5/9/10: Barnet botanising - checking out Colindale captures (un)Common Calamint

An LNHS meeting in Colindale, London Borough of Barnet, led by BMNH botanist Mark Spencer.

Mark is leading on the new Flora of London project (the last ran from 1966 to 1976), and the purpose of the visit was to get more records from a poorly-studied area that is within his own recording patch.

There was quite a big turnout, and by doing my usual thing of hanging off the back and side of the main group I found quite a few of the more interesting things that might otherwise have been missed including Stone Parsley (Sison amomum), Slender Trefoil (Trifolium micranthum) and Common Stork's-bill. Also Water Soldier (though this latter will have been put in the pond in Rushgrove Park deliberately). There was what I felt to be a disproportionate amount of interest the Swine Cress (Coronopus squamatus) I discovered hidden under some overhanging branches here - but apparently it's infrequent in north London.

Mark himself was excited by the Common Calamint (Clinopodium ascendens) I spotted in a front lawn on Colindeep Rd., because he says it's very uncommon in this part of London that was Middlesex, and various members started taking photos of it (luckily the residents didn't come out to ask what on earth was going on ....).

Later I went up to Edgware and Burnt Oak on my own and found a young Milk Thistle outside Burnt Oak Library in what appeared to be recently (re-)sown grass and a Wall Rue fern (Asplenium ruta-muraria) in the Watling Rd. railway bridge brickwork (pictures below).



There was a Little Egret in the Silk Stream near the Colindeep Road bridge, and a Long-winged Conehead cricket in Rushgrove Park.

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.

3/8/09: Barnehurst and Bexleyheath botany

Knopper Galls on Pedunculate Oak on the north edge of Bursted Wood indicates that there is a Turkey oak nearby, as the gall wasp responsible needs both species.

Dogs Mercury was noted by the south east corner of Bursted Wood school field, where a Fox was out and about in daylight following the hedge line.

Within the hospital grounds here was a small patch of Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum), which I've so far only found in small amounts in a few scattered loactions in the north west of Bexley Borough.

There was a plant of Black Nightshade in Lavernock Rd.

A number of Robinia pseudoacacia saplings were growing under a hedge in the graveyard of St. John's, Bexleyheath.

The usual assemblage of plants for closely mown grass was in evidence aroound the youth club at the junction of Oakhouse/Highland/Albion Rds, including Buck's-horn Plantain, along with some 'relics' of cultivation such as Sedum (probably album) and Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias). There were 3 White Campion. Also Hoary Cress in a nearby shrub bed.

If I'm to add to my lists and make them more comprehensive for given sites, I need to get my head around Compositae. So I got the book out on some tall, distinctive-looking specimens on a 'raised bed' on the south side of Albion Rd. There were several plants, and they were identified as Perennial Sow-thistle (Sonchus arvensis).

Perennial Sow-thistle, Albion Rd, Bexleyheath.

There were a couple more on Watling Street, outside the former Woolwich Building Society premises. There was a single specimen of Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) in flower on the Erith Rd side, a species that appears to be infrequent hereabouts.

A mosaic-variegated Sycamore sapling was growing out of the hedge round Gravel Hill Primary School (I saw another in a hedge round Russell Park some weeks ago)

Spotted Medick was amongst the species in the grass verge on Epsom Close, and there were two specimens of Sun Spurge on the 'island' in Midfield Parade, Barnehurst. A heather, in flower, was growing out of a split old sack of compost (presumably peat) outside the hardware shop here.

Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia) was noticed in flower in a lawn on Hillingdon Rd, only my third or fourth record in the Borough of Bexley.

I'd recorded the Himalayan Balsam in a front garden by the path off Northall Rd to Barnehurst station last year, but the collapse of the brick wall since now revealed Common Calamint, a couple of plants of which had now seeded into the wall/tarmac crack along the edge of the public side of the path. This is my second record of the species after finding a few in Martens Grove recently.

6/7/09: Through Bexleyheath and Martens Grove

There was a very late flower head of Alexanders at the top of the railway cutting by the path from Bursted Woods past the hospital site. All other specimens have died right back.

The Hare's-foot Clover by the end of Albion Road is doing well:


I get the distinct impression that Starlings have been making a bit of a comeback in these parts in the last couple of years. I counted (fairly accurately) 132 on the 'central tower' and 'netting' on the roof of The Mall, Broadway.

There were tens of adult Rosemary Beetles on Rosemary plants by the former Woolwich Building Society premises on Watling Street. These alien beetles also chew up Lavender, and are now frequent in the area.

A single specimen of Aaron's Rod (Verbascum thapsus) was noted behind the fence round a disused car park past the 'Coach House' pub. I've seen the odd specimen here and there in Barnehurst, but it's not common hereabouts.

Buck's-horn Plantain was in the grass outside flats at 74 Watling St.

Martens Grove:

I hadn't been here for years, never mind botanised the place. In fact the last time I passed through, I was out on a long run - more than 15 years ago.

There was a large amount of Lesser Swine Cress in the gutter of the approach path opposite Park Grove.

Good variety of trees, some no doubt planted, including Pedunculate Oak, Sessile Oak, Silver Birch, Cherry, Hornbeam, Sweet Chestnut, Ash and Spindle.

I was pleased to find a heathy ridge with several Broom, Bracken and Silver Birch.


This bank, where there has been some slippage, shows the thin layer of organic matter overlying sand that is a common feature of the area, including my garden, and the large number of rounded stones in the ground. Some Wood Sage was growing above.


The most interesting species finds were:


Common Calamint (Clinopodium ascendens), a new Bexley record for me, mainly growing in and at the foot of a substantial retaining wall. Said to be locally frequent in the south of England, rare to the north.


Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus). Uncommon, though these days quite often seen in amenity plantings. No way of knowing if this got here 'naturally' or is a garden escape. There were no other specimens around, but it wasn't far from some gardens. What appear to be leaves are, in fact, flattened stems.

There was also a modest patch of Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), with its pungent, somewhat unpleasant leaf scent, and light beetroot-purple flowers. This was a bit of a weed on one of my Bristol allotments, but seems fairly infrequent in these parts. I've also found a small amount of it behind the 'up' platform at Barnehurst railway station.