Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
The lawn rustles like a crisp packet whenever you walk across it, and leaves are already being shed by thirsty, water-deprived trees. Surely there are no wildflowers to be found in drought-stricken Essex in August?
Take a closer look, and you will see just how wrong this assumption is. Road verges are a great place to find wildflowers at the moment, especially those that have been designated ‘Special Roadside Verges’ by the County Council.
There are around 60km of these special verges in Essex, many of which are remnants of old grassland meadows. They are maintained to protect the species of plants and animals living there. Many are not cut until the end of the summer so are great places to find interesting wildflowers, even at this time of year.
If you should spot one of these signs whilst driving the back roads of our beautiful county, it is worth stopping (in a safe place, of course) to check out what is in flower. I did just this yesterday and, in the space of half an hour, I logged forty different species of wild plants in as little as half a mile. Some of these, such as the vibrantly purple greater knapweed or the sunshine-yellow bunny-mouths of toadflax, wouldn’t look out of place in a well-tended garden
Others, which may be a little less glamorous in appearance, have fascinating names, steeped in English folk history. Take bedstraw, for example, which was used to stuff mattresses due to its ability to stay plumped up whilst also having a pleasant fragrance. Or restharrow, the roots of which were said to be so tough that they would stop a heavy duty, horse-drawn agricultural rake in its tracks.
Mugwort is one of my favourite names. A very drab plant, its name indicates how useful it once was to our ancestors. Formed from the old English word ‘wort’, meaning a herb, and “mug”, thought to mean ‘midge’, the plant was used as an insect repellent in olden days.
Broomrape
Being a bit of a fan of the unusual and obscure, my favourite find was the very odd-looking knapweed broomrape. This strange, brown flower spike contains none of the green pigment, chlorophyll, found in almost all plants. This is because this plant doesn’t need to make its own food, as other plants do, using chlorophyll to capture the sun’s energy.
This plant is a parasite, getting all the nutrients it needs from another plant, to whose roots it has attached itself. This particular broomrape (there are nine different species in the UK) is parasitic on greater knapweed, and its flower spike will always be found nearby those of this beautiful host plant.
Taking part in The Essex BioBlitz makes learning about wildflowers easy! All you need to do is download the iNaturalist app and take a photo of a flower with your smartphone. The app will give you the most likely suggestions for what your flower could be. You’ll also be helping the Trust and the University of Essex with important climate change research.
I’ve really enjoyed taking part in this ‘citizen science’ project over summer. To be honest, it’s almost become addictive, and I’ve learned so much along the way. You can still take part until the 30 September so why not sign up to the Essex BioBlitz and see what you can find?
Sue Huggett, Campaigns Volunteer
