Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - November 2005 - No 72
Kath & Richard Pryce
About twelve members met at the football field car park for this meeting and proceeded on foot along the byway towards the ‘Coastguard Dunes’. Tony Lewis dived into the scrub at one point to bring out a small specimen of Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) with oak-leaved young growth (Kath subsequently rooted the piece and grew it on to form an ordinary plant). The group passed through willow scrub including a thicket of Burnet Rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia), a very spiny species which will be resplendent with its creamy-white flowers in June followed later by its characteristic black hips..
On the edge of the saltmarsh, vegetation zones were variously dominated by Sea Couch (Elytrigia atherica) and Common Reed (Phragmites australis) and Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica) was frequent in the short grassy roadside verge. Branching off eastwards into the dry dunes, a thicket of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) and more Burnet Rose immediately impeded our progress. Emerging into a more open Marram (Amophila arenaria) dominated area, the party’s attention was drawn to other characteristic species, such as spring annuals including Common Whitlowgrass (Erophila verna), Rue-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites) and Little Mouse-ear (Cerastium semi-decandrum). Many of the more showy plants such as Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulnenaria), Dune Pansy (Viola tricolor subsp. curtisii) and Wild Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) were seen but were not yet in flower.
The group then explored a ‘eutrophic wet hollow’ which was actually dry (it is wet in winter) dominated by a mat of Creeping Bent (Agrostis stolonifera), with frequent Sea Club-rush (Bolboschoenus maritimus) and Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) and occasional Bulrush (Typha latifolia) and False Fox-sedge (Carex otrubae). Greater spearwort (Ranunculus lingua) was recorded here by Richard a year or two ago but there was no sign of it today.
After crossing into the Country Park some time was spent on an area of short turf searching for Lesser Chickweed (Stellaria pallida), which proved to be frequent with other species such as Common Whitlowgrass, Rue-leaved Saxifrage, Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill (Geranium molle), Sticky Mouse-ear (Cerastium glomeratum), Thyme-leaved Sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia), Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum), Little Mouse-ear and Wall Speedwell (Veronica arvensis).
At the Ski-slope Pond ribbons of toad-spawn were seen and several empty Ram’s-horn Snail shells (Planorbis sp.) were found along the shore. Curly Waterweed (Lagarosiphon major), Spiked Water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and the stonewort Tolypella glomerata were growing submerged in the water whilst Common Reed, Grey Club-rush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) and Bulrush were frequent marginals.
The return walk was across the reclaimed Ordnance Factory site to the once Main Entrance where the prevous years’ skeletons of Perennial Wall-rocket (Dipotaxis tenuifolia) were recognised after some head-scratching. The nearby abandoned gardens of the now demolished workers cottages had several clumps of naturalised daffodils including Bunch-flowered Daffodil (Narcissus tazetta) as well as the Hybrid Bluebell (Hyacinthoides x massartiana) and Garden Grape-hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum).
Back by the car park one ground-hugging rosette of Bird’s-foot (Ornithopus purpusillus) was discovered by Tony amongst a varied community of dry dune plants, weeds and garden escapes. The party dispersed after having seen an interesting and varied selection of early season plants.
