Sesleria caerulea

Blue Moor Grass

A lovely long wander of the scar with long-time-not-seen friend Ian today. Conversation picked up pretty much where it left off 18 months ago.
Whilst Ian is relatively local he'd not wandered here for two decades, but he's a huge enthusiasm for the natural world, so he was keen to check out the birdlife and have a look in Great Asby National Nature Reserve... where we found this easily overlooked little beauty.
It's another of those wonderfully described "nationally rare, locally common" finds, but this one is a true Northerner - and a specialist of limestone habitat so is only found in North Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria (as well as a couple of spots in Scotland and Ireland & in the High Alps). It's the first grass to flower each year, in fact if you find one in November or December and split open it's shoot you can find the next year's flower already there ready to emerge.