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