Hairy Buttercup

An interesting day of fenland botanising with the South Lincolnshire Flora Group. We started at Surfleet Lows NR, an area of former salt pans now supporting an unusual type of alluvial grassland. While the site wasn't particularly species-rich, there were several special plants, including a good population of Hairy Buttercup at its only native site in South Lincolnshire. This annual buttercup usually flowers in May, but, in common with many other annual plants, this damp summer has allowed a second generation to occur which are just coming into bloom now.

The afternoon was spent at Surfleet Seas End, walking beside a tidal reach of the River Welland. We found a good variety of species, including a decent range of calcicoles on the river bank and halophile species from the river margin and a small piece of saltmarsh which has formed in a  bend of the river. 

After the rest of the group had dispersed, Pete and I had a look at the area around the two sluices in the village and added quite a lot more species for the area, including a well-established population of Deadly Nightshade, possibly originating from herbal use. A good day, which added more useful data for the 2020 Atlas.