Butterbur or Pestilence Wort

This is a huge leafed plant seen on my walk today. There are swathes of these along the old railway line that meets up with the Staffordshire and WorcestershireCanal. Correct name Petasites hybridus but it has a long list of other common names and I love Blatterdock, Capdockin and Sweet Coltsfoot. As well as Bog Rhubarb and Umbrella plant.

Hollie was unimpressed. 

We had a glorious sunny walk along the railway and out over Compton Park and  the Smestow Valley. Under the Meccano Bridge and afterwards Hollie had a swim in the Smestow Brook (River Smestow)

Back home I had a long chat with a neighbour whose brother is under lockdown isolation in Shanghai, simply because he was deemed to have been in contact with someone in a store, who had tested positive for covid19.  He has been strictly confined to a hotel room. For three weeks!  Ouch.

No other news today so that's it for now. 

Extras show the Meccano Bridge over the canal, massed ranks of Pestilence Wort, and Hollie basking in the long grass. 

Happy days.