Société Jersiaise Botany Section

Thurs 4th June
Somewhere in St Clement!
Last Thursday we met at a mostly gravelled parking area adjacent to an irrigation pond.
The few plants in the car park had not recovered from the drought and were pretty much dried out. Not a good start!

The grassy bank overlooking the pond was vibrant with Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris radicata) and Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) but much more interesting was the abundance of Small-flowered Crane's-bill (Geranium pussilum).
This species of Crane's-bill, with its tiny pale pink/lilac flowers is recorded infrequently across the island. It is fairly easy to separate from the Dove's-foot Crane's-bill (Geranium molle) which has larger flowers, stem hairs of mixed lengths and less divided leaf segments.

Other interesting finds were the Hare's-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense), White Mustard (Sinapis alba), Cut-leaved Dead-nettle (Lamium hybridum) and Fern-grass (Catapodium rigidum).

In total we recorded 103 species of wildflower - a fantastic result from a site which we had never thought to survey before!

TOMORROW 11th JUNE WE ARE MEETING AT ROZEL - IF YOU WISH TO JOIN US PLEASE MEET AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL AT 10.00.

Here is the impressive list;
Lysimachia arvensis Scarlet Pimpernel
Lotus subbiflorus Hairy Bird's-foot-trefoil
Trifolium dubium Lesser Trefoil
Polypogon viridis Water Bent
Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow-thistle
Hypochaeris radicata Cat's-ear
Veronica arvensis Wall Speedwell
Polygonum aviculare agg. Knotgrass
Senecio vulgaris Groundsel
Polycarpon tetraphyllum Four-leaved Allseed
Chenopodium album agg. Fat-hen
Gnaphalium uliginosum Marsh Cudweed
Solanum nigrum Black Nightshade
Matricaria chamomilla Scented Mayweed
Stellaria media s.s. Common Chickweed
Galium aparine Cleavers
Dactylis glomerata Cock's-foot
Malva sylvestris Common Mallow
Tanacetum parthenium Feverfew
Helminthotheca echioides Bristly Oxtongue
Papaver rhoeas Common Poppy
Geranium dissectum Cut-leaved Crane's-bill
Lepidium didymum Lesser Swine-cress
Geranium pusillum Small-flowered Crane's-bill
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup
Galinsoga quadriradiata Shaggy Soldier
Ceratochloa cathartica Rescue Brome
Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse-ear
Arabidopsis thaliana Thale Cress
Persicaria maculosa Redshank
Sagina apetala Annual Pearlwort
Oenanthe crocata Hemlock Water-dropwort
Papaver rhoeas Common Poppy
Salix cinerea Grey Willows
Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail
Prunella vulgaris Selfheal
Cyperus eragrostis Pale Galingale
Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain
Viola odorata Sweet Violet
Petasites pyrenaicus Winter Heliotrope
Taraxacum Dandelions
Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed
Cortaderia selloana Pampas-grass
Quercus robur Pedunculate Oak
Holcus lanatus Yorkshire-fog
Calystegia sepium Hedge Bindweed
Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane
Acer campestre Field Maple
Bellis perennis Daisy
Hedera hibernica Atlantic Ivy
Lotus corniculatus Common Bird's-foot-trefoil
Galium album Hedge Bedstraw
Ulmus glabra x minor x plotii = U. x hollandica Dutch Elm
Lotus pedunculatus Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil
Typha latifolia Bulrush
Stachys sylvatica Hedge Woundwort
Lonicera periclymenum Honeysuckle
Rumex sanguineus Wood Dock
Poa trivialis Rough Meadow-grass
Rubus fruticosus agg. Brambles
Hypericum tetrapterum Square-stalked St John's-wort
Jacobaea vulgaris Common Ragwort
Juncus bufonius s.s. Toad Rush
Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle
Cyperus longus Galingale
Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's-purse
Parietaria judaica Pellitory-of-the-wall
Persicaria amphibia Amphibious Bistort
Plantago major Greater Plantain
Euphorbia peplus Petty Spurge
Arctium minus s.s. Lesser Burdock
Medicago polymorpha Toothed Medick
Epilobium hirsutum Great Willowherb
Veronica persica Common Field-speedwell
Catapodium rigidum Fern-grass
Geranium molle Dove's-foot Crane's-bill
Trifolium arvense Hare's-foot Clover
Erodium moschatum Musk Stork's-bill
Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed
Vulpia myuros Rat's-tail Fescue
Valerianella carinata Keeled-fruited Cornsalad
Geranium rotundifolium Round-leaved Crane's-bill
Lamium hybridum Cut-leaved Dead-nettle
Lapsana communis Nipplewort
Sisymbrium officinale Hedge Mustard
Corylus avellana Hazel
Urtica dioica Common Nettle
Urtica urens Small Nettle
Artemisia vulgaris Mugwort
Chenopodiastrum murale Nettle-leaved Goosefoot
Sinapis alba White Mustard
Spergularia rubra Sand Spurrey
Sagina filicaulis Slender Pearlwort
Sambucus nigra Elder
Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle
Epilobium parviflorum Hoary Willowherb
Medicago lupulina Black Medick
Festuca rubra agg. Red Fescues
Populus Poplars
Crepis capillaris Smooth Hawk's-beard
Anisantha sterilis Barren Brome
Hordeum murinum Wall Barley
Fumaria capreolata subsp. capreolata White Ramping Fumitory

A serious misdemeanour ... where would our wildlife be without plants? In fact where would we be ...🤔

Please look after our wildlife during this dry weather!

