We took lunch at one of the draughtiest and noisiest spots, on an exposed area immediately
above the new A13, but the big advantage was that there were lots of fallen trees (mainly
English Elm) for sitting on. One of our number left at this point, having already got
rather cold and not wishing to die of exposure/hypothermia. We ate fast and swiftly moved
on to what proved to be the most interesting area, but pausing to admire the sarsen stones
lying around.
The best part was an expanse of almost pure sand on top of the slopes, with lawns of
Early Hair-grass Aira praecox and Bird's-foot Ornithopus perpusillus, with plants between
of more Hoary Cinquefoil, Small Cudweed Filago minima, Thyme-leaved Sandwort
Arenaria serpyllifolia, but could not distinguish the subspecies as only a few flowers
were found and no fruits, and the narrow-leaved forms of both Sheep's Sorrel Rumex
acetosella ssp. acetosella var. tenuifolius and Common Vetch Vicia sativa ssp. nigra. In
addition were lots of minute forms of Parsley-piert Aphanes sp., which I hope will turn
out to be the elusive Lesser one A. australis, and a tiny yellow composite with thin stem,
narrow leaves, and forked hairs that turned out to be Rough Hawkbit Leontodon hispidus
rather early. Up here also some folk found some spring fungi, mainly Spring Field-cap
Agrocybe praecox and Grey Puffball Bovista plumbea, and Martin Gregory found some
tiny ones more to his liking on Nettle stems.
It was by now almost 3pm, and we turned back towards the car park, and some noted a
lone plant of Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis in the heavily grazed water-meadow.
On the way back we crossed the little pond near the car park on the wooden boardwalk
and all had a good view of a Water Vole, some saw a Kingfisher flying overhead, and we
noted the Butterbur Petasites hybridum with its huge leaves on the far bank of the pond.
On reaching the car park one or two went home but the rest of us explored the hill slope
above the pumping station which is another open sandy area. By this time the sun was
fully out and the wind a little abated, making it a very pleasant end to the day.
We inspected last year's Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera which was coming up beautifully
but not yet in flower. Last year Steve had put a conical chicken-wire hat over the orchid,
to keep rabbits out, and the hat was still there, doing its job for a second year. It was
noticeable that the Squirreltail Fescue Vulpia bromoides inside the hat was about 20cm
or more high, whereas on the open, rabbit-grazed land it was barely 4cm high. Then a
moment of enormous excitement followed as one of our group, Barbara Williams, found
several plants of Spring Vetch Vicia lathyroides (see plate 5). Further searching showed
a patchy carpet of it extending over several square metres, all in full and glorious flower,
like a miniature Common Vetch. This plant had been on my wish-list for the day, because
I knew it grew only about 2 or 3 km away on a similar sandy area near Aveley. Several
people also exclaimed over Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris, whose prickly leaf rosettes
were present in some quantity.
We returned to the car park just before 4pm, and all had been pleased at what we had
found and identified during the day.
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 48, September 200S
19