Revisiting the backup plan

One of the excursions for the recent AGM Meeting involved scaling Cribyn and Pen y Fan and, given the weather history of the Brecon Beacons, there needed to be a backup plan for this one. In the event the day was glorious and many interesting species were seen at around 800m altitude on the steep cliffs.

So yesterday the botany group went to see the backup: meadows within woodland on the banks of the Nant Sere lower down the valley - the Sere rises on Pen y Fan.

We spent a lot of the time in a clearing which obviously is often very wet indeed. Yesterday it was still very damp but the tussocks were more of an impediment to progress than the water.

The highlight was probably a good population of:

Meadow Thistle, Ysgallen y ddôl or Cirsium dissectum

What we first spotted was these distinctive seed heads but when we go to the area there were plenty of the flowers as well as shown above.

There were few places suitable for lunch but we found one.

Sneezewort, Ystrewlys or Achillea ptarmica

Thanks to Sue for most of the pictures - only the one with her in it and the flower head of Meadow Thistle are mine.