Xanthoparmelia pulla on the Sea Wall beside the Thames close to Blackfriars Bridge

We had previously seen a number of dull brown Lichens on the Sea Wall beside the Thames close to Blackfriars Bridge. And assumed they were dried up Lichens (see below).

But they aren't. They are Xanthoparmelia pulla Lichens and that is their natural appearance.

They were identified by John Skinner, the Lichen Recorder for the London Natural History Society. He says, 'I can find no other records of this from London for ever. In fact, if you look at the distribution map for it on the BLS website you will see how rare it is in south east England'.

Prickly Lettuce beside the Thames Path

We hadn't realised until a recent local Wildflower' Walk along the Thames Path, that Prickly Lettuce can have both lobed and un-lobed leaves viz.

We had probably seen the different leaves before but without noticing them? 

Unknown to us, people were asked (during 2020) to send mature seeds of both to michaelpw22@hotmail.com who is/was investigating any differences between them.

There are twenty-one plants growing together beside the Thames Path, of which five are lobed.

If we manage to collect seeds we shall ask if he is still interested in receiving some.

PS... we recall seeing lots of Prickly Lettuce growing close to the Lesser Calamint in Lesnes Abbey Park and if it still there, we must see if any plants have lobed leaves.

National Insect Week

We joined a Nature Walk on the Crossness Nature Reserve. A wet start to the day but it brightened up just as we got going. Although the focus was on Insects, it being National Insect Week, we looked at all and anything. As such, we noticed a number of Bindweed flowers with patterned holes viz.

Subsequent enquiries identified the Caterpillar of the Common Plume Moth as the probable culprit.

Insect-wise, species identified included:

Andrena species (Bee)

Bombus pratorum (Bee)

Buff/White-Tailed Bumblebee

Honey Bee

Megachile ligniseca (Bee)

Comma Butterfly

Large Skipper Butterfly

Speckled Wood Butterfly

Unidentified White Butterfly

Flea Beetle

Red Soldier Beetle

Swollen-Thighed Flower Beetle

Weevil species

Eristalis tenax (Hoverfly)

Eristalis species (Hoverfly)
Tropidia scita (Hoverfly)

Blue-Tailed Damselfly

7-Spotter Ladybird

The Upper Bedon Stream: Wild Flowers

The spring-fed Upper Bedon Stream runs in the open from around TQ490788 to around TQ496780 before disappearing underground. We understand it enters the Thames somewhere in the Erith area.

We have long wanted to conduct an exhaustive Wild Flower' Survey of the immediate surrounding area and think the time has come. We found Ivy Broomrape growing beside the Stream during July-2019 viz. 

And last year, we saw Watercress for the first time (making a comeback after previously being recorded and then seemingly disappearing) viz. 

Wild Flower' species seen as of 18 June: 

Alexanders

Annual Meadowgrass

Annual Mercury

Black Horehound

Bristly-Oxtongue

Brooklime

Buck's-Horn Plantain

Cleavers

Cock's-Foot

Common Bramble

Common Chickweed

Common Mallow

Common Mouse-Ear

Common Nettle

Common Ragwort

Common Vetch

Cow Parsley

Creeping Buttercup

Creeping Thistle

Daisy

Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Dwarf Mallow

Garlic Mustard

Goat's-Beard

Greater Plantain

Green Alkanet

Hedgerow Crane's-Bill (white)

Hogweed

Horsetail

Ivy Broomrape (now seen growing on the other side of the Stream)

Lesser Celandine

Meadow Buttercup 

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

New Zealand Pygmyweed

Primrose

Red Dead-Nettle

Reflexed Stonecrop

Ribwort Plantain

Sheep's Sorrel

Shepherd's-Purse

Sow-Thistle

Spear Thistle

Spotted Medick

Sweet Violet

Tufted Vetch

Watercress

White Bryony

White Dead-Nettle

and Yellow Iris

We return to the Field with 'No Name': the one beside Welling Way and East Rochester Way

We visited once during July-2020 and hadn't returned since. But we wondered if there might be Marbled White Butterflies present so back we went and indeed, they are present viz.

