Trees in flower

Regular contributor Nic Cairns sent these interesting close-ups of tree flowers :

Hawthorn

 

Holly

Hawthorn (May) blossom is a familiar and prominent part of the landscape at this time of year, Holly flowers perhaps less so.  Thanks to Nic for the photos, taken at St.Anns Allotments.

Yellow Rattle

Here’s some photos of Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor), taken by Nic Cairns at Ecoworks Community Garden…..

Yellow Rattle is semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants, obtaining some of its nutrient needs from them.  It’s useful in increasing the biodiversity of a grassland area, as it inhibits the growth of dominant grasses, thus allowing a variety of less-vigorous wildflower species to gain a foothold.  This is what is being attempted at Ecoworks, where Yellow Rattle seeds have been sown to help with establishment of a wildflower area.  The species has done well, and hopefully the diversity of the garden will benefit….

Meadow Saxifrage

Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata) is a lovely plant, and only occurs at a couple of sites in the city.  Thanks to Lauren who spotted this patch in the General Cemetery, and persuaded the grasscutters to leave it uncut (which they were very happy to do).  Lauren also informed the Wildlife Trust, who have made the Council and the BSBI aware of the find.  Meadow Saxifrage is a perennial which reproduces itself by bulbils as well as by seed, and hopefully this colony will be able to spread.

Thanks to Keith Turner for the photos.  A selection of Keith’s great photography – much of which features local wildlife – can be seen on his flickr site here.  I hope to be able to showcase more of Keith’s work on this blog in the future.

The Leen at Moor Bridge

Following my recent post on the River Leen, I was interested to see a section of the river near Moor Bridge tram stop…..

This attractive section of river is next to the local nature reserves Moorbridge Pond and Springfield Corner, and is worth a quick explore if you’ve got a bit of time whilst waiting for a tram.