It will come as no surprise that Holy Island is one of my favourite places. A treasure trove for botanists, each trip to the island offers something new and several walks covering a variety of habitats, from shingle shores to vibrant dune slacks, ensure the experience is always fresh.
Last week, I was fortunate to spend two full days on Holy Island as part of a duo of botanical courses I am currently delivering for the Natural History Society of Northumbria. The goal being to share some of the island’s floral treasures with attendees. I believe this was a success with walks along the Snook, Chare Ends, and towards the quarry providing many interesting sightings.
Highlights from both trips are included below.
The Snook
The Snook is perhaps the most fascinating part of Holy Island, home to many of the elusive plants that make the island so special. Starting in the car park, a short wait for members of the group provided a nice opportunity to admire a range of saltmarsh plants. Most prominent were great drifts of Saltmarsh Rush (Juncus gerardii), but closer inspection revealed Sea Arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima), Purple Glasswort (Salicornia ramosissima), and Lesser Sea-spurry (Spergularia marina). Along the tideline, where saltmarsh vegetation meets dunes, we noted a nice combination of Spear-leaved Orache (Atriplex prostrata), Grass-leaved Orache (Atriplex littoralis), Frosted Orache (Atriplex laciniata), Sea-aster (Aster tripolium), Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima), and Sand Couch (Elymus junceiformis).
Setting off into the interior of the Snook, our first stop was the track leading to Snook House. Here, a small pond holds a nice mix of Grey Club-rush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani), Sea Club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus), and Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris). Members of the group also noted Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) and plenty of Northern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella), now well past their best. Black Bog-rush (Schoenus nigricans) is rampant here despite being a rather rare plant in VC68, and we spent time admiring the flowers of Seaside Centaury (Centaurium littorale), one of the day’s target species.
By Snook House, plenty of Pyramidal Orchids (Anacamptis pyramidalis) were observed alongside many species associated with drier habitats, most prominently Viper’s-bugloss (Echium vulgare) and Kidney-vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria).
Making a beeline to a particular slack, we were delighted to find the day’s next target species, Lindisfarne Helleborine (Epipactis sancta), in full flower. This special plant, found only on Holy Island, is at the top of the list for most visiting botanists. In a short time, we noted eight flowering spikes, but I have no doubt that many more could have been found with thorough exploration.
Our next stops took us to several of the slacks that dot the Snook. The plentiful Marsh Helleborines (Epipactis palustris) were in full flower, and while most were past their best, we noted several other orchids, including Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata), and the hybrid Dactylorhiza x venusta. Crouching down, we were also pleased to find several of the island’s less conspicuous plants, including Variegated Horsetail (Equisetum variegatum), Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella), Bulbous Rush (Juncus bulbosus), Flea Sedge (Carex pulicaris), and Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris).
Other interesting plants spotted during our time at the Snook included Sand Sedge (Carex arenaria), growing in a characteristic straight line, Carnation Sedge (Carex panicea), Sea Milkwort (Glaux maritima), Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum), and Brookweed (Samolus valerandi ).
It is important to note that, like anywhere, the flora of the Snook changes with the seasons, and a visit early in the year can also be productive. Highlights from a visit back in May included Coralroot Orchid (Coraloriza trifida) and Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus), both shown below.
The Village
On our second visit to the island, our next stop was the island’s village, where nearby beaches, ruderal areas, and a Whin Sill outcrop provide points of interest. Even the village itself can reveal interesting plants, and during our stay, we were pleased to note Small Nettle (Urtica urens) and Dwarf Mallow (Malva neglecta) among a suite of more familiar species. The Common Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) were looking particularly lovely, as were drifts of Sea Mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum). The walls held an interesting mix of Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus) and several other neophytes.
Heading down to the beach near the island’s lifeboat station, we failed to find the Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) mentioned in Chris and Hazel Metherell’s lovely book. No matter as other key species were easily located. First, Milk-thistle (Silybum marianum) growing at the foot of the vicar’s garden and later, Common Sea-lavender (Limonium vulgare) on St. Cuthbert’s Isle, its only outpost in Northumberland.
The Whin Sill held both Hare’s-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense) and Rough Clover (Trifolium scabrum), while the boatyard yielded Slender Thistle (Carduus tenuiflorus) and Tree Lupin (Lupinus arboreus).
Finally, in this relatively urban part of the island, we enjoyed observing Tree Mallow (Malva arborea) and Welted Thistle (Carduus crispus).
The Quarry Walk
The walk up the Straight Lonnen towards Lindisfarne’s quarry is extremely interesting, though admittedly so only in its latter stages. The Lonnen itself held very little of interest besides some odd patches of Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris)—good for Moss Carder Bees. Reaching the dune-line, however, things began to pick up with Hound’s-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale) noted in its usual spot by the fence. Here too, damp depressions held the first flowers of Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia palustris) and more Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris). Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella) featured prominently as well, while other interesting titbits included Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris) and Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata).
Much more exciting was the discovery of a sizeable population of Frog Orchids (Dactylorhiza viridis) with some 25 spikes counted in total. These small, mud-brown orchids are not the most impressive of plants but are a real specialty of Holy Island and usually take quite a bit of finding among the sward. Later, we noted populations at two other points on our walk—they appear to be doing rather well.
Next came a detour in search of an even more cryptic plant, Smaller Adder’s-tongue (Ophioglossum azoricum). Following the instructions set out in the Plants of Holy Island, we were pleased to eventually find the ferns. I confess, this being a new plant for me, I was probably the most excited of all.
Chare Ends
Unusually for my regular jaunts around the island, both trips last week concluded with a wander through Chare Ends to the north of the village. While we missed them on the first day, the second trip came up trumps with Common Broomrape (Orobanche minor), another island specialty. Elsewhere, few new plants were noted, with the exception of the island’s only population of Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis).
So there you have it, highlights from yet more visits to Northumberland’s premier botanical hotspot!
