Monday, May 12, 2014

More flowers

The white clover does not seem to be doing quite so well and it has left space for a plant of goosegrass (Galium aparine), first recorded in WBX a couple of years ago.

DSCN3140 WBX goosegrass

There was also another herb robert (Geranium robertianum) a white one this time (for the dark pink ‘normal’ variety see 22nd April).  The plants in WBX and about the garden produce either the dark pink flowers, or the white ones: I have never found pale pink intermediates.

DSCN3103

While examining the new found hazel, I noticed what I thought was a small brown lacewing (just below the curve on the right and opposite the leaf stalk in the picture below).  On closer inspection it turned out to be the bud scale of something, blown off a tree in the recent strong winds no doubt.

DSCN3176

I am still baffled as to how this baby hazel came to occupy its current position on top of the sallow log, but suspect the shoot must have thrust itself right up through the wood and the nut was probably buried under, or very near, the base of the log.

2 comments:

Leau said...

Hi Patrick, did you set this up and strictly leave it alone or do you remove totally dominating plants?

Patrick Roper said...

Generally I leave the plants alone. There are, however, several sallows (Salix spp.) and I coppice these back each year.

Removal of plants is only very occasionally necessary (or something I feel I want to do in order to maximise biodiversity as naturally as possible.