Had a wonderful though very hot afternoon learning how to
identify plants at Dalehead Chapel in the middle of Gisburn
Forest
We were first introduced to some of the tricks of the trade
used to identify grasses. A group of plants I think most of us find difficult
to tell apart but a group of plants well worth getting to know because they
play such an important role in the food chain.
After the grasses we moved on to rushes and sedges again
plants often not given the attention they deserve. A major theme of the day was
to look at how particular groups of plants form communities or associations in
response to environmental factors such as ph, moisture levels and nutrient
status.
The graveyard around the Chapel is particularly rich in
micro habitats with very different associations very close together.
We finished by looking at the flowering plants of which
there is great diversity of particular interest were the two parasitic plants
Yellow rattle and Louse wort which can survive in this location due to the low
nutrient status across much of the area. Other flowering plants we looked at
included Knapweed, Birds foot trefoil and two species of buttercup, the meadow
found on the nutrient poor areas and the creeping indicative of the nutrient
richer areas.
The infectious enthusiasm of the two experts really made
learning fun and I don’t think any of us will feel quite so daunted about
having a go at identifying grasses and sedges ourselves.
Geoff Morries
Louse Wort
Twayblade
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