Osier

I did a small "Wonderful Willows" walk at Leybourne this morning. There are various cultivars of Salix viminalis ‘Black Hollander’, ‘Black Osier’, ‘Brown Merrin’, ‘English Rod’, ‘Green Gotz’, ‘Reader’s Red’, ‘Whipcord’ are known. However generally the twigs are yellowish-green, often on top of a grey green branch. Quite a few of the apparent Osiers at Leybourne like this, but at least one has reddish twigs on a brown branch (path by lake to North of West Scrub.

Cliffe Pools

About 30 Redshank, half a dozen Ringed Plover, two or three Black-Tailed Godwits starting to show brick-red chests, a dozen Golden Plover developing summer plumage, being beaten up by some of the dozen or so Lapwing, one female Goldeneye, three or so Shelduck, a few Mallard, a few Shoveller, 50 or more Coot, half a dozen Teal, several hundred Black-headed Gulls, three or more Mediterranean Gulls, two plus Common Gulls, Larus canus, possibly a few Herring Gulls, a couple of Cormorants.

New Zealand trip - Peel Forest Park

This looks like the Button Fern, Tarawera in Maori, Pellaea rotundifolia, close to the ground in the Forest Park, along the walk to the Acland Falls. This doesn't sound much like the rocky bush or open habitat referred to in Julian Fitter's book.