Get started identifying the naturalised cotoneasters likely to be recorded in Northumberland and several others that may occur here soon.
Over the past year, I’ve been down a rabbit hole with cotoneasters. With around 80 species now recorded in a wild and naturalised state across the UK, these alien shrubs are quickly becoming a familiar part of our flora. This is especially true in urban areas where with a little help from our feathered friends, they can turn up just about anywhere.
The problem with cotoneasters is that many species look awfully alike and while there are several more abundant and easily recognisable species, identifying them is still somewhat of a pain. Adding to this, accessible information to aid in identifying cotoneasters is rather scattered. Cotoneasters: A Comprehensive Guide to Shrubs for Flowers, Fruit, and Foliage by Fryer and Hylmo (2009) is by far the best resource available but I find, is much more suitable for checking specimens at home than in the field. Likewise with Stace! Websites such as The Flora of East Anglia and Alien Plants of Belgium are useful too but cover only small groups of species, albeit with lots of useful insight.
To help with identifying cotoneasters in the field, recently I set about creating a resource that was a little more portable. Having stumbled across this fabulous crib for cotoneasters in Hampshire by John Norton and Phil Pullen (2016), whose basic format I have unashamedly borrowed here, I have since created an account for all the cotoneaster species currently known in Northumberland, and further species known from elsewhere in the UK which may turn up soon.
The accounts here are summarised from Fryer and Hylmo (2009) with some additions from other resources. In many cases, features have been checked against plants in the wild or those currently growing in our yard here in Newcastle. Rather than stick to known sections and series within the genus, I have also tried to group species by shared features noticeable in the field e.g. bullate leaves or tomentose undersides. Whether this is helpful remains to be seen.
Version one of the resource can be downloaded below but remember, this is a work in progress and I am no expert. Still, I hope a few botanists out there may find it useful.
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised clovers likely to be recorded in Northumberland.
A distinctive group of flowers familiar from garden lawns, roadside verges and other everday habitats, as well as more typically wild places, clovers are a recognisable bunch. Members of the pea family, fabaceae, they sport familiar clustered flowerheads and trifoliate leaves and some of them at least, represent some of the wildflowers we’re most likely to encounter on our daily walks wherever we find ourselves.
In a change to these plant identification posts, this time I am including a short talk recorded for the Natural History Society of Northumbria sharing a few tips for identifying the clovers likely to be encountered across North East England. Around 9 of them to be precise, though of course, there are several more out there.
I’ll be sharing more of these videos here over the weeks and months to come as, I confess, they are far easier to put together than a lengthy post on plant ID. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps feel inspired to start identifying clovers yourselves. Give it a go!
Keen to explore other wildflower groups? Why not check out previous posts on speedwells, ragworts and snowdrops.
Get started identifying the wild and naturalised poppies likely to be recorded in Northumberland.
A distinctive group of flowers with thin, flaccid flowers, Our poppies are a popular bunch. With most species flowering come early-summer, I thought now seemed like a good time to cover this attactive group. Remember, this post covers those most likely to be encountered in Northumberland and the wider North East. It isn’t exhaustive.
Common PoppyPapaver rhoeas
County Status: Common
Habitat: Disturbed ground along agricultural margins and within towns and cities. Typically, roadsides, pavements, building sites and brownfield.
Identification: Flowering May-September. Flowers red, sometimes with a black blotch towards the base of the petals. Petals noticably overlapping. Unopened buds chubby, rounded and hairy. Flower stalks with spreading hairs. Seed capsules rounded, only slightly longer than wide.
Ed Stikvoort, via SaxifragaBart Vastenhouw, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via Saxifraga
Long-headed PoppyPapaver dubium
County Status: Occasional
Habitat: Disturbed ground and light soils in urban areas, along roads and on brownfield land. Occasional within fields.
Identification: Flowering May-August. Flowers red, often appearing slightly more ‘washed out’ than Common Poppy. Petals overlapping, occasionally with a small black blotch at the base. Sap milky white (break a stem). Seed capsules noticeably elongate, far longer than wide.
Image via Flickr by Gertjan van NoordEd Stikvoort, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via Saxifraga
Yellow-juiced PoppyPapaver lecoqii
County Status: Very rare*
*There are only a handful of records in Northumberland at the time of writing this. Possibly under-recorded for Long-headed Poppy.
Habitat: Disturbed ground of any type, both in urban and rural habitats.
Identification: Flowering May-August. Visually identifical to Long-headed Poppy. Petals red and overlapping, though to a lesser extent than the former. Seed capsule elongate. Sap yellow (not white).
Prickly PoppyPapaver argemone
County Status: Rare*
*There are many Northumberland records from 1950-1980 but this plant is virtually absent thereafter. It may well pop up again!
Habitat: Usually disturbed ground in cultivated fields. Less often in towns and cities.
Identification: Flowering May-July. Flowers red, usually with an extensive area of black towards the base of the petals. Seed capsule elongate with prominent long bristles.
Peter Meininger, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via Saxifraga
Atlas PoppyPapaver atlanticum
County Status: Occasional
Habitat: Urban habitats, usually close to gardens. Open and disturbed ground and occasionally within grassy areas.
