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Spurge (Euphorbia exigua), Round-leaved
Fluellen (Kickxia spuria) and the now very
rare Corn Gromwell (Lithospermum arvense).
The newly colonised banks of the reservoir were
weedy, but Common Broomrape (Orobanche minor)
and the Willowherb Epilobium parviflorum were
of interest. In the water the grapnel brought
up decayed fragments of a Potamogeton and a
charophyte. Microscopic examination later
proved them to be P. pusillus and Chara
vulgar is var. longibracteata. A damp track
around the reservoir added Marchantia
polymorpha and Barbula hornschuchiana to the
square for the forthcoming national Bryophyte
(Moss & Liverwort) Atlas.
A walk along the footpaths in the general
region of the Stag pub and back to the church
proved uneventful, but after passing through
the imposing hydraulically operated automatic
gates of the hall, Slender Trefoil (Trifolium
micranthum) was found on the grass outside the
churchyard. A final look at the inside of
the churchyard wall located three clumps of
polypody fern just west of the church and one
to the east. The only ripe sori were on dried
up fronds from the previous year, but micro-
scopic examination suggested that one of the
group of three and the eastern plant were
P. interjectum and two of the western ones
were P. vulgare. (Examination of fresh sori
might subsequently reveal the hybrid, however.)
This illustrates very forcibly that one should
always examine polypody populations carefully
as the two species (and often the hybrid)
frequently occur together. In this population
the P. interjectum plants had 6-8 annulus