Wednesday 27 August 2014

Hart's Tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium) Variant: Ramosum

I found this unusual Hart's Tongue Fern today on Hutton Roof Common
It was nice to find this unusual Hart's Tongue fern today and I have already had it confirmed by Alec that it is a variant called "Ramosum".

It was great to see lots of Spotted Flycatchers in Dalton, between the top of the lower crags to include the area from where the charcoal burners used to be and all the way across to the entry with the upper Dalton Crags area or the start of the "deforested" areas. Most of the birds where immatures but also a few parent birds present.  (probably a dozen or more in total).  The date almost ties in with previous sightings of this species whilst on their annual passage through Dalton Crags.


Autumn Gentian or Fellwort
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Then it was nice to check out the Autumn Gentian (or Fellwort) which is on the Common in several areas.  This year there are two plants within 18" of one another and one of the plants is shown here (left) and of the usual regular purple colour, whilst the other plant the flowers are white. This seems to happen quite a lot up here were they will come up one colour or the other.

Not far from the Fellwort I was lucky enough to find even more of the special fern called the Southern Polypody (or Polypodium Cambricum). As usual it was down a shallow gryke with some six spaced out fronds, all of which would have been between 4" to 6" in length and of delta shape. 


Hypericum Montanum
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Also today checking out some (new to me pavement) which I have never had chance before to investigate, but today found the time and listed several good (but gone over) Epipactis Helliborines.  But the star attraction today just had to be some "Hypericum Montanum" or the Pale St John's Wort which has become very rare these days around these parts.  Obviously the plant was well over, but you could still see lots of reasonable clues.

Besides making notes of gps readings for Angular Solomon's Seal, Epipactis Helliborines, Spring Sandwort, it was really interesting to find some of the fabulous Hypericum androsaemum or perhaps better known as Tutsan within the Dalton Crags area and here below is a photo of it showing its much reddened leaves.


Tutsan found in Dalton Crags