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Would you like to see your surroundings with fresh eyes wherever you walk? The more plants you can recognise, the more rewarding walking becomes. Improve your identification skills by joining the Botany group. None of us are experts – we are all learning and help each other. We visit various nearby places rich in wild flowers. Our 2024 visits summary below gives a flavour (with our Hexton chalk pit visit pictured here).
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Next Botany Group site visit:
Aston Clinton Ragpits (near Tring): Monday 2 June at 2 pm
Members can contact Graham for more information via the envelope icon at the top of the page.
Our 2024 site visits are described below
The full list can be found here
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January: Apsley churchyard and nearby streets
A few of us took part in the New Year Plant Hunt, a national event for four days around 1 January, seeking and recording plants in flower. We found 18 plants in flower, including Musk-mallow (pictured).
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May: College Lake (near Tring)
The Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust (HMWT) has set an area aside here for arable plants. These are plants which have adapted to growing alongside crops in fields: once widespread, but now increasingly rare because of modern farming methods. Most of them were new to us such as Field Cow-wheat, Thoro-wax, Weasel's-snout, Pheasant's-eye (pictured).
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June: Hexton chalk pit (between Barton-le-Clay and Hitchin)
Though further north than Luton, this nature reserve lies within Hertfordshire. It is one of the HMWT's prize sites, with a wide range of chalk grassland plants. Plants seen included Salad Burnet, Common Eyebright, Fairy Flax, Common Milkwort, Bee Orchid, Common Rock-rose, Sainfoin, Kidney Vetch and Common Twayblade (pictured).
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July: Towpath of Aylesbury arm of Grand Union Canal
We found a remarkable variety of wild flowers along this towpath: including Bur-reed (both Branched and Unbranched), Monkeyflower, Welted Thistle and Skullcap (pictured).
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August: Hilfield Park Reservoir (between Bushey Heath & Letchmore Heath)
This unusual site, a mothballed Affinity Water reservoir, is managed by the HMWT as a nature reserve. It is also unusual in not being open to the public. We were fortunate to be shown around by the reserve manager. Plants seen included Mint (both Corn and Water), Hoary Ragwort (distinct from Common Ragwort), Sneezewort, Water Plantain and the unusual Sulphur Cinquefoil (pictured).
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September: Leavesden Country Park
Three Rivers DC manages this site both for public recreation and for wildlife. Plants seen included White Bryony, Wild Carrot, Smooth Hawksbeard, Stone Parsley, Meadow Vetchling and Black Nightshade (pictured).
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October: New Road area, Croxley Green
We again tried looking for wild flowers in a built-up area (surprisingly rich in wild flowers, probably because of the higher temperature and greater shelter).Plants seen included Greater Celandine, Fat Hen, Canadian Fleabane (the most abundant of all), Fox-and-cubs, Canadian Goldenrod, Scarlet Pimpernel, Welsh Poppy, Ivy-leaved Toadflax (pictured) .
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