Another Trip to Hampshire.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been out doing a lot of botanising all over the place and therefore have lots of good stuff to get on here. I've been so busy I haven't had time to download my photos until today and there are five different trips worth! The first of these was ten days ago when I went to visit Martha in Winchester again and naturally I popped in on a few good plant locations on the way, like you do! Two of these were at what promised to be superb sites for 'arable weeds' and I wasn't disappointed. I'm turning into a bit of an 'arable weed' fanatic I'm afraid! The first site to the north of Winchester was an arable field margin with a superb selection of plants including the rare Ground Pine - Ajuga chamaepitys,

Ground Pine looks and smells a bit like a pine seedling but is a member of the dead-nettle family with tiny yellow flowers.

The flowers are very pretty close up with red spots and stripes.

 

Ground Pine - Ajuga chamaepitys

I also found some Small Toadflax - Chaenorhinum minus

 

At a nearby I found just a single plant of 

Cut-leaved Germander - Teucrium botrys

Then onto another arable field margin on the outskirts of Basingstoke...

 

This broad headland was crammed full of 'arable weeds'. I was in heaven! Especially so when I saw this this rare beauty...

Large Venus's Looking Glass - Legousia speculum-veneris

Common Fumitory -  Fumaria officinalis

In a nearby set aside field I saw this pretty pink form of Chicory - Cichorium intybus

 Field Rose - Rosa arvensis

Lucerne - Medicago sativa

Once in Winchester I had a quick look around the Winnall Moors reserve and saw a few nice plants there too including...

 Marsh Bedstraw - Galium palustre

 Monkey Flower - Mimulus guttatus

Blue Water Speedwell - Veronica anagallis-aquatica

 

Yellow Loosestrife - Lysimachia vulgaris

Skullcap -  Scutelleria galericulata