Saturday 13 March 2021

More Flowers, few Birds

I think this is Sea Mouse-ear with four petals, 4 sepals and four styles. Confirmation or otherwise would be greatly appreciated. 

A quick sea-watch at dawn, from the raised beach huts, produced small numbers of Kittiwakes and Gannets, along with 3 Fulmars, 2 or 3 Great Northern Divers and 1 or 2 Common Scoters. Otherwise, off Mudbank just 8 Wigeon and 6 Red-breasted Mergansers with small numbers of Common Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving through.


Alexanders are popping up absolutely everywhere in Exmouth at the moment.

Could this be Cherry Plum?

Dog's Mercury

I'm assuming this is one of the Sedges? I found just the one plant on a shaded woodland bank.


Wood Anemone - frustrating to see this closed up but they're supposed to be common, so hopefully there will be plenty more to come...

Wood Spurge


I'm assuming these are flowers? A small pine species.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Matt,
    my book says 4 petals etc. [plus looking nicely 'sticky-hairy'] means Sea Mouse-ear, as the others all have 5.
    [Cue; someone who knows proper botany saying "Actually...." ;) ]
    All the best,
    Tom

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  2. Many thanks Tom - really good to get your thoughts and I'm sure you're right. Finding the flowers a real challenge but a very enjoyable one! All the very best. Matt

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  3. Matt your "sedge" looks like a Luzula sp- maybe L. pilosa? It's a rush rather than a sedge.

    Looks like Cherry Plum with greenish new shoots. Sepals should be reflexed but not visible to me here.

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  4. Thanks Neil - will look the rush up. I went back and they were reflexed so had reached the same conclusion (photos on my plant page). To show my ignorance it wasn't until this spring that I actually learned Cherry Plum existed - I've always assumed there was just Hawthorn and Blackthorn! Thanks as always for the comments. Best wishes. Matt

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