30/9/09: North Heath alleyway Ichneumon fly and fly-tipping

The Hengist Rd/Horsa Rd alley yielded a large and distinctive-looking Ichneumon fly with a long cream section half way down each antenna and a single cream spot on the thorax. A bit of web browsing suggests that this was Ichneumon suspiciosus, which parasitises butterflies and moths

A lot more rubbish had appeared since my last examination of these North Heath alleyways. This lot had been dumped all over a rather nice white-flowered lilac that I photographed earlier in the year.

I know it's not the Council's fault, but the local environment would be better served by a redeployment of personnel away from incessant grass-cutting and towards clearing up rubbish. In fact it's nearly always the case around here that when taller vegetation is cut back by Council, Utility or railway company contractors, they're very careful to leave all the newly exposed rubbish nicely in situ ...............

25/9/09: Sidcup

The usual array of species on the grassy bank behind Sidcup station's down platform on the approach road, such as Cow Parsley, Geum urbanum, Green Alkanet, Mugwort, Bristly Ox-tongue and Clematis vitalba.

A Greater Celandine was in flower by a derelicy building on Alma Rd. A Hop, Herb Robert and Pellitory-of-the-wall were in a garden on Birkbeck Rd.

22/9/09: Celery, Sea-blite and Old Father Thames

This post covers observations on Crayford Marshes on a route from Ray Lamb Way, through a path in the industrial estate out the River Darent and up past the flood gate to its confluence with the Thames.

On this occasion I was helping two members of the London Natural History Society, one of whom is a much better botanist than I am, and who had come here specifically to check on the continuing occurrence of various species that are rare within the London boundary for a new publication on the same. My talent, such as it is, is that I have seen enough in the flesh - or books - to be able to pick out from the general mass of vegetation, the odd things that might be more unusual, even if I don't know what they are.

Plants along Ray Lamb Way included this large clump of Tansy, White Melilot, Narrow-leaved Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens), what my learned companion said was Guernsey (not Canadian) Fleabane and False Fox Sedge in a ditch.

Spirit of the marshes - mud and bird footprints


Marsh plants on the river side of the sea wall included this Sea Plantain (above), Sea Aster, Sea Couch, Sea Arrow Grass, Sea Milkwort and Atriplex patula.

One of the plants we were trying to (re-)locate was Annual Sea-blite (Suaeda maritima), which we found (foreground, right) in distinctly pebbly/grainy mud right next to the Darent flood gate.

Here's a closer view - yes, it really was that red-purple in colour. Also in this rather variable area were two Ribbed Melilot, Hoary Mustard and Greater Sea Spurrey. Although largely hidden under a mat of rank grass, I noticed three plants of what we identified as Wild Celery. I also spotted a solitary Small Copper butterfly.

My companions from the London Natural History Society by the footpath bank just north of the flood gate, where there was an array of colour variants of the Sickle Medick x Lucerne hybrid (see separate posting). In the foreground is Goat's-rue. A bit further along were two patches of pink, semi-double-flowered Soapwort.

The River Darent enters the Thames, with Essex beyond. There were half a dozen Lapwings on the mud here, along with Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls.

Also seen were a male Common Blue and a Red Admiral.

Several plants were found that we could not identify, so samples were taken to run past various specialists.

10, 17 and 22/9/09: Kaleidoscope of colour from Crayford Marsh legumes

Three visits to Crayford Marshes, following the flood defence embankment along the Cray and Darent, threw up an array of Sickle Medick x Lucerne hybrids.

There was a range of purple-violets, amongst which there might have been some 'pure bred' Lucerne plants. But here are some pictures of the more extreme colour forms.

Presumed Sickle Medick, though no seed pods for a positive ID at this stage

Stunning deep red-purple flowered hybrid - looked near-black from a few feet away. There were three of these fairly close together.

Both the above were at the southern end of the marsh by the Cray, before the big spoil tips.

White-flowered hybrid with a touch of purple-violet in the more terminal flowers.


Lovely green-flowered hybrid with the more terminal flowers in purple-violet.