At least two, since we saw them at the same time. But probably no more than three: if that.

Other Butterfly species identified: Large Skipper, Large White, Meadow Brown and Small Skipper. Plus a Burnet Companion Moth.

Wild Flower species seen included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Broad-Leaved Everlasting Pea

Cock's-Foot

Common Bramble

Common Knapweed

Common Ragwort

Common Sorrel

Creeping Thistle

Hogweed

Lesser Stitchwort

Mugwort

Ribwort Plantain

Smooth Tare

Tufted Vetch

White Clover

and Yorkshire Fog

Wild Flowers and Butterflies in the New Woolwich Cemetery (the RB of Greenwich)

Wild Flower species seen included:

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Biting Stonecrop

Black Medick

Bristly Oxtongue

Buck's-Horn Plantain

Caucasian Stonecrop

Common Fumitory

Common Knapweed

Common Ragwort

Cock's-Foot

Common Mallow

Daisy

Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Fat Hen

Field Bindweed

Green Alkanet

Hedge Crane's-Bill

Herb Robert

Hoary Mustard

Hop Trefoil

Knotgrass

Lady's-Bedstraw

Lesser Swine-Cress

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

Oxeye Daisy

Red Clover

Red Dead-Nettle

Red Valerian

Ribwort Plantain

Round-Leaved Crane's-Bill

Selfheal

Sow-Thistle

Spear Thistle

Spotted Medick

White Clover

White Stonecrop

and Yarrow

Plus, we saw our first Marbled White Butterfly and Essex Skipper Butterfly of the year viz.

To Scadbury Park (the LB of Bromley) to look for Butterflies and Moths

Sadly, a bit of a washout. Almost the whole of the area where we last looked for Butterflies and Moths is now covered in tall grass: 

Nevertheless, we saw a few viz. 

a Holly Blue Butterfly 

(at least) two Meadow Brown Butterflies

a Small Skipper Butterfly viz.

a Speckled Wood Butterfly

and two Burnet Companion Moths

but we don't think we will be going back.

We contented ourselves in the main in looking for Wild Flowers: species seen included:

Annual Meadow-Grass

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Cleavers

Cock's-Foot

Common Ragwort

Common Sorrel

Common Vetch

Creeping Buttercup

Creeping Cinquefoil

Creeping Thistle

Dandelion

Field Bindweed

Garlic Mustard

Germander Speedwell

Goat's-Beard

Greater Celandine

Greater Plantain 

Green Alkanet

Hedge Mustard

Hedge Woundwort

Herb Robert

Hogweed

Lesser Stitchwort

Lesser Trefoil

Meadow Buttercup

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

Pineappleweed

Prickly Sow-Thistle

Red Clover

Ribwort Plantain

Selfheal

Spear Thistle

White Clover

Wood Avens

and Yorkshire Fog

And finally, we are told these are probably Sawflies:

After stepping off the Bus to go to the Southern Erith Marsh via the Gate in Waldrist Way we found some Knotted Hedge-Parsley on one of the (regularly mown) Grass Verges: prompting us to see what else we could find. We had previously seen Common Stork's-Bill before but none was to be seen today.

Nevertheless, we found twenty-five plus Species in all (including more Knotted Hedge-Parsley) viz.

Annual Meadow-Grass

Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Black Medick

Bristly Oxtongue

Buck's-Horn Plantain

Cock's-Foot

Common Mallow

Common Mouse-Ear

Creeping Cinquefoil viz.

Creeping Thistle

Daisy

Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Field Bindweed

Field Madder

Hedge Mustard

Knotted Hedge-Parsley viz.

Meadow Buttercup

Red Poppy

Ribwort Plantain

Scarlet Pimpernel viz.

Selfheal viz.

Spear Thistle

Spotted Medick

Wall Barley

White Clover

and Yarrow

Wild Flowers in the Grounds of All Saints' Belvedere

After collecting and delivering the flowers (thirteen years on 9 June) we looked for Wild Flowers. Despite the somewhat rigorous mowing regime we found quite a few including:

Black Medick viz.

Clustered Clover viz.

