Rare plants and reservoirs

On Tuesday I joined Jon and Stephen to look for Serrated Wintergreen at Craig Cerrig-gleisiad. I needed their experience and expertise as it is tricky to find in an environment requiring great care:

Be assured we were careful but it was exhausting and it wasn't until we had almost given up that Stephen found it and cautiously took us to it:

Orthila secunda, Serrated Wintergreen somewhat past its best.

It's good to confirm it is still there as it is the only site in Breconshire - or indeed for some area around. This year has been a difficult one for predicting flowering - with many species late and this one early as it turned out.

Stephen Marshall also photographed some other choice plants in the area:

 Parsley fern, Cryptogramma crispa

 Welsh Stonecrop, Sedum forsterianum

Lesser Meadow-rue, Thalictrum minus

Then on Thursday several of us joined Steph on the hottest day of the week for a rewarding continuation of the ongoing examination of the south end of Talybont reservoir. It was a great day for plants with many unexpected ones turning up on the banks of the stream flowing into the reservoir - no doubt because it was bringing limestone influenced water down from above.

See the pictures:

Amphibious Bistort where the Caerfanell enters the reservoir

Small Cudweed

Skullcap - the bigger relative of last week's Lesser Skullcap

Carline Thistle

Upland Enchanter's Nightshade

and finally

... a Foxglove with a serious growth anomaly...