Settle Wildflowers 140: 1st of Month Climate Walks Aug 2025 to Malham Tarn Fen

Six of us went on the walk on 1 Aug 2025 -  Yorkshire Day. A repeat visit to Malham Tarn Fen. 

We discovered a new plant not seen there before. And I gained pictures of three species of flowers in excellent condition.

We set off from the car park. Could I encourage my friends to find and remember a lichen each, a moss each, a fern each, a grass each? (i.e. a total of five for each group)?. Angela wrote down all the plants we found. We found a lot just on the road and track before we reached the fen. 

Importance of trees for mosses in giving shade to walls - BUt if trees are too dence then very littl can grow under them

The mature trees, (even if they are sycamore and beech), on the narrow sliver of land between the old dry stone- walled road (the track) and the current tarmac road "By pass" also with drystone wall on one side provide shade, enabling mosses to grow luxuriantly on the wall tops. - It is the combination of trees and light that allow this 

We noticed Giant Bellflower with its huge very pale blue bell flowers and simple leaves on the main roadside and one lant on the trackside.

Once through the gate and onto the fen (But still next to the gate) Muff noticed a bellflower that looked wrong..

because it was not a Giant Bellflower (Campanula trachelium).   It was Nettle-Leaved Bellflower. It had nettle-shaped leaves and hairs inside the corolla tube. I have never seen this recorded here before.

(It was so beautiful that I actually came back up the next day when the sun was shining to take a better picture.)

This does grow wild, especially further south.. but it also grows as a garden escape. I wonder where this one came from?

Once onto the boards we turned left and came to what I call the Paul Holmes Pool. Paul Holmes was the first warden at the Field Centre, and arranged for a section of this pool to be cleared every two years, otherwise it would all fill in with vegetation by a process of succession.  The open water areas allow Bladderwort to grow, an aquatic plant with divided leaves that have 2mm long bladders/ jugs with lids on them. The lids flick open when microscopic water animals swim past and the animals are sucked in - food for the Bladderwort.

Some years in August if the water table is low and the weather warm then the bladderwort flowers. Some years you when the water level is high cannot see any flowers. 

This year there were more than I have ever seen before, including one that was right next to the bridge/rail or the board walk.

The flower was about 1 cm across, It has a big spur;

Distribution map of  U australis

The divided leaves have "bladders/jugs" to catch microscopic life

This picture shows the bladderwort, the bladderwort dissected leaves in the water,  a Potomogeton (pondweed)  that has holes in it made by the larva of the non-biting midge Cricotopus brevipalpis, and Water Horsetail - Equisetum fluviatile.
I remember Henry Disney would tell us about the Cricotopus brevipalpis each time we came past it on the 1980s. This insect has a very disjunct distribution,

Bladderwort

As well as Water Horsetail in the pond (left), there is the much rarer Mare's-tail Hippuris vulgaris

Horse-tail on left, Mare's-tail on right. 
Horsetail is an ancient plant, it has cones, not flowers and its relatives lived at the time of the dinosaurs. 
The Mare's-tail has tiny flowers 

See the tiny flowers in the axils of the leaves.

August is the best time for Grass of Parnassus

The stream today is full of Water Starwort  Callitriche stagnalis

Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea looking oh so delicate.

Angelica, Meadowsweet and Devil's-bit Scabious - but Oh, dear, the Reeds are continuing to increase and take over. (Shirley's picture)

The Sawwort was lookig really good. - Must remember this - 1st of August. 

As we returned to the road - we paused to read the Climate Sheets news and prayers for 1 August:- 

Some of the issues raised:

Heat:
USA and Europe reaching record breakin temperatures this year because of heat does;

Spaiin and Portugal reached record breaking June temperatures: 46 degrees.

India:in just three years India's weather related deaths rose by 15% and damaged crop area more than doubled. 

US budget: US Senators are debating a budget bill designed to take forward the Trump Administrations priorities , including:

a phase out of incentives for solar and wind energy projects;

a requirement for the government to sell leases for new oil and gas drilling including protected wetlands; to approve more coal production and to reduce regulation of the coal industry;

attempt to defund climate research and environmental monitoring.

The 89% Project: Between 80 and 89% of the world’s people want their governments to be doing more to address climate change. Let’s tell their stories.

 

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The Malham Tarn Estate belongs to the National Trust. It used to be leased to Malham Tarn Field Centre until three  years ago. It is a fantastic jewel of a Nature Reserve. 

The 1st of the month walks are run in the Craven Area for Curhest Together in Settle and District, for Craven Conservation Group and for anyone interested in partaking.

You can read more about flowers in the Settle and Langlciffe area in August here.