Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - Autumn 1982
S.N. Tallowin

What a feast and WHAT indigestion - you have got it all wrong: I am not referring to over indulgence in matters of food but to a trip, to France. I am fully aware that the French have a high reputation so far as food is concerned, but I repeat it is not excessive food that caused the symptom above.

My wife and I noticed that the B.S.B.I. were organising a week in the Fontainebleau Forest under the leadership of Dr. Francis Rose. Being acquainted with Dr. Rose and having heard him extol the virtues of the forest on many occasions I wrote off and said that as we wore over 21 years of age we would like to join the party ONLY if the limit of 25 could not be reached. In fact only 18 applied so we made it up to 20. The organiser arranged participants to share cars and we travelled in a car with a couple from Bristol whom we met in Newhaven. My wife and I travelled to Newhaven in our car and we arrived Saturday evening and were at a loss to find a convenient car park, so I went to the Dock gates and boldly asked a Dock policeman. He telephoned around and fixed us up with bed and breakfast and told us we could park (at our risk) in the police car park - just outside the Dock gates, for the week - NO charge. He deserved the small bottle of whisky which he received on our return.

From Dieppe we took a route to the East of Paris because our leader wanted to explore some sites en route. His enthusiasm caused us to be travell¬ing in the dark, consequently south of Paris our speed was regulated by a pressing desire for food and to get a good night’s rest. We ran into one of the worst thunderstorms I have ever experienced and to say I was quite at ease would be an exaggeration. We were travelling at speed on a sheet of water into continuous lightening accompanied by deafening claps of thunder. The windscreen wipers were unable to cope with the volume of water (one of our party ran off the road - no damage). Our car had a sunshine roof and that too could not cope, with the consequence Georgina had a lap full of water and I had quite a stream running down my neck and the rest of the way - no need to go into wet details. We should have arrived at our destination in time for dinner at 7 - we arrived after 10.30 p.m., wet and hungry.

Talking of thunderstorms - we were sitting in our bedroom watching one four days after our arrival, when lightning struck the warden’s house less than 20 yards from our window. We wondered what on earth had happened: the whole house shook, and the clap of thunder was terrifying. The lightening travelled down the television aerial and blew the set to pieces, put all other electrical Apparatus out of action - BUT - no fire.

Now for the FEAST - it was the flora. There was such a wealth of plants new to us that we just could not absorb and remember all the species, hence the indigestion. Fontainebleau Forest is huge with habitats ranging from limestone to acid bogs; heath land and riverside banks, all of which produced plants we had never seen before. To name them all would take up far too much of this Newsletter so I will mention a few together with the Orchids, which were a delight:-

Broomrape was growing in clumps in the forest nearly everywhere. Two I remember:

• Germander Broomrape
• Broomrape on Eryngium
• Sweet Spurge   
• Bastard Balm
• Spiked Star of Bethlehem
• Woad (have got seeds of it)

ORCHIDS SEEN:