BSBI New Year Plant Hunt Settle 1 Jan 2016 report - results and lots of pictures

I'm not usually a fan of  street furniture,
but this post on the cobbles  gave protection to
Common Chickweed and
Shepherd's Purse.

You can see how cold  it is by our
woolly hats and white knuckles

Five of us from Craven Conservation Group set off on the bitterly cold afternoon of 1st January to look for wild plants in flower in Settle. 
as part of the fifth BSBI NewYear Plant Hunt

 We found 21 wild plants in flower (17 truly wild, 4 rather "iffy")- which was two more than  last year. 

Five of last year's plants were missing in flower this year and we found 5 extra this year.

Foot of the above post 

with Shepherd's Purse

The  "iffy" flowers were-
1. The wild Primroses were ones that had been planted in  the Anglican churchyard.
2. The beautiful blue garden escape: Campanula portenschlagiana Adria Bellflower, or Wall Bellflower - growing on several walls in Settle
3. Wallflower (planted)
4. Snowdrop (planted)



The 21 Plants were:
(The first 17 are truly wild)

1	Annual meadow grass	Poa annua
2	Common chickweed	Stellaria media
3	Daisy	Bellis perennis
4	Dandelion	Taraxacum sp
5	Groundsel	Senecio vulgaris
6	Hairy Brome	Bromopsis ramosa
7	Herb Bennet	Geum urbanum
8	Herb Robert	Geranium robertianum
9	Ivy	Hedera helix
10	Ivy-leaved toadflax	Cymbalaria muralis
11	Petty spurge	Euphorbia peplus
12	Pineapple-weed	Matricaria discoidea
13	Rue-leaved saxifrage	Saxifraga tridactylites
14	Shepherd’s purse	Capsella bursa-pastoris
15	Sticky mouse-ear chickweed	Cerastium glomeratum
16	Wavy bittercress	Cardamine flexuosa
17	Wild strawberry	Fragaria vesca
	Below: not quite so wild:-
18	Primrose	Primula vulgaris
19	Wall Bell-flower	Campanula portenschlagiana
20	Wall-flower	Erysimum cheiri
21	Snowdrop	Galanthus nivalis

Pictures shown in order of being taken

This is the Red Red Valerian seen flowering last year
- but just healthy leaves this year.

Further down that "lane behind the houses"
we find our first Petty Spurge and a Wavy Bittercress

Wavy Bittercress

Petty Spurge

Wall (or Adria) Bellflower

Herb Robert behind  the old Methodist Chapel

Wild Strawberry next to the road wall in the Methodist Churchyard

I front is Wallflower -only in bud,
but we see it in flower elsewhere.

Daisy in St John's churchyard lawn -
and then lots more in the Anglican Churchyard

This is a very beautiful Geum in the
Anglican churchyard beside the church
 -but we did not count it as native.

Wild Primroses in the Anglican churchyard- but planted

Not counted on our list -but still blooming beautifully
- a late autumn rose at the Anglican Church

Hairy Brome - under the arches
of the Railway Viaduct, next to the Petrol Station

A type of Garden Spurge (not counted)

Rue-leaved (or fingered) Saxifrage near the Old Library -Delaney Court

Not counted- but Hellebore in road to Greenfoot Car Park garden

Alison Evans pointed out the Dryopteris sieboldii growing in the same shady area - so the other four of us learned a new fern

Rather out of focus Wood Aven ( Herb Bennet)
- but that is wild and was counted)

A blue Periwinkle but not counted because presumed planted

Thank you to the BSBI for holding this, their 5th New Year Plant Hunt, - and to all the other people thourghout the UK who braved the elements to take part this year.