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shared with the railway - an obvious source of colonising
plants. The coarse vegetation was somewhat unpromising but
soon the small flowers of the Cut Leaved Cranesbill with deep
lobed but variable leaves were found growing out of a grass
tuft, Ribwort plantain was abundant with much young hawthorn.
The Curled Dock with its twisted leaves was very common along
with the Smooth Hawksbeard and Common St.Johns Wort. Mauve
flowers of Field Scabious brightened up the railway fence while
the Pyrenaean Cranesbill hid its flowers below. Five Spot
Burnett moths were common on the Scabious. Other plants here
were White Clover, Broad Leaved Dock, Common Bindweed, Yarrow
and Common Toadflax. The Prickly lettuce grew tall with the
scented flowered Common Sowthistle.
Yellow Toadflax was very common on the central reservation
with the Spearthistle, Creeping Buttercup, Mugwort and Oxford
Ragwort.
The next layby visited was opposite the Clock House (at
TL758106). Here Umbellifers were prominent with Hemlock up to
5ft fall, also Hogweed with its unspotted but hairy stem. The
Hedge Woundwort and Black Horehound were found in damper areas.
Three Sowthistles were found together, the Common Sowthistle,
with milky atoms, Prickly Sowthistle and the Corn Sowthistle,
again with milky stems but many yellow knobbed hairs on the
upper parts. The Pyrenean Snakesbill and Smooth Hawksbeard were
also here.
We had spent about two hours in our searches. None of the
plants could be claimed to be rare but the list does indicate
ihat verges here have a reasonable diversity of species. Our
plants were all characteristic of acid or disturbed sites. It
would be interesting to compare similar verges on more calcerous
sites. Mrs. Morris, Ron Allen,
10.7,74., Mrs, Morris reports finding Chicory, Salad Burnett
and Vipers Bugloss flourishing at the north end of the
Margaretting bypass along with musk mallow and Sticky Groundsel,