2015- BSBI New Year Plant Hunt - Settle -

Below is the account of my walk on 4 Jan 2015
Wild flowers in flower within site of St John's Methodist Church Spire... and just beyond
Posted on 6 Jan 2015.
 (See also accounts for 2016 Plant Hunt on 1st Jan and 2017 Plant Hunt at Settle on 1st and 2nd Jan)

1. Ivy-leaved Toadflax

The BSBI New Year Pant Hunt challenged people to record as many plants in flower as possible in a 3 hour walk between 1 Jan and 4 Jan.

In the countryside few wild plants are in flower,  I knew weeds were most likely to have flowers, so the best place to search in our area would be inside Settle itself.

2. Groundsel

So on Sunday 4th Jan 2015 after church, I toddled along in my best boots, and Christmas Tree Coat searching for wild flowers. Toddled- my legs would hardly bend after yesterday's exertions.  (Later I exchanged these for more serviceable trainers, purple ski jacket and white woolly hat).

3. Annual Meadow-grass

In fact you could call this first section "Wild flowers in flower within site of St John's Church Spire."

In a year's time this spire will not longer be here - as we are planning to build a new church next to the church hall on the other side of the road. And this church will be replaced by houses. So  hey ho, enjoy the view of the spire whilst it lasts.

1. Ivy-leaved Toadflax on a wall.

2. Groundsel.

You can see St John's Church Spire in the background

Some garden plants -
 I asked permission to go in the garden opposite

3. Annual Meadow Grass

4. False Oat-grass

4. False Oat-grass

5. Lady's-Mantle- Alchemilla mollis

5. Lady's-Mantle- Alchemilla mollis

5.a. Wood Aven- Oh that's only in fruit and does not count.

6. French Crane's-bill again-
with our church spire in the background

6. French Crane's-bill -
This is a garden escape and
may not count (Geranium endressi)

6a - Red Valerian - but it is a garden escape so I won't count it.

5. Lady's-Mantle- Alchemilla mollis

6. French crane's-bill

I walked to the river and a Dipper flew under the bridge.

But no extra wildflowers there. 

I walked along Craven Terrace, now out of sight of the spire

8. Dandelion

7. Common chickweed

9. Petty Spurge

10. Flexuous Bitter-cress

11. Procumbent Pearlwort

Somewhere I passed Welsh Poppy in a garden-- that is a sort of weed.

12. Welsh Poppy.

I called in at Booths briefly and warmed up.

One year a while back I had found seven weeds in flower in the soil of the flower bed in front of the Social Club in January. but the next year they covered it with wood chip. Baah.  I visited it but found nothing new for my walk.

I visited the flower bed beside the road at the entrance to Greenfoot Car park where one month earlier I had seen Geranium sanguinium - Bloody Crane's-bill - in flower - but it was definitely finished now.

However on the way back in some cobbles I found a Speedwell at last. It was Veronica agrestis - Green Speedwell.

13. Green speedwell

13. Green Speedwell

14.Sticky Mouse-ear-chickweed

15. Petty Spurge

15. Petty Spurge near the Coop

16. Shepherd's purse -
I saw quite a few shoots
 but this was the only one in flower 

17. Daisy -  in the Anglican churchyard

18. Ivy

I had seen lots of ivy, but this was the
first still in flower - you can see the anthers.
And framing a good view of the church

17. Daisy. Now a daisy in the lawn of st John's Church

18. Wallflower (The orange flower at the top of the picture)
in St John's churchyard. See I have the spire towering above.
Yes it's a garden plant - but it is only just in flower, and deserves recording. And it is in the BSBI atlas, presumably as naturalised

So with six flowers in the beginning section and three at the end that comes to nine. And nine more just a little further away. Not bad for 4th January.

2017 post script - having seen how Red Valerian is spreading in much of Upper Settle, andit is good for Humming bird Hawkmoths.. I am now counting that as "wild". So the total is 19.

 (See also accounts for 2016 Plant Hunt on 1st Jan and 2017 Plant Hunt at Settle on 1st and 2nd Jan)