Cock's-Foot

Common Mouse-Ear

Day Dandelion

Dove's-Foot Crane's-Bill

Field Madder

Green Alkanet

Hart's-Tongue Fern

Herb Robert

Lesser Trefoil

Maidenhair Spleenwort

Mouse-Ear Hawkweed

Petty Spurge

Ribwort Plantain

Sow-Thistle

White Clover

Willowherb sp. viz.

and Wood Avens

Seaweed locally

We think it quite extraordinary that we have Seaweed growing locally viz. beside the Thames. And of course, with the River being tidal, we can often smell the Sea!

A photograph taken during our Walk on Friday reminded us that a few years ago we had intended to see what different Seaweed' species we could find locally. Like lots of things, almost immediately forgotten! 

We initially thought the Seaweed in the picture below (lower right) keeping company with the Sea Milkwort &c. to be Bladder Wrack:

But we read that Bladder Wrack is often found with Egg Wrack (which can apparently live for decades) and which looks similar to Bladder Wrack although the fronds of Egg Wrack seem to be generally narrower that those of Bladder Wrack: both have distinctive air bladders and it seems that for Bladder Wrack, they are often in pairs. We wonder if both Wracks are present in the picture? As if we didn't have enough to worry about already!

Next time we are down by the Thames we shall take lots of Seaweed' pictures to see what we can find...

A Wild Flower' Walk

We arranged a Wild Flower' Walk via Twitter: just four of us but our number included a proper Botanist. 

Meeting beside the Church of St John the Baptist, Erith, we walked down Church Manorway to the Footpath linking it to the Thames Path: where we walked a few hundred yards upstream before turning round and walking back along the Thames Path to Corinthian Manorway.

Wild Flower' species seen included:

Musk Stork's-Bill

Knotted Hedge-Parsley

Round-Leaved Crane’s-Bill

Wall Barley

Ribwort Plantain

Bristly Oxtongue

Dove’s-Foot Crane’s-Bill

Narrow-Leaved Ragwort

Common Bramble

Wild Mignonette

Oxtongue Hawkweed

Black Medick

White Melilot

Sow-Thistle

Creeping Cinquefoil

Goat’s-Beard

Common Field-Speedwell

Hedge Mustard

Common Mallow

Bird’s-Foot Trefoil

Potentilla sp.

Perennial Wall Rocket

Lucerne (possible)

Water Bent

Ribbed Melilot (probable)

Fiddle Dock viz.

Purple Toadflax

Yarrow

White Campion

Dandelion

Buddleia

Daisy

Mugwort

Groundsel

Cock’s-Foot

Common Mouse-Ear

Ivy Broomrape viz.

Red Poppy

Yorkshire Fog

Green Alkanet

White Clover

False Oat-Grass

Oxford Ragwort

Field Bindweed

Curled-Leaved Dock

Common Knapweed

Grey Field-Speedwell

Wall Speedwell

Spear Thistle

Wild Radish

White Dead-Nettle

Tufted/Hairy Vetch

Prickly Lettuce (including the lobe-leaved variety)

Mayweed (Scented?)

Lesser Swine-Cress

Fennel

Goat’s-Rue

Shepherd’s-Purse

Hedgerow Crane's-Bill

White Campion

Herb Robert

Creeping Thistle

Scarlet Pimpernel

Giant Hogweed

Lesser Stitchwort

Hoary Cress

Sea Aster

Sea Beet

Sea Couch Grass

White Stonecrop

Biting Stonecrop

Sea Plantain viz.

Lesser Sea-Spurrey viz.

Bladder Wrack Seaweed (assumed)

Sea Milkwort viz.

English Scurvygrass

Sea Arrowgrass

Hemlock Water Dropwort viz.

Sea Club Rush

Spear-Leaved Orache

Golden-Samphire viz. 

Sand Lucerne

White Bryony viz.

Bladder Campion

Black Horehound

Pellitory-of-the-Wall

Bittersweet

and Wood Avens

Bird species seen included:

Canada Goose

Kestrel

Linnet

Mallard

Oystercatcher

and Shelduck

Butterfly' species seen: Common Blue, Holly Blue and Small White...