US social scientist Kenneth Boulding : ‘If you believe exponential growth can go on in a finite world, you are either a madman or an economist’.

Sunday, 8 August 2010

8/8/10: Jersey Tiger, Dark Mullein - New Cross park

Another of my indirect routes home after an LNHS meeting took me (somewhat randomly) to Fordham Park, New Cross - in the Borough of Lewisham - which is currently being re-developed.

The area by Childeric Rd, slated to be a wildlife zone, was covered with dense stands of tall Goosefoot species, but threw up this Jersey Tiger - a moth increasingly found in the capital (I saw two last year). Apologies for the poor picture quality, but it's good enough to show that's what it was .....

Amongst various common weeds of south east London, including Black Horehound, Yarrow, Hedge Mustard, Knotgrass and Black Medick were Woody Nightshade, Sun Spurge, Hemlock and the less frequently seen Field Pennycress.

I have yet to identify the above, which didn't appear to be sappy regrowth from pre-existing shrubs which had been cut down to the ground.

The best botanical find was this Dark Mullein (Verbascum nigrum), my first (apparently) non-planted find in London - though I have seen it in a Bexley Council flower bed, so you never know .... It had a specimen of the bug Liocoris tripustulatus on it.

There was also a Stinking Iris outside the park fence.

1 comment:

  1. I get those Jersey Tiger Moths in my back garden.

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