Rue-leaved Saxifrage

A busy day spent largely out in the field. In the morning Alex and I went to the Great Fen to survey some water-bodies for stoneworts. Normally, the best time to look for these complex algae is mid-summer, but in view of the dry spring we felt it was wise to make an early visit in case they dried up. Indeed, water levels had declined significantly in two of the smaller ponds which supported the rare Clustered Stonewort, which is a spring annual.

After lunch I headed off to Swaddywell Pit to research the plants growing there as part of a project that I'm advising on. I saw the first small copper and common blue butterflies of the year, and man orchid was flowering on a steep south-facing bank, but many of the flowering plants still seem rather behind. I was shocked at how dry much of the site was, with some of the seepage areas baked hard. Erection of sheep fencing over part of the site forced me to leave via the main parking area, where I found a large population of rue-leaved saxifrage growing in the short turf. Towards the end of the season this species often takes on this attractive red colour, which is particularly strongly developed during dry conditions.