Photo: Bob Peat
We were getting quite worried in the recent very hot spell that there would be no plants to show visitors from The Wildflower Society coming to the above reserves (WTSWWW and National) this week so an initial recce visit three weeks ago to check things out brought the welcome news that these uplands were hanging on better than many lowland sites. Limestone habitats may be well-drained in general but they are also resilient in adverse weather it seems.
Carline Thistles are having a great year:
And we soon found this in a gryke on the limestone pavement:
Thalictrum minus, Lesser Meadow-rue
When the visiting botanists came we saw a lot more including:
Pimpinella saxifraga, Burnet-saxifrage
- which obviously enjoys hot spells if it has a little shelter and moisture.
And Tess found initially one very small Autumn Gentian in the quarry adjacent to Allt Rhongyr Reserve - later to become several as others searched around the quarry floor.
Up at the Limestone Pavement many eyes made for more sites being found for the rarities up there.
Galium sterneri, Limestone Bedstraw
Asplenium viride, Green Spleenwort
Very happy in its gryke (unlike its relatives in stone walls in the lowlands which are generally frazzled).
Melica nutans, Mountain Melick
About the only green grass up there - found by a WFS member (and missed on our recce).
The participants at the Melica nutans site. Picture by Peter Hilton, WFS.
Sanicula europaea, Sanicle
More usually a lowland plant of shady woodland habitats.
Meanwhile, Anne has been intrepidly spotting this apparently far from home plant up behind Pen-y-fan:
Silene uniflora, Sea Campion
But this plant actually doesn't know or care what humans call it and is happy with its native mountain habitat.
And I have been noticing that this:
Polygonum arenastrum, Equal-leaved Knotgrass
likes hot weather...
