Category: Flora articles
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Flora of The Lizard in summer
A small selection of some of the wonderful plants you are likely to spot in the summer in some of the different habitats across The Lizard.
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In praise of humble weeds
The mild end to 2016 has allowed many plants to keep flowering deep into winter, despite the short hours of daylight. This photo, taken in December near Coverack on the Lizard, is of Corn Marigold, still going strong on the Winter Solstice! Corn Marigold is an arable weed; a rather unexciting name for a group…
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Crop wild relatives on the Lizard
The Lizard peninsular is well known for its biodiversity importance but the importance of its genetic diversity is only just being realised. Research undertaken by Birmingham University in 2013 has shown The Lizard to be one of the UK’s ‘hotspots’ for the wild relatives of crop plants. These species are an increasingly important resource for…
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Hand Lenses and How to Use Them
What a fabulous time to be out and about investigating our rich and varied flora! Even if you are not interested in naming species, a hand lens is a portal into a fascinating microscopic world of architecture and form. A hand lens is a simple device, and here are a few thoughts about getting the…
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Scurvygrass – Lizard Connections
Well April 1st seems a perfect day to get our bodies out of winter torpor, clean off the walking boots and head off to the promised- land that we all know as The Lizard. It is probably a good time to coax our brains back into action as well so I thought that we should…
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Red Berries Abound
It seems as if there is a peripheral red haze at the edge of my vision at the moment – and though some may say that I have anger management issues, I know the truth is actually a wonderful crop of lustrous red berries this autumn. Last autumn was a premium one for blackberries and…
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Championing the Lizard’s rare liverworts
The Lizard is justly recognised as a hotspot for mosses and liverworts, as much as it is for rare clovers, rushes and wild asparagus. This article explains more and highlights an exciting recent discovery. Although much is known about the rare wildlife of The Lizard, there is plenty more to be revealed and, as a recent…
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Blackberry Bonanza
Autumn is a wonderful time to be a Blackberry muncher – you cannot fail to notice bramble bushes hanging heavily with fruit at this time of year. According to archaeological evidence (seeds found in the stomach of a Neolithic Essex man), man has been blackberrying for at least 8000 years – and that really is…
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How a Cornish boy hooked up with a Dorset girl: a tale of Wild Asparagus
The Lizard Peninsula is justifiably well known for its rare and unusual plants. Whilst many of these plants have obscure and peculiar names, such as Fringed Rupturewort, Land Quillwort and Hairy Greenweed, reflecting their, well, obscure and peculiar status, others have more familiar names, such as Wild Chives, Chamomile and Wild Asparagus. Wild Asparagus was previously…
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Where and When to see The Lizard Flora and Fauna
The Lizard peninsula more than warrants a visit at any time of year. March or April is the best time to see the early species such as Early Meadow Grass, Three-lobed Water