Three-Cornered Garlic/Leek viz.
Thyme-Leaved Sandwort (totally unexpected)
viz.
Tomato (assumed) viz.
Wall Barley
Wall Speedwell
Water Bent viz.
White Bryony
White Clover viz.
White Dead-Nettle viz.
Winter-Cress (species to be determined) viz.
Wood Avens
Woody Nightshade (spilling onto the pavement from a Front Garden)
Yarrow viz.
Yellow Corydalis (spread from nearby Gardens) viz.
A Footnote: in the Garden at Home we have seen a number of Self-Seeded Wild Flowers, including:
Common Dog-Violet viz.
Common Field-Speedwell,
Common Ragwort, a
Cowslip,
Creeping Thistle,
Feverfew,
Green Alkanet,
Honesty viz.
Pink Sorrel viz.
Prickly Lettuce,
Red Dead-Nettle,
Red Valerian,
Selfheal,
Spear Thistle, Thyme-Leaved Speedwell,
White Clover and
Woody Nightshade.
