Maltese Cross

A long day of survey in Hertfordhsire. My leg was fine for the first threee hours of walking, grumbled a bit from the fourth and by the sixth hour I was almost dragging it along! Nevertheless I survived without too many painkillers...so definitely progress. One area we visited was a rather strange mixture of native British species and garden escapes, possibly close to the site of a former farm or other habitation. It's the first time I've ever recorded Maltese cross Silene chalcedonica growing in the wild. It sort of looked rather out of place...despite growing close to Turkish iris Iris orientalis and garden lady's mantle Alchemilla mollis.

After a long and boring drive home, which necessitated a coffee stop to keep me awake, we droppped in to a party at Lizzy's parent's house, which was very enjoyable, though I'd forgotten quite how noisy massed chldren can be! Then home to an M&S meal and collapsing on the settee.