Tuesday 9th July was supposed to be a visit to Askham Bog led by Alastair Fitter. But the double blow of atrocious weather and a family crisis for Alastair meant that this was cancelled, so instead a smaller group of us spent a couple of hours gently botanising at Staveley Nature Reserve.
The weather was dismal but not actually pouring rain, and our spirits were undimmed. We marvelled at the extraordinary height of the vegetation, a result of the warm wet summer – Lesser Burdock and Hogweed taller than a person, bordering grasses arching over to make a tunnel. But the prize specimen was the Great Lettuce which must have been at least 2 ½ metres high. There was a lovely diversity of flowers and some useful learning opportunities. In particular, we identified 9 different flowering members of the Apiaceae, including a massive chunky Angelica, delicate Pepper-saxifrage and the feathery wild carrot just beginning to open – Matt coined an appropriate term for it all – an ‘Umbellifest’! The usual search for Bee Orchid raised only one disconsolate specimen but there was a great show of Marsh Helleborines and we all enjoyed sniffing the Marjoram, feeling the leaves of Tufted Hair-grass and examining the sticky glands on Perennial Sow-thistle. And the icing on the cake was the serenade by a reeling Grasshopper Warbler heard by the tail end of the party.
Altogether, a lovely afternoon in great company and we felt we had retrieved the day.
Muff Upsall
