Herb Paris, Gait Barrow National Nature Reserve.
A few highlights from a far too brief visit to Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve tucked away on the edge of Morecambe Bay close to Silverdale. With an 18 month old Border Collie for company the opportunities for a bit of botanising were rather limited 🙂
Herb Paris – Paris quadrifolia
In north-west England an uncommon if not rare woodland herb. Unusual in having its common name derived from Latin with Par being the Latin for pair and referring to the symmetry of the pairs of leaves and floral parts and quadrifolia meaning four leaves. Absolutely nothing to do with the capital of France.
Lily of the Valley
A pleasant change to see it growing wild instead of a long forgotten corner of a Victorian garden.
Bird eye Primula
A rare native plant found on the edge of Hawes Water. Throughout the rest of its European range more typically found in wet, alpine meadows
Note the yellow eye.
Welsh Poppy, a probable garden escapee that has naturalised throughout the woodland.
Several years ago I bumped into a student collecting hoverflies at Gait Barrows. Apparently its one of the better areas of the country with a wide range of species to be found. The striped hoverfly in the photo is one of the more common.