Please remember during this hot weather to keep putting clean fresh water out for your garden birds every day while also keeping it topped up in the afternoons if necessary!

All birds will need to drink plenty throughout the day while also bathing at least once to keep themselves in great condition.
It’s also very important to remember to keep your water bowls and bird baths clean to stop any build up of harmful bacteria.

Photo of a Blue Tit having a bath by Alan Gicquel

Are you thinking of dropping in to see us at Le Noir Pré Orchid Meadows tomorrow (27th May)? 🌸

Due to the expected high temperatures again tomorrow 🔥🔥 we're moving the start time of this event from 9am - 12noon to avoid the strong heat of the day. There will be cool refreshments as our Rangers host an informal session inviting you to explore the orchids and other native plants who are thriving in this special habitat.

Visitors can wander through the meadow at their own pace, chat with our knowledgeable Rangers about the orchids in bloom, and discover the conservation work that helps protect this delicate site.

Parking available at Sands car park and remember your hat and a bottle of water!

We hope to see you there!

Chambard Allotments
Thursday 30th April
With some 28 days of drought many of the wildflowers were rather shrivelled up, but we still managed to record a staggering 102 species.
The majority of these were found in the area stretching from the Honesty Box to the end of the glass houses.

There were two stand out finds during the morning.
The first being Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba), which none of us had seen before. With tiny white flowers in large frothy clusters and toothed grey-green leaves, it certainly stood out.

The second was less obvious, being a tiny member of the pea family. The Smooth Tare (Vicia tetrasperma) is far less common than its close relative the Hairy Tare (Vicia hirsuta). I have only seen the former once before, whereas the ‘Hairy' version seems to be quite abundant around the island.

Thank you to Ros and all the allotment holders, we had a wonderful morning!

An easy one to find!

🌸✨ Plant of the day: Herb-Robert

A familiar and adaptable wildflower 🌿 Herb-Robert can be found in all sorts of places - from woodlands 🌳 and hedgerows to gardens 🏡 happily thriving wherever it settles.

Its flowers have five delicate petals 💗 while the leaves are deeply five-lobed 🍃 and sit on distinctive red-tinged stems. The stems are often slightly hairy, and if you bruise them, they release a strong and very recognisable scent 👃

It goes by a whole host of colourful nicknames, including Granny-Thread-the-Needle, Headache, and Hedge Lovers 😄🌿

23rd April
Last Thursday morning we met under clear blue skies and with a gentle breeze - we soon realised those extra layers of clothing were definitely not required!
The quarry area is very dry and much of the flora is struggling with the lack of rain. Along with the distraction of a pair of nesting Peregrine we were well over an hour recording the car park species.

Looking at my photos, it seems there were mainly pink flowers at this site, the majority being Crane’s-bill (Geranium) species - Herb-Robert, Little-Robin, Cut-leaved-Crane’s-bill, Rounded-leaved Crane’s-bill and Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill.
We spent some time separating these species by their different features.

The next challenge were two very similar Mallow plants growing close together, their flowers were both pale but again had distinctive differences. These were Dwarf Mallow and Cornish Mallow.

We happened upon small patches of a lush low-growing plant thriving in the gravel, which to our surprise proved to be the rare Sharp-leaved Fluellen (Kickxia elatine).

Our final challenge was to check on the Ivy Broomrape which grows in a perilous roadside position.
We were hoping to see short spikes breaking through the extra soil which has been dumped at the site. Needless to say, we were delighted to find two in full flower along with a few more plants finding their way to the surface.

We recorded a total of 123 species - another successful Thursday morning outing.💚

Red dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) is one of the earliest and longest flowering wild plants. Alongside dandelions, comfrey and wild cherry trees, it's valuable for wildlife. Here's everything you need to know about it:

🌸 Due to its extended season, it supports early queen bumblebees, solitary bees such as Andrena, Anthophora and Lasioglossum, as well as hoverflies that appear in mild winter spells. Early butterflies such as brimstones and small tortoiseshells also benefit from it.

🌸 It’s one of the few native plants that will flower in frosty weather, giving pollinators a lifesaving option during cold snaps.

🌸 Despite looking like a nettle, the plant has no stinging hairs, while its flowers have a shape perfect for short tongued bees, which often struggle with longer tubed spring blooms.

🌸 Red dead nettle’s ‘red’ comes from its young leaves, not the flowers. The flowers are pink-purple, but the upper leaves turn reddish purple, especially in cold weather. This pigmentation protects young leaves from UV and cold, attracts pollinators with visual contrast and helps regulate light absorption.

🌸 Part of the Lamiaceae family, it thrives in disturbed soils and is best planted on garden edges, allotments, farmland margins and pavement cracks.

Find out more about boosting biodiversity in your garden by growing red dead nettle: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/119100/lamium-purpureum/details

Thursday 12th February
An area near Anne's house in St Lawrence holds a premium site of Jersey Fern, one of our many protected plants.
In the whole of the British Isles, this small, annual fern is only found in Jersey and Guernsey where populations are highly vulnerable to the scraping of lane banks by passing traffic and to over-enthusiastic hedge/bank management.

In this area the Jersey Fern is doing well and is growing with the Liverwort, Targionia hypophilla with which it is often associated.

We delighted in the abundance of plants growing on the banque, which until you look closely seems rather uninteresting.
We also found here, Black Spleenwort, Maidenhair Spleenwort and Lanceolate Spleenwort, along with some tiny rosettes of the fragile Common Whitlowgrass.

We were fascinated to find galls on Sweet Violet and Fuchsia, which happily don't appear to have been impacted by the exceptionally wet weather...