Photographs and write up by Mitch Crossingham. Plant list collated by Ruth Stockley and Mike Topp
25th April 2026, walking from the Mackenzie Hall to Apple Acre on Bailey Lane along Old Bailey Lane
A beautiful sunny day with plenty of flowers and plants noted – a full list is at the end. We met at the Mackenzie Hall which is built on the site of an old meadow and there is always lots to see here, even on the mown banks. Today we admired the Bulbous Buttercup which grows on the bank of the car park, it has an undergound corm and can be recognised by its downward-turned sepals.
Down in the woods Gemma pointed out some plants which are indicators of ancient woodlands (woods which date back to the 1600s). These included Bluebells, Ransoms, Enchanter’s Nightshade, Wood Sage and a Figwort – or was it a Woundwort? Finding Spurge here led us to learn that there is a local variety known as Tintern Spurge, which can be found at Highnam Woods and which is described by the RSPB as ‘a rare plant – we help our population thrive by deliberately disturbing areas of ground’. A tall, thin, Wild Onion was also spotted in the verge and this was my favourite find of the day.
By the lake – upon which a pair of geese were gliding alongside their impossibly cute brood of tiny goslings – we studied the differences between Bugle and Ground Ivy. I am currently picking Ground Ivy for tea as it benefits the sinuses and digestion. Ground Ivy is part of the Mint family and contains aromatic volatile oils which make it a good friend during hayfever season.
Down by the brook we found plenty of Meadowsweet and had a discussion about the differences between Hogweed and Giant Hogweed. Hogweed is an edible plant and Wildfood UK describe it as delicious when ‘treated like asparagus and served with lemon and butter’ (visit www.wildfood.com to learn how to identify it). Giant Hogweed grows to 4 or 5 meters tall and is much less friendly. The sap can burn skin severely if exposed to the sun and it really is a plant to be wary of. Our walk also took us past another toxic plant, the Hemlock Water-Dropwort or Dead Man’s Fingers.
It was really lovely to welcome everyone to Apple Acre for some tea and biscuits – I had gathered nettletops while we were walking and so there was fresh Nettle and Lemon tea alongside more – well, I was going to say traditional tea, but as China Tea was first imported in the 17th century, perhaps the Nettle is the more traditional of the two.
List of today’s plants and flowers:
Ribwort plantain
Ox-eye daisy
Bird’s foot trefoil
Sweet vernal grass
Cow parsley
Wood avens
Garlic mustard
Herb Robert
Greater stitchwort
Red campion
Bugle
Field wood rush
Yellow archangel
Wood sage
Wood spurge
Ivy-leaved speedwell
Wild onion
Bryony
Enchanter’s nightshade
Bush vetch
Germander speedwell
Ground ivy
Cuckooflower
St John’s wort
Meadow sweet
Hemlock water dropwort
Hogweed
Bitter vetch
Navelwort
Bulbous buttercup
Emerging:knapweed, sedge, oxeye daisy
Dog’s mercury
Lesser Celendine
Greater Stitchwort
Common Vetch
Wood Speedwell
Vetch – pink bitter
Shiny Cranes bill
Cowslips
Red dead nettle
Common mouse ear chickweed.