Crosswort

Out with the SLFG near Marston in the morning, exploring public bridleways south-west of the sewage works - not the most scenic of venues but with plenty to keep us interested.

In the afternoon I went on to record a nearby tetrad which contained a stretch of fairly herb-rich grassland along a bye-way. One of the species present was crosswort - typically a flower of waysides, crosswort is frequently found along road verges, footpaths and railway embankments, though is commoner in the north than in the south. Its name derives from its hairy, oval leaves that are arranged in whorls of four like a cross around a four-angled hairy stem. When in bloom they are filled with frothy yellow flowers that smell of honey.

In the evening we went to a barbecue at Chris and Lizzy's house - good food and company, though by 9.30 p.m. I was feeling rather shattered!