Buckden

Thursday 15th August 2024

Leader: Bruce Brown

This was a joint meeting with the Wharfedale Naturalists’ Society. Despite the very wet weather, we saw a good diversity of limestone-loving plants and enjoyed some classic Yorkshire Dales scenery. We certainly tested our waterproof clothing to it’s limit today.

In flower on the grassy slopes just above the car park were Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum), Wild Thyme (Thymus drucei) and Mouse-ear-hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum). Also here, but past flowering, were Crosswort (Cruciata laevipes), Thyme-leaved Sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia) and Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia). As we headed into the rough grassland to the west of Buckden Beck, we took a close look at Welted Thistle (Carduus crispus) which was dotted about. Bruce explained how he distinguishes it from the similar-looking Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre). One of the most useful features is that the outer bracts which surround the flowerhead, project outward for much of their length in Welted Thistle, whereas these bracts are shorter and more closely pressed to the flowerhead in Marsh Thistle. If you have seedheads, you can also check to see if the pappus (i.e. the down or fluff attached to the seeds) is feathery or not. Welted Thistle is in the genus Carduus, which all have simple un-branched pappus hairs, whereas Marsh Thistle is in the genus Cirsium which have feathered pappus hairs (i.e. the hairs have side branches along their length).

Nearby, Bruce identified Whorled Mint (Mentha x verticillata) which is the relatively common hybrid between Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) and Corn Mint (Mentha arvensis). The flowers are bunched in neat rounded pom-poms in the leaf axils (unlike Water Mint which has the flowers at the very top of the stems rather than down in the leaf axils). The green calyx teeth, which surround the pale lilac petals, are about about twice as long as wide (in Corn Mint the calyx teeth are about as long as they are wide).

Venturing to the east side of the beck by picking our way carefully across the shallow water, we found a display of Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga). Here too were the gone-over, but still recognisable, flower stems of Blue Moor-grass (Sesleria caerulea), Heath-grass (Danthonia decumbens) and Meadow Oat-grass (Helictochloa pratensis). In flower in the wet ground by the stream were the blue flowers of Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga). Other good finds included Long-stalked Yellow-Sedge (Carex lepidocarpa) and Brittle Bladder Fern (Cystopteris fragilis).

Re-crossing the beck, we began following the beck uphill, soon finding Dove's-foot Crane's-bill (Geranium molle) and, on a rocky outcrop, Parsley-piert (Aphanes arvensis). We took advantage of a short respite in the weather (where it rained lightly rather than heavily!) to eat our lunch at the side of the path. Good finds after lunch included Pyrenean Scurvygrass (Cochlearia pyrenaica), Bird's-eye Primrose (Primula farinosa) and Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris).

The weather became increasingly squally, lashing us with horizontal rain, making botanical recording a little difficult! Two of our party of ten decided enough was enough and sensibly made their way down to the warmth of The Buck Inn, back near our starting point in Buckden. The rest of us valiantly continued, including Clare who said her wellies had begun filling with rainwater.

Alan added to our plant list by finding Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa) and Spring Sandwort (Sabulina verna), both of which had tiny white flowers, the latter having characteristic pink/purple anthers. We added numerous other plants to our species list and, upon reaching a pretty waterfall, where a group photo was taken, we began retracing our steps. Such was the diversity of the plants, we had walked less than half a kilometre from the car park. Nyree re-found the single plant of flowering Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella) for me, which I’d missed on our way up (I’d been busy with the difficult task of wielding an umberella in the wind to photograph the Scurvygrass). We also found another couple of gentians, less obvious as they were only in bud. We added to the list further, by returning a slightly different way, via quiet lanes. Plants here included fresh new leaves of Polypody (probably Polypodium vulgare), Astrantia (Astrantia major) and Good-King-Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus). Back in Buckden, our party reunited at the Buck Inn, and most of us stayed on to enjoy a well deserved cuppa before heading homewards. Peeling off the waterproofs in the pub, it was obvious that some people’s waterproofs had fared better than others.

Text and photographs by Susan