THE FLOWERS OF BELHUS WOODS COUNTRY PARK
We, who live in Upminster, may not have easy access to the real countryside, but we are
within close range of a number of excellent Country Parks. Amongst these are Thorndon
Park, Weald Park, Hainault Forest, Langdon, Hornchurch, and Belhus Woods. Between
them I believe that we have as much access to wildlife as - perhaps better than - the true
country dweller.
My favourite is Belhus Woods Country Park, which straddles the Havering - Thurrock
border, and which has its main entrance just north of Aveley at TQ564826. Owned and
managed by Essex County Council, it covers around 170 acres, and includes an
interesting mixture of grassland, ponds, lakes, and bluebell woods. I have spent very
many happy hours exploring all of these features, and have covered most of its nooks and
crannies.
Two years ago, partly to give some purpose to my wanderings, and partly to repay my
pleasure, I decided to make a photographic survey of all the flowers within the Park's
boundaries, mount the photographs, and present the result to the Head Ranger. This
objective I achieved last Autumn, and the album is available at the Centre for anyone to
peruse. The album contains photographs of 196 flowers - though 1 have already recorded
three more this Spring.
The photographs are limited to those flowers likely to interest the general public - which
also coiTesponds with my own competance at identification. Cionsequently the only trees
included are those with 'pretty' flowers, and there are no grasses, ferns, sedges or rushes.
I would be delighted to be informed of any new finds within the Park's boundaries.
A list of my findings follows:.
Achillea millefolium
Aesulus hippocastanatum
Alisma plantago-aquatica
Alliaria petiolata
Allium ursinum
Anagallis arvensis
Anemone nemorosa
Angelica sylvestris
Anthriscus sylvestris
Apium nodiflorum
Arctium lappa
Arctium minus
Armoracia rusticum
Artemisia vulgaris
Arum maculatum
Aster sp.
Ballota nigra
Barbarea vulgaris
Bellis perennis
Brassica nigra
Bryonia dioica
Calystegia sepium
Capsella bursa-pastoris
Cardamine hirsuta
Cardamine pratensis
Carduus acanthoides
Centaurea nigra
Centaureum erythraea
Cerastium holosteoides
Chamaenerion angustifolium
Chenopodium album
Chenopodium polyspermum
Chenopodium rubrum
Chrysanthemum
leucanthemum
Circaea lutetiana
Cirsium arvense
Cirsium palustre
Cirsium vulgare
Clematis vitalba
Conium maculatum
Conopodium majus
Convulvulus arvesis
Conyza rusticana
Crataegus monogyna
Crepis capillaris
Dactylorchis fuchsii
Dactylorchis praetermissa
Daucus carota
Digitalis purpurea
Dipsacus fullonum
Echium vulgare
Endymion nonscriptus
Epilobium adnatum
Epilobium hirsutum
Epilobium palustre
Epilobium parviflorum
Equisetum arvense
Euonymus europaeus
Eupatorium cannabinum
Euphorbia amygdaloides
Filipendula ulmaria
Galega officinalis
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 26, August 1998