I borrowed BioBank’s copy of “Poland” to try and resolve the mystery of its identity from a fragment I had taken – comprising fully intact leaves- and found myself keying out Saxifraga umbrosa (Pyrenean saxifrage) , or Saxifrage nivalis (Alpine saxifrage). I was really attracted to the latter because “Poland” refers to “the long wavy...
Rob Duffy: Sidewalk Botanist – Side-walk Botanist goes Walkabout
The plants in the cracks of the pavements and brickwork begin to lose their fascination with the arrival of those early harbingers of summer –the Swifts (May 9th)- and thoughts of trips farther afield come centre stage. A trip to Ness Gardens, with friends, over the May Day Bank Holiday, reminded one that even...
Dr Phil Smith: Wildlife Notes April 2018
April 2018 really broke the mould. Since the millennium, we have got used to prolonged droughts, with April showers a distant memory. This month, measurable rain fell on 12 days and, although it was mainly colder than average, there was a heatwave from 18th to 21st with the highest April temperatures (in London) since 1949....
Rob Duffy: Sidewalk Botanist – Early Spring Notes
Last Saturday, the 14th, was the warmest day (at 14 degrees celcius) in nearly 5 months and an excursion across the Roby fields and ponds was a positive pleasure. Beyond the M62 bridge, a huge field of young winter wheat covers a kilometre in length and somewhat less in width; within it a series of...