NATURE
Spotting wild flowers in the Claylands By Helen Baczkowska, Acting Conservation Manager at Norfolk Wildlife Trust
T
he wild flowers and plants of the Norfolk and Suffolk Claylands tell us stories about the soils beneath our feet, the history of the land and past uses of plants. The clay soils of the area are often slightly chalky, and crosswort is one of the plants that gives this away. As the name suggests, the leaves of crosswort are arranged in a neat cross of four around the stem and the flowers are tiny, but an unusual lemon-green colour. It is a relative of the ‘sticky weed’ children throw onto each other’s backs and was once believed to cure headaches or rheumatism. Other plants found on dry, chalky soils include the delicate quaking grass, with seed pods like tiny lanterns that tremble in the breeze, and a pink-flowered shrub called spiny restharrow. Although less than a metre tall, it has tough roots that were once roundly cursed for snagging in harrows and stopping farm workers in their tracks. Another small shrub is dyer’s greenweed, with yellow flowers
like a miniature snapdragon. In the past it was used to make a yellow dye for cloth, which, when dipped in blue woad dye, turned a distinctive green. Another fan of dry soils is common cat’s ear, which has a tufted yellow flower, like a small dandelion, that rises up from a rosette of wavy-edged leaves. The most distinctive feature of this plant is the black scales called ‘bracts’ on the stem, which are shaped like little cat’s ears. Two of the commonest wayside plants, oxeye daisy and black knapweed, thrive on a wide range of soils. Oxeye daisies have larger flowers than their garden cousins, reaching up to 5cm across and looking like the round eye of an ox, complete with long lashes in the form of the petals. The juice was also once believed to cure eye complaints. Black knapweed is easily confused with a thistle, as the purple flowers are similar, although the leaves are soft and not spiny. The country name ‘hard heads’ refers to the tough, round
buds and the bright flowers are one of the best food plants for butterflies and bees. On damper soils, meadow buttercups can form summer carpets of gold. Horses and cattle tend to avoid eating the bitter leaves, so the flowers thrive on land grazed by these animals. They are much taller than the creeping buttercup we find in our gardens, with finely cut leaves and branching stems. On old pastures and hay meadows, especially those that have never or only rarely been ploughed, pepper saxifrage can grow. Like the commoner cow parsley, it’s a member of the carrot family, with an upside down umbrella of green flowers and leaves that release an aniseed smell when crushed. Oil Tanks Supplied and installed Pipe Work Gauges Fuel Pumps Spares 24 hour call out
Established over 30 years
01508 570629 07979 846139
info@pdoiltanks.co.uk Unit 2, Woodview Farm, Church Lane, Wicklewood, Norfolk NR18 9QH
Domestic 52
www.pdoiltanks.co.uk
Agricultural
Commercial
