Not any old thrift...

I had a fantastic day out recording with the South Lincolnshire Flora Group. The morning was spent at Rauceby Warren NR, where we saw many rarities, and the afternoon was spent doing some more general recording around the village of North Rauceby, though even that had its surprises, in the form of a thriving population of Bloody Cranesbill Geranium sanguineum on a roadside verge.

On the way home I dropped in at Ancaster Cemetery to see the population of Tall Thrift Armeria maritima subsp. elongata. This inland form was not recognised in Britain until the 1950's, even though in 1757 Pulteney described thrift as 'very plentiful around Grantham and Sleaford'. Now it is confined to just two sites in Britain where it grows on well-drained sandy soils, the other sites having been lost through ploughing, re-seeding and agricultural improvement.

It's a rather larger plant than the seaside form, and the tall stems often have a characteristic kink just below the flower head. The grassland of the cemetery is supposed to be mown or scythed after seed has set, but when I arrived it had clearly been cut, apart from two plants which were surrounded by plastic mesh cages, which you can see in the background. Fortunately the mown plants were sending up a second, smaller crop of buds which should flower later in the summer.