4/10/09: Thamesmead transients

Patches of relatively bare ground always attract my attention, in case soil disturbance has resulted in something out of the ordinary coming up - either from imported soil, or dormant seeds. There was one such area below the walkway from the Lesnes Abbey site into Thamesmead around the east end of Fendyke Rd and immediatly south of the railway line through Abbey Wood.

Patches of bare ground like this one in Thamesmead can turn up relatively unusual plants.

Amongst the flora of this site were Spotted Medick, a Common Stork's-bill, several Ox-eye Daisies, a couple of Weld, Lesser Swine Cress, three Feverfew, a few clumps of Horseradish, a Hemlock seedling, a white-flowered crucifer with a rather long, hooked end to the seed pod - probably descended from a cultivated variety of Radish - and a couple of rather succulent orache-type plants which I've yet to identify.

Who says 'weeds' aren't worth looking at? A Mayweed puts on a fine show doing a passable impression of a cushion chrysanthemum - which is exactly what it is, of course.

I also took another look at the disturbed area to the west side of the walkway by Wolvercote Rd. This time I secured my first record of Bugloss (Anchusa arvensis) in Bexley Borough - bulbous bases to the bristles, and white-eyed blue flowers with doubly bent corolla tubes.

Bugloss (Anchusa arvensis) by Wolvercote Rd, Thamesmead

In paving in a locked 'garden' area on Maran Way were several Galinsoga sp.

On Alsike Rd there were two female Hop plants on the railway fence, a Hemlock, Phragmites in a ditch by the railway line, Spotted Medick and Self Heal by some flats, a few Sun Spurge and more than ten Barbarea sp.

At the junction of Waldrist Way and Yarnton Way were several Ox-eye Daisies, Common Toadflax in flower and Buck's-horn Plantain.