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Medmenham – 28 July 2012

The weather was fine and cool, just right for a country walk.  24 members and guests met in Ferry Lane, Medmenham for a very varied walk, led by Chris Bucke, in an area dominated by the river Thames and by past human activity.  The first habitat encountered was water meadow.  A ditch right at the start of the walk provided a good show of Water Plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica) and the water meadow proved very species rich with Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) persisting later than expected, Marsh Valerian (Valeriana dioica), Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris) attracting particular attention.  The braver members of the party detected colonies of non-stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica).  Hobbies were noted hunting dragonflies and damselflies, apparently successfully.

There was an abrupt change of habitat on leaving the water meadow to a path with steep chalk cliff on one side and swampy areas to the other.  The latter were once part of pleasure grounds of the Danesfield Hotel and the area was dominated by alien species, at least three bamboos and planted trees and shrubs. It has a very fine colony of Loddon Lily (Leucojum aestivum) visible in the spring.  The chalk slopes had box (Buxus sempervirens) reproducing vigorously but the most conspicuous species was Hart’s Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) in great quantities.  Some of these had fronds that split into two at the tip.  The path climbed and passed through a tunnel to a shady area where there was a colony of Nettle-leaved Bellflower (Campanula trachelium) some of which were a very attractive white-flowered variant.  It emerged into species-rich dry chalk grassland.  This did not provide especial rarities but was very interesting because different areas seemed rich in different species: a large colony of Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis) attracted attention, as did Burnet Saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga) and Rest Harrow (Ononis repens), both of these apparently confined to particular areas.  The whole area was probably part of the pleasure grounds of the Danesfield Hotel so the different areas may have been subject to different cultural regimes in the past.

The party returned by the same route but most had the intense pleasure of walking through Suzanne Phillips’ lovely garden at Medmenham Mill.  Any tendencies to note the wild species in the garden were rapidly eliminated by the beauty and variety of the cultivated species.  This completed the pleasure of the afternoon and it is to be hoped that Suzanne will accompany us on other walks in the area in the future.

Report by Chris Bucke

Pictures by Rob Stallard

Plant species recorded:

Acer campestre Field Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus Sycamore
Achillea millefolium Yarrow
Aegopodium podagraria Ground-elder
Aesculus hippocastanum Horse-chestnut
Agrimonia eupatoria Agrimony
Alisma plantago-aquatica Water-plantain
Alliaria petiolata Garlic Mustard (in fruit)
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica
Apium nodiflorum Fool’s Water-cress
Asplenium scolopendrium Hart’s-tongue
Asplenium trichomanes Maidenhair Spleenwort
Brachypodium sylvaticum False Brome
Bryonia dioica White Bryony
Callitriche spec. Water-starwort
Caltha palustris Marsh-marigold (leaves only)
Calystegia sepium Hedge Bindweed
Campanula trachelium Nettle-leaved Bellflower (blue and white-flowered)
Carduus crispus Welted Thistle
Carex otrubae False Fox-sedge
Carex pendula Pendulous Sedge
Carex spicata Spiked Sedge
Castanea sativa Sweet Chestnut
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed
Centranthus ruber Red Valerian
Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse-ear
Chamerion angustifolium Rosebay Willowherb
Chelidonium majus Greater Celandine
Circaea lutetiana Enchanter’s-nightshade
Cirsium acaule Dwarf Thistle
Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle
Cirsium palustre Marsh Thistle (many white-flowered specimens)
Clematis vitalba Traveller’s-joy
Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed
Crepis capillaris Smooth Hawk’s-beard
Cymbalaria muralis Ivy-leaved Toadflax
Cynosurus cristatus Crested Dog’s-tail
Dryopteris filix-mas Male-fern
Epilobium hirsutum Great Willowherb
Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail
Eupatorium cannabinum Hemp-agrimony
Euphorbia amygdaloides Wood Spurge
Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet
Galium aparine Cleavers
Galium odoratum Woodruff
Galium verum Lady’s Bedstraw
Geranium dissectum Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill
Geranium pratense Meadow Crane’s-bill
Geranium pyrenaicum Hedgerow Crane’s-bill
Geranium robertianum Herb-Robin
Geum urbanum Wood Avens
Glechoma hederacea Ground-ivy
Hedera helix Ivy
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed
Holcus lanatus Yorkshire-fog
Humulus lupulus Hop
Hypericum calycinum Rose-of-Sharon
Hypericum hirsutum Hairy St John’s-wort
Hypericum tetrapterum Square-stalked St John’s-wort
Ilex aquifolium Holly
Impatiens capensis Orange Balsam
Impatiens parviflora Small Balsam
Iris foetidissima Stinking Iris
Juncus inflexus Hard Rush
Knautia arvensis Field Scabious
Lactuca virosa Great Lettuce
Lamium album White Dead-nettle
Lamiastrum galeobdolon Yellow Archangel
Lapsana communis Nipplewort
Lathyrus pratensis Meadow Vetchling
Lotus corniculatus Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil
Lychnis flos-cuculi Ragged-Robin
Lycopus europaeus Gipsywort
Lysimachia nummularia Creeping-Jenny
Lysimachia vulgaris Yellow Loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria Purple-loosestrife
Malva moschata Musk Mallow
Meconopsis cambrica Welsh Poppy
Melica uniflora Wood Melick
Melissa officinalis Balm
Mentha aquatica Water Mint
Mercurialis perennis Dog’s Mercury
Mycelis muralis Wall Lettuce
Myosotis arvensis Field Forget-me-not
Myosotis scorpioides Water Forget-me-not
Myosoton aquaticum Water Chickweed
Oenanthe crocata Hemlock Water-dropwort
Oenothera biennis Common Evening Primrose (planted)
Ononis repens Common Restharrow
Pentaglottis sempervirens Green Alkanet
Persicaria hydropiper Water-pepper
Petasites japonicus Giant Butterbur
Pimpinella saxifraga Burnet-saxifrage
Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain
Polypodium vulgare Polypody
Polystichum setiferum Soft Shield-fern
Potentilla anserina Silverweed
Prunella vulgaris Selfheal
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup
Reynoutria japonica Japanese Knotweed
Rhinanthus minor Yellow-rattle
Ribes rubrum Red Currant
Rubus fruticosus Bramble
Rumex sanguineus Wood Dock
Sambucus nigra Elder
Sanguisorba minor Salad Burnet
Scrophularia auriculata  Water Figwort
Senecio jacobaea Common Ragwort
Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle
Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow-thistle
Stachys officinalis Betony
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort
Stellaria graminea Lesser Stitchwort
Symphytum officinale Common Comfrey
Tamus communis Black Bryony
Typha latifolia Bulrush
Urtica dioica Common Nettle (some non-stinging populations)
Valeriana dioica Marsh Valerian
Veronica anagallis-aquatica Blue Water-speedwell
Veronica chamaedrys Germander Speedwell
Veronica filiformis Slender Speedwell
Viburnum opulus Guelder-rose
Vicia cracca Tufted Vetch
Vinca minor Lesser Periwinkle

Butterfly species:

Small Skipper
Large Skipper
Marbled White
Gatekeeper
Meadow Brown

Other insects:

Silver-ground Carpet moth
Roesel’s Bush-cricket

Lists prepared by Renee Grayer and Ricki Bull