Ravensthorpe

Saturday 31^st August 2019

Leader: Andrew Kafel

The walk was largely in Dewsbury Country Park and country lanes around the Greenway and Ponderosa Rare Breeds Farm. Dewsbury Country Park was opened in 2012 and was created on an old landfill site. The site has been grassed over and footpaths and cycle routes laid out. In addition, it has also been planted with a large number of trees to form the biggest new wood in the North of England.

11 Members met on the road next to Ravensthorpe Cemetery and set off down Burge Mill Lane to join route 66 on the Greenway. Some members couldn't wait to tuck into the blackberries that were growing in abundance. Just there we saw Black Poplar and Wild Cherry.

Then we headed down a trackway towards the Country Park and on this section we saw Dogwood (Andrew did his party trick splitting the leaf and leaving the latex holding the two parts of the leaf together). Also on this section we saw Bearded Couch Grass, White Poplar, Hybrid Willow (viminalis x cinerea), Californian Broom (an invader which is becoming more common), Large Bindweed and Hedge Bindweed growing together, Wormwood, Petrosedum, and a Hybrid St John's Wort (perforatum x maculatum) which caught Jesse's interest.

We turned into Park Road (just outside the Country Park) and saw Dwarf Elder which was sporting both flowers and berries. Andrew knew of two other places where this grows in our area. Also here were Japanese Crab Apple, Weld and Horseradish.

Next we entered the Country Park, crossed over Spen River and on some disturbed ground found Pale Persicaria, Redshank and Austrian Chamomile. We then went back across the bridge and followed the riverbank seeing Marjoram, Orange-berried Whitebeam, Balsam Poplar - Balm of Gilead (Populus × jackii) and Bird Cherry. We stopped for lunch just in time for the heavens to open and drench us all.

Following lunch, we took the track towards Ponderosa where we saw Fodder Birds-foot Trefoil. On the lanes around Ponderosa we saw Wood Sage, Greengage, Perennial Sowthistle and a very nice but unidentified Rose; Jesse took samples of this to identify at home.

We then entered a very overgrown path, Andrew leading the way with secateurs in hand. At the end of this exciting section we came out on the access road for Ponderosa and on here found Alder Buckthorn and Sharp-flowered Rush (Juncus acutiflorus).

Next we turned onto the Greenway and saw Scarlet Pimpernel, Two-rowed Barley and Agrimony. Turning away into fields near the Greenway there are three ponds and around these we found Water Mint, Water Forget-me-not, Gardner's Garters, and Andrew's Plant of the Day in flower: Gratiola. Also here were Peppermint and Fringed Water Lilly. On re-entering the Greenway, we came across Common Toadflax, Russian Vine, Common Mallow and Hare's Foot Clover.

At the end we applauded Andrew for the splendid walk in the usual way. It was surprising how many plants were discovered on the day, many more than mentioned in this text.

Text and photographs by Ian and Paula