NYPH #2 - Sleaford

Another very enjoyable New year Plant Hunt with the South Lincs Flora Group, this time in Sleaford, where we followed an intricate route which took us into corners of the town that most of us had never previously visited. With eleven pairs of eyes on the job, we amassed a very respectable total of 55 species in flower.

As well as the regular winter flowering species we found Hoary Ragwort Senecio erucifolius, Sweet Alison Lobularia maritima and a thriving population of Shaggy Soldier Galinsoga quadriradiata outside the dentist practice, which sent a receptionist out to discover what on earth we were looking at. We later caused a minor traffic hold up as we ticked off flowering Ivy Hedera helix and Honesty Lunaria annua from the margins of the River Slea on West Bank.

We added several new species to the tetrad, including flowering Southern Hawkweed Hieracium argillaceum on the edge of a footpath near the station, only the second post-2000 site. We also found flowering Fern-leaved beggar-ticks Bidens ferulifolia in the Eastgate carpark (2nd record for VC53), though sadly this was outside the allotted three hours so couldn't be included in our total. Other non-flowering additions to the tetrad included thriving populations of Musk Stork's-bill Erodium moschatum and Pale Pink-sorrel Oxalis incarnata.

The lunch break at Costa gave everyone a chance to warm up, and we all enjoyed cakes at the end of the hunt. A good day.