The Sky turned Red

To the Crayford Marshes via Barnehurst

After attending to an appointment in the Bexleyheath area, we decided to catch a Train to Slade Green  and visit the Crayford Marshes in search of a Small Heath Butterfly and Common Restharrow.

But Yippee: before settling off, we caught a Goods Train passing through Bexleyheath viz.

However, with Trains to Slade Green seemingly off the Menu, we travelled instead to Barnehurst (the stop before Slade Green) and then bicycled to Slade Green and the Crayford Marshes. En-route, just after leaving Barnehurst Station, we saw a few Plants of Jersey Cudweed viz.

(Grid Reference TQ5076)

On the Marsh (or what there is left of it), it was nothing doing with regard to a Small Heath Butterfly but we did find the Common Restharrow viz.

And some Wild Carrot with particularly distinctive purple flowers viz.

Footnotes:

[I] the View, looking across the Crayford and Dartford Marshes to the Dartford Bridge (crossing the River Thames):

and [ii] the (tidal) River Darent, which runs between the Crayford and Dartford Marshes:

The Moon (29 July 2020)

Almost a Full Moon.

The next Full Moon (the Sturgeon Moon) will be visible on 2/3 August.

And, the Perseid Meteor Shower (late-July to late-August) will peak in visibility on 11, 12 and 13 August:

Out and About Again on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area (the Frog Rush remains elusive)

We followed up our 16 July visit with another visit in search of the elusive Frog Rush. It remains elusive: assuming it is still actually there.

But all was not lost. Wild Flower' Species seen included:

Agrimony
Autumn Hawkbit
Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Black Horehound viz.

Black Medick
Bramble
Bristly Oxtongue viz.

Celery-Leaved Buttercup
Common Fleabane
Common Knapweed (including the 'Rayed' variety)
Common Mallow
Common Ragwort
Common Sorrel
Common Toadflax viz.

Creeping Buttercup
Creeping Cinquefoil
False Oat-Grass
Fat Hen
Fennel
Field Bindweed
Field Scabious
Goat's-Rue
Goosefoot sp.
Greater Burdock
Greater Plantain
Hawkweed Oxtongue
Hedge Bedstraw
Hoary Cress
Hoary Ragwort
Hogweed
Lady's Bedstraw
Lesser Burdock viz.

Lesser Sea-Spurrey
Lucerne (aka Alfalfa)
Mare's-Tail
Marjoram
Marsh Cudweed
Marsh Sow-Thistle viz.

Marsh Yellow-Cress
Mugwort 
Narrow-Leaved Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Orache sp. (Spear-Leaved Orache?)  viz.

Pale Toadflax
Perforate St John's-Wort
Pink Water-Speedwell viz.

Prickly-Lettuce
Purple Loosestrife
Red Bartsia viz.

Red Clover
Redshank
Ribwort Plantain
Sand Medick
Sea Aster (assumed)
Sea Beet
Sea Club-Rush
Shepherd's-Purse
Smooth Hawk's-Beard
Smooth Sow-Thistle
Spear Thistle
Strawberry Clover viz.

Teasel
Trifid Bur-Marigold viz.

White Clover
Wild Carrot
and Yarrow

The Fairy Palaces of Horse Guards &c. (City of Westminster)

We have always liked this view: so easy to imagine Rapunzel up there somewhere and letting down her Hair!!!

As seen from St James's Park.

We spend some time in Lesnes Abbey Park

Wild Flower' Species seen included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Biting Stonecrop
Black Medick
Black Spleenwort (growing on the Abbey' Ruins)
Buck's-Horn Plantain
Chicory (possibly introduced and now possibly self-seeded?)
Cock's-Foot
Common Mallow
Common Ragwort
Creeping Thistle
Dwarf Mallow
Field Bindweed
Field Scabious (possibly introduced and now possibly self-seeded?)
Greater Willowherb
Ivy-Leaved Toadflax (growing on the Abbey' Ruins)
Lesser Calamint
Maidenhair Spleenwort (growing on the Abbey' Ruins)
Red Bartsia
Red Clover
Ribwort Plantain
Spear Thistle
Strawberry Clover
Thyme-Leaved Sandwort (growing on the Abbey' Ruins)
Tower Mustard
Wall-Rue (growing on the Abbey' Ruins)
White Clover
White Stonecrop
Wild Clary
and Yarrow

Butterfly' Species seen: Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Green-Veined White, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Small White and Speckled Wood.

Including these Guys:

We visit Oxleas Meadows (the Royal Borough of Greenwich)

Not quite what we expected but a pleasant enough place viz.

We had been hoping for something more Wild Flowery: and much preferred the nearby, 'Field with No Name' viz. see Tuesday 21 July 2020.

Despite a lack of Sunshine and a Light to Brisk Wind, we saw a number of Bees, Butterflies &c., including these Guys:

Wild Flower' Species seen included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Bristly Oxtongue
Buck's-Horn Plantain
Common Ragwort
Creeping Thistle
Greater Plantain
Lesser Stitchwort
Meadow Vetchling
Red Clover
Ribwort Plantain
Spear Thistle
Timothy Grass
Tufted Vetch 
Wild Carrot
and Yarrow

PS... some Light Rain whilst we were Out and some fairly Heavy Rain once we were safely back Home...

We head to the Rockliffe Gardens but end up in the New Woolwich Cemetery (the Royal Borough of Greenwich)

We didn't go out until fairly late: with the vague intention of visiting Rockliffe Gardens. Which are, we understand, a shadow of their former selves. But on arriving at the Entrance to the Gardens, we noticed the nearby New Woolwich Cemetery, so went in there, instead.

Very peaceful and we will be going back another day since we really wanted to take a look around the Rockliffe Gardens.

Wild Flower' Species seen in the Cemetery included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Biting Stonecrop
Caucasian Stonecrop viz.

Common Mallow
Common Knapweed viz.

Common Ragwort
Hedgerow Crane's-Bill
Red Clover
Reflexed Stonecrop
Ribwort Plantain
Spear Thistle
White Stonecrop
and Yarrow viz.

Before returning Home we spent a few minutes in Rockliffe Gardens and saw a handful of Wild Flower' Species including:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil
Brooklime viz.

Burdock sp.
Common Ragwort
Creeping Thistle viz.

Duckweed
Prickly Lettuce
Ribwort Plantain
and Yarrow

Train Spotting?

'Train Spotting?', we were asked, as we took photographs of Trains from the 'Country End' of London Bridge Railway Station. 'Not really', we replied: we needed a change from photographing Bees, Butterflies, Wild Flowers &c. Which was absolutely true.

We find the The World of the Train Spotter (with its own language &c.) quite fascinating and enjoy taking pictures of Trains: but we will only ever view it from afar. And we don't really see the point of collecting Train Numbers (which we have seen people do) although we assume this forms only part of their interest:

The Royal Philatelic Society London (Abchurch Lane, the City of London)

The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) the oldest Philatelic Society in the World, was established during 1869 as The Philatelic Society London. In 1896, HRH The Duke of York, became President of the Society and in 1906, HM King Edward VII gave permission for the Society to use the prefix, 'Royal':

To the London Bridge area for an Appointment and then across to the City of London

After attending to an Appointment in the London Bridge area we walked across London Bridge and visited the Garden of St Mary Aldermanbury, where we found the Orange Hawkweed flowering prettily viz.

Returning to London Bridge via George Yard (off Lombard Street), we spotted some Scarlet Pimpernel flowering in a Planter that has been left unattended viz.

There were a few more people around than we expected but the majority of Restaurants and Pubs are closed. We wonder how many will re-open?