Wednesday 16 December 2015

Wildflowers of Purbeck

I've spent a lot of time in the Purbeck region of Dorset this summer and I've seen lots of new plants. Here are a few of them and also a few I've seen before but warranted a photo none the less. I've also seen quite a few butterflies and other wildlife in the region which will follow in my next post.


A spectacular display of Common Centaury


This is the lighthouse at Anvil Point near Durlston Head. On the windswept short turf around it one can find a variety of Common Centaury which is adapted to the harsh environment by becoming very low growing with stemless flowers.



Tufted Centaury - Centaurium erythraea var. capitatum


The view looking west from Emmetts Hill. This is the stunning setting for a plant I'd been unsuccessfully looking for for a while. Easier when you know someone who knows where it is!


This is it in the foreground. White Horehound, not the most spectacular of plants but there's something about it I like. Don't know what it is though!



White Horehound - Marrubium vulgare


Corfe Castle
On this hill overlooking the village we saw a couple of different species of St John's Wort



 Perforate St. John's Wort - Hypericum perforatum
One of the commonest St. John's Worts but deserving of a photo for the backdrop alone. We also (after a fair bit of searching) saw the much less common species...



Pale St.John's Wort - Hypericum montanum


This is the Swanage Railway and along this embankment can be found Pale Toadflax and its rare hybrids with Purple Toadflax and Common Toadflax


 Pale Toadflax - Linaria repens


Common x Pale Toadflax  - hybrid  Linaria x sepium (L. vulgaris x repens)



Purple x Pale Toadflax - hybrid Linaria x dominii (L.purpurea x repens)



Corky-fruited Water Dropwort - Oenanthe pimpinelloides




Elecampane - Inula helenium
Some of the plants in this impressive clump were over seven feet tall!



Knotted Hedge Parsley - Torilis nodosa



Nettle-leaved Bellflower - Campanula trachelium



Fringed Water Lily - Nymphoides peltata



Thorn Apple - Datura stramonium

 

Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium


Vervain - Verbena officinalis
  

Cross-leaved Heath - Erica tetralix
A very pretty pale pink form. 



Dorset Heath - Erica ciliaris 



Yellow Bartsia - Parentucellia viscosa



Yellow Centaury - Cicendia filiformis 
Even though the sun was shining we were too late in the day to see the flowers of this tiny plant open. They only open in full sun and usually before midday. Fortunately we caught up with some open flowers in the New Forest at a later date, photos of which I'll put on here in the near future. 

3 comments:

Wilma said...

I had no idea that was what heath flowers looked like! Stunning views.

Gavin Haig said...

More lovely shots K!
Seven foot pants, eh? Even I've never needed them! ;)

Karen Woolley said...

Wilma - es, there strange looking flowers close up

Gav - Thanks for the proof reading. Typos are all the better when highly amusing ;p