Walked up to Flamingo Pool where there were dozens of Great Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls roosting, together with a possible Whimbrel (very short bill, something of a central forehead stripe), Oystercatchers, Little Egrets, Coot and Great Crested Grebes.
At the start of the path there were perhaps a hundred Goldfinches on the bushes by the side of the track. I could hear Little Grebes calling across the central pool, where there were Redshanks and Lapwings roosting on the islands, and some Coot in the water.
Along the path I think I identified Bastard Cabbage, Rapistrum rugosum, with its clusters of small pale yellow flowers leaving behind long strings along the stems of double-chambered fruit, with the top segments abruptly narrowed into (0.8) 1 - 3.5 (5) mm styles, reminiscent of Chianti bottles. Rose has an amazing clear description - "Fruit with two joints. The upper globular, 3 mm wide, with a long beak like an old Chianti bottle, lower joint like a stout stalk".
Stace has it as subspecies linneanum with long thin appressed pedicels (1.5 - 5 x 0.3 - 0.7 mm) and seedless lower fruit segments. He also states that the fruits are also very variable in hairiness and degree of sculpturing, and these were not noticeably hairy.
It is an erect but well-branched annual, to 1 m., said to be hispid at least below. The leaves are dentate and a little fleshy, and in these plants today quite grey, possibly due to mildew. It flowers May to September.
The plant is introduced/naturalised from S. Europe, casual in waste and arable land, on tips, waysides and open grassland, frequent and increasing in C. and S. Britain. It has been introduced to N. America and it is classed as a noxious weed in Texas at least. It seems to smother other seedlings with its basal rosettes in the early phases but these do die off, as they have in these plants at this stage.
Lots of Bristly Oxtongue and other late summer flowers out.
At the start of the path there were perhaps a hundred Goldfinches on the bushes by the side of the track. I could hear Little Grebes calling across the central pool, where there were Redshanks and Lapwings roosting on the islands, and some Coot in the water.
Along the path I think I identified Bastard Cabbage, Rapistrum rugosum, with its clusters of small pale yellow flowers leaving behind long strings along the stems of double-chambered fruit, with the top segments abruptly narrowed into (0.8) 1 - 3.5 (5) mm styles, reminiscent of Chianti bottles. Rose has an amazing clear description - "Fruit with two joints. The upper globular, 3 mm wide, with a long beak like an old Chianti bottle, lower joint like a stout stalk".
Stace has it as subspecies linneanum with long thin appressed pedicels (1.5 - 5 x 0.3 - 0.7 mm) and seedless lower fruit segments. He also states that the fruits are also very variable in hairiness and degree of sculpturing, and these were not noticeably hairy.
It is an erect but well-branched annual, to 1 m., said to be hispid at least below. The leaves are dentate and a little fleshy, and in these plants today quite grey, possibly due to mildew. It flowers May to September.
The plant is introduced/naturalised from S. Europe, casual in waste and arable land, on tips, waysides and open grassland, frequent and increasing in C. and S. Britain. It has been introduced to N. America and it is classed as a noxious weed in Texas at least. It seems to smother other seedlings with its basal rosettes in the early phases but these do die off, as they have in these plants at this stage.
Lots of Bristly Oxtongue and other late summer flowers out.
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