The Wild Flower Society', Winter Plant Hunt 2021/22

The Wild Flower Society', Winter Plant Hunt (for Plants in flower) began on 1 December 2021 and ended today (28 February 2022). 

Wo won't be submitting records but we kept an eye out for flowering plants.

Species seen during the three-month period are as follows:

Annual Mercury

Black Horehound

Black Nightshade

Bristly Oxtongue

Common Chickweed

Common Field-Speedwell

Common Toadflax

Common Whitlowgrass

Creeping Thistle

Daisy

Dandelion

Early Dog-Violet

Gorse

Green Alkanet

Groundsel

Hairy Bitter-Cress

Hazel viz.

Herb Robert

Hoary Mustard

Ivy-Leaved Toadflax

Jersey Cudweed

Lesser Celandine

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

Narrow-Leaved Ragwort

Nipplewort viz.

Oxford Ragwort

Primrose

Red Clover

Red Dead-Nettle

Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill

Scentless Mayweed

Shepherd's-Purse

Smooth Sow-Thistle

Sowbread

Sweet Violet

Three-Cornered Leek

White Dead-Nettle

Wild Carrot

Wild Daffodil (Lesnes Abbey Woods)

Winter Heliotrope viz.

and Yarrow

Spring is almost here

Wild Flower species seen flowering locally today:

Annual Mercury

Common Chickweed

Common Field-Speedwell

Daisy viz.

Dandelion viz.

Green Alkanet

Groundsel viz. 

Lesser Celandine

Oxford Ragwort

Primrose

Red Dead-Nettle

Shepherd's-Purse viz.

Sow-Thistle viz.

Sweet Violet

and Three-Cornered Leek

Plus Bees, Flies (including Hoverflies) and a Ladybird. 

To Rainham Marshes to look for Birds

One of our occasional Outings. Just across the River (Thames) from here: we have to get there via the Dartford Tunnel.

Bird' species seen (thirty in all):

Blue Tit

Canada Goose

Carrion Crow

Chaffinch

Collared Dove (first of the year)

Coot

Cormorant

Dunnock

Gadwall 

Greylag Goose

House Sparrow

Lapwing

Magpie

Mallard

Moorhen

Mute Swan

Pied Wagtail

Pintail (first and possibly last of the year)

Pochard

Robin

Shelduck

Shoveler

Snipe (first of the year)

Starling

Stonechat viz.

Teal

Tufted Duck

Wigeon

Wood Pigeon

and Wren (first of the year)

Lichens and Mosses seen on the Crossness Nature Reserve and Surrounding area during 2022

Lichens seen as at 6 February 2022:

Caloplaca decipiens

Caloplaca saxicola

Flavoparmelia soredians

Illosporiopsis christsenii (a Lichenicolous Fungus on Xanthoria parietina) viz.

Lecanora carpinea

Lecanora chlarotera/hybocarpa (differentiated only by microscopy) 

Lecanora dispersa agg.

Lecanora muralis

Lecidella elaeochroma

Parmelia sulcata

Phaeophyscia orbicularis

Phaeophyscia nigricans

Physcia adscendens
Physcia caesia

Physcia tenella

Xanthoria calcicola

Xanthoria elegans

Xanthoria parietina

Mosses seen as at 6 February 2022:

Brachythecium rutabulum (probable: note the light coloured glossy branch tips) viz.

Grimmia pulvinata

Orthotricum affine (probable) viz.

Orthotricum diaphanum (probable: white hairpins clearly visible on the ends of the branch tips) viz.

Records have been submitted...