35
Wellington boots failed to keep their
owner's feet dry.
My attention was brought to some large willow
trees which turned out to be Bay Willows
(Salix pentandra), which were planted in the
1930's. Ths most striking herbaceous
plant was the Common Meadow Rue (Thalictrum
flavum) which was growing in abundance. One
plant that I had not seen before was Marsh
Valerian (Valeriana dioica) whose basal
leaves, when we found one, were entire, not
pinnate, as in the Common Valerian. We
were also surprised to see Bog Myrtle
(Myrica gale). One plant in conspicuous
flower was the Water Violet (Hottonia
palustris) which is a member of the primrose
family, despite its name. Of the sedges,
I was pleased to find the Yellow Sedge (Carex
lepidocarpa) which is a typical fen-land
plant. Another interesting plant was the
Spike-Rush (Eleocharis uniglumis). The
Quaking Grass (Briza media) surprised those
of us unfamiliar with fen-land vegetation.
The bird life did not disappoint us, and we
were favoured with excellent views of a
Marsh Harrier, a Snipe drumming and a
Spotted Flycatcher.
In view of the wetness of the ground, most
of my books were left in the car and
consequently I did not identify all the
sedges that were present. Hopefully I
will come again on a drier occasion.
TONY BONIFACE