These latter two, along with a couple of pale yellow flowered specimens, were just north of the flood control gate on the River Darent, near its confluence with the Thames.

I don't know anything about the genetics of flower colour in these plants, but flower colour can be controlled by a multiplicity of genes, so I suppose it's conceivable that this range of flower colour could arise in first generation hybrids between the two species, especially if the genes are not completely dominant, as would appear to be the case with contrasting colours in the same flower cluster. But it seems more likely that the hybrids are themselves fertile and capable of interbreeding with each other and both parents. I'd hazard a guess and say that might be the route to the green flowered specimens.

At any rate, to my mind these would make very nice late-flowering ornamental plants for garden use, though one might need to grow a number of seedlings and retain the best colours.

20/9/09: Lesnes Abbey woods to Northumberland Heath - via Belvedere and Brook Street

More botanising along Bexley's highways and byways by means of another circuitous route home.

1 x Peacock butterfly on Buddleia in the Lesnes Abbey formal garden.

Several patches of Common Stork's-bill on shallow bank to west of store yard behind Visitor Centre.

Lots of Greater Celandine in flower along the Woolwich Rd margin of Lesnes Abbey Wood, from opposite houses No 99A/B to 105. Perennial Sow-thistle in garden of 270A. Adult Rosemary Beetle on Rosemary.

Buck's-horn Plantain and Spotted Medick in short grass just west of the top of New Rd.

Sheep's Sorrel in a garden in Burcharbro Rd and 4 escaped Feverfew by the pavement also.

Mouse-ear Hawkweed, White Campion and Greater Celandine in various gardens on Bedonwell Rd. Also this rather magnificent ivy-festooned Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia', something of a suburban tree that looks out of place in a rural setting, but I rather like it in the 'right' place:

Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Corydalis lutea, Black Horehound, Green Alkanet and also seedlings of Greater Celandine in Nuxley Rd, Belvedere, with more Mouse-ear Hawkweed and some Self Heal in grass at the junction with Grosvenor Rd. Yet more Mouse-ear Hawkweed in All Saints churchyard at the junction with Woolwich Rd/Erith Rd.

On the bank below the flats at the top (north end) of Brook St were Sheep's Sorrel, Gorse, Rosemary plants infested with Rosemary Beetle, a few patches of Sedum acre and Field Madder and several Dwarf Mallow.

Nothing of botanical note by the Streamway stream.

The Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Self Heal and Germander Speedwell, immediatly next to the Brook St retaining wall of the graveyard on the west side of the road, were all still present.

There was a 4 foot square patch of Common Calamint - with relatively large flowers - in short grass by the north east gate to Brook Street recreation ground.

20/9/09: Clearing silt from Conduit pond, Lesnes Abbey woods

This pond is gradually being 'reclaimed' from years of silting by Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers. An old picture shows it was once of a substantial size, but apparently the Council's modern 'health and safety' concerns are limiting the extent of restoration.

Since it does, at least, stay properly wet, despite a very dry summer, there was lots of waterlogged (thus heavy) mud, which had to be carted away up sloping ground so it couldn't be washed straight back in once it did rain. This made for a slow job - along with the frequent need to dig at a shallow angle to try and avoid 'holing' the clay layer keeping the water in. It didn't help that the clay wasn't at a consistent depth.

Not much in the way of animal life here at this point in time, but our efforts were presided over by a couple of Southern Hawker dragonflies.

This is the whole pond ......

'Close-up- showing some of the excavation, and the liquid nature of the mud. Angled branch was put in to provide a dragonfly perching point.

17/9/09: Slade Green station 'wild area'

On the way back from Crayford Marshes in the gathering gloom (see later post) I was able to get a quick look at the 'rough' on the recreation ground adjacent to the west side of Slade Green station, and north of Whitehall Rd.

There were some large burnt areas, presumably due to vandalism.

Flowers were pretty much over, but the seed heads of (probably Black) Knapweed and Wild Carrot remained. The usual suspects such as Horseradish and Mugwort were also present.

I'll have to have a proper look next summer.