Post by Aidan on Mar 18, 2007 3:10:41 GMT
This is adapted from material originally posted at CPUK. I thought members might be interested as it was the genesis of the article authored by Stephen and myself that appeared in the December 2006 issue CPN (35.4) and contains some additional images.
We headed into the forest on the 25th of July, visiting three bogs. After a month of dry weather, there had been 48Hrs of continuous rain preceeding our visit. The day proved to be cool, overcast and breezy. Less than ideal conditions for photographing very small subjects.
Stephen is familar with the forest over a number of years and knew where to look. The first bog was in fact the same as one of those visited previous year. This time however we found more plants and I located an Adder (Vipera berus) by the simple method of almost stepping on it!
These are the Drosera images from the first and third bogs:
Typical habitat of the areas visited.
D. intermedia
D. intermedia
Growing largely submerged, perhaps the largest D. rotundifolia I have seen.
D. rotundifolia growing on a decomposing log.
D. anglica
D. anglica
D. anglica
Often mistaken for one another, seen side-by-side the differences between D. intermedia (left) and D. anglica (right) are very obvious.
D. x obovata
D. x obovata
We had been searching the first bog for some time when Nina made the first significant find by spotting a flower scape rising above the grasses.
Two very healthy Dionaea muscipula growing wild in Southern England!
Shortly thereafter Stephen located the diminutive Pinguicula lusitanica.
The second bog did not reveal any further plants of interest, but was home to a very fine spider living in a large funnel-web. I spent a long time trying to get a decent shot of the creature with its prey item. Several others were later found in the third bog. Subsequently identified as the funnel weaver Agelena labyrinthica.
The last bog was very wet indeed and Susan found our final prize of the day, the tiny and bright yellow flowers of Utricularia minor. Very difficult to photograph, I shot frame after frame in the hope of getting a few images in focus.
Utricularia flowers amongst a clump of Drosera intermedia
In terms of numbers and variety of plants found, I don't think that we could have had a more successful field-trip in the forest. The company was good too!
All in all, 'A Grand Day Out'.
We headed into the forest on the 25th of July, visiting three bogs. After a month of dry weather, there had been 48Hrs of continuous rain preceeding our visit. The day proved to be cool, overcast and breezy. Less than ideal conditions for photographing very small subjects.
Stephen is familar with the forest over a number of years and knew where to look. The first bog was in fact the same as one of those visited previous year. This time however we found more plants and I located an Adder (Vipera berus) by the simple method of almost stepping on it!
These are the Drosera images from the first and third bogs:
Typical habitat of the areas visited.
D. intermedia
D. intermedia
Growing largely submerged, perhaps the largest D. rotundifolia I have seen.
D. rotundifolia growing on a decomposing log.
D. anglica
D. anglica
D. anglica
Often mistaken for one another, seen side-by-side the differences between D. intermedia (left) and D. anglica (right) are very obvious.
D. x obovata
D. x obovata
We had been searching the first bog for some time when Nina made the first significant find by spotting a flower scape rising above the grasses.
Two very healthy Dionaea muscipula growing wild in Southern England!
Shortly thereafter Stephen located the diminutive Pinguicula lusitanica.
The second bog did not reveal any further plants of interest, but was home to a very fine spider living in a large funnel-web. I spent a long time trying to get a decent shot of the creature with its prey item. Several others were later found in the third bog. Subsequently identified as the funnel weaver Agelena labyrinthica.
The last bog was very wet indeed and Susan found our final prize of the day, the tiny and bright yellow flowers of Utricularia minor. Very difficult to photograph, I shot frame after frame in the hope of getting a few images in focus.
Utricularia flowers amongst a clump of Drosera intermedia
In terms of numbers and variety of plants found, I don't think that we could have had a more successful field-trip in the forest. The company was good too!
All in all, 'A Grand Day Out'.