Identification: Flowering April-September. A tall plant, often noticeably larger than Welsh Poppy. Flowers orange. Seed capsule elongate. Leaves broader and less divided than other poppies, glaucous in colour.
Rutger Barendse, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via Saxifraga
Welsh PoppyPapaver cambricum
County Status: Common
Habitat: Gardens and urban habitats close to habitation. Favours shady situations. Occasionally spreading to roadsides, stream banks etc.
Identification: Flowering May-July. A medium-tall slightly hairy plant with deeply divided foliage. Flowers usually yellow but orange-flowered forms may occur.. Capsule elliptical with a short style at the tip.
Ed Stikvoort, via SaxifragaJelle van Dijk, via SaxifragaJan van der Straaten, via Saxifraga
Oriental PoppyPapaver setiferum
County Status: Rare*
*Known to be well-naturalised only at Bamburgh in North Northumberland. Otherwise, occasional as garden throw-outs.
Habitat: A common garden plant which may occur in a variety of grassy or ruderal habitats where waste has been dumped.
Identification: A very large perennial plant. Flowering May-July. Flowers typically red but other cultivars exist. Big and blousy. Petals usually with a large, black blotch at base. Entire plant covered in bristle-like hairs. Stems leafy to the top.
Ed Stikvoort, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via Saxifraga
Opium PoppyPapaver somniferum
County Status: Common
Habitat: Dry and disturbed habitats in urban environments. Roadsides, rough ground and often, coastal habitats.
Identification: Flowering May-September. Flowers are incredibly variable and can be pink, lilac, red or white. Pale lilac in the typical form.Seed capsule spherical. Best separated by its glaucous, waxy leaves.
Peter Meininger, via SaxifragaAb H Baas, via SaxifragaEd Stikvoort, via Saxifraga
Greater Celandine Chelidonium majus
County Status: Occasional
Habitat: Waste and disturbed ground in urban habitats, often close to gardens or allotments where it is commonly cultivated.
Identification: Flowering May-September. Flowers yellow, four-petaled and displayed in small umbels. Double-flowered forms frequent. Leaves round-lobed. Sap bright orange.
Rutger Barendse, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via SaxifragaJan van der Straaten, via Saxifraga
Californian Poppy Eschscholzia californica
County Status: Rare
Habitat: Pavements, roadsides and bare ground close to gardens. Occasionally included in amenity seed mixes in parkland or along roads.
Identification: An annual, seldom persisting. Flowering May-September. Flowers vibrant orange or rarely yellow. Foliage finely-divided, feather-like.
Rutger Barendse, via SaxifragaRutger Barendse, via SaxifragaJelle van Dijk, via Saxifraga
Identifying Rarer Poppies
Yellow-horned Poppy Glaucium flavum
County Status: Very rare*
*A few historic records from the Northumberland coast but not recorded since 1984.I wonder if it will turn up again?
Habitat: Shingle beaches, rocky shorelines and the margins of saltmarshes
Get started identifying wild and naturalised speedwells in a brand-new crib sheet suitable for beginners.
Find keys boring? You’re not alone. While those of us who spend our days obsessively searching for plants quite like them, for most people, they don’t cut the mustard. Indeed, they can be particularly offputting to beginners.
It is for this reason that I wanted to start a new series on this blog – Common’s Cribs, a full series that will eventually appear here. Hopefully colourful and straightforward, these simple guides include the species people are likely to encounter during their daily lives, hopefully making the process of identifying a plant easier.
Identifying Speedwells
Cheery, blue, and rather diverse, speedwells are all around us. Abundant in both the wider countryside and urban areas, these little flowers are surprisingly diverse and can prove a challenge to the amateur botanist. This, alongside their delicate appeal, makes them a fun group to explore in the next of these beginner’s cribs.
In this crib, we’ll look at:
Common Field-speedwell
Green Field-speedwell
Grey Field-speedwell
Ivy-leaved Speedwell
Slender Speedwell
Wood Speedwell
Germander Speedwell
Heath Speedwell
Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Wall Speedwell
Brooklime
Pink Water-speedwell
Blue Water-speedwell
Please note that several other speedwells exist in the far reaches of the UK and more still can turn up as garden escapes. This crib is ideally suited to North East England but could be used anywhere if you bear this in mind.
Get started identifying dead-nettles with a brand-new crib suitable for beginner botanists.
Well, our first beginner’s crib to urban ragworts seemed to go down well. Thank you for the kind comments all! Spurred on by your feedback, this week I’ve created another looking a second accessible plant family, and one just as common in our towns and cities.
I have also almost finished a festive entry on Snowdrops and hope to have a crib to small-flowered fleabanes ready soon too. Until then, let’s get started…
Identifying dead-nettles
Colourful and conspicuous, dead-nettles are some of our most familiar wildflowers. Well, at least the 1-2 species commonly spotted in flowerbeds and overgrown gardens, that is. Some dead-nettles, particularly the small red ones, can look surprisingly alike and I wanted our next crib to take a closer look at these lovely little weeds.
Please note, as ever, this focuses on the species likely to be encountered in North East England, as opposed to rarer ones. It includes:
