SD86 - 00 - SD8060 - SD8061 - Rathmell - Higher Plants - BSBI - Summer Meeting

The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland are staying at Malham Tarn Field Centre from 13 - 19 July .  On Sunday we went on walks based from the Centre to Ha Mire and beyond, and on Monday we visited Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserves - my group to Ashes Pasture. Today we split into groups of 4 to "tetrad" or "monad" bash.

And guess where I was assigned. The beginning of hectad SD86! i.e to Rathmell, and the flat pastures beside the River Ribble, which flood; to the same first monad of my lichen survey.

Here are two plants I was delighted to find (new records I think for SD86): Trailing St John's-wort Hypericum humifusum  in a pasture at the foot of an acid unimproved slope at the edge of the field






and later by the River Ribble: Ranunculus sceleratus Celery-leaved Buttercup

Our plant only stood 5cm tall - amazing what a bit of perspective does for size!

Time to key out Forget-me-nots. This one is Water Forget-me-not

The hill Penyghent is in the background

Returning to our second strategically left car.. I was delighted to discover a stand of Carex acuta. Not a new record for SD86 hectad database for the hectad it seems, but a fantastic new record for me - So accessible - just off the road, (the road to Rathmell that floods) and so close to Settle.

Carex acuta - Slender Tufter Sedge

Below - a reminder of what these fields looked like on the evening of 16 March this year - seen from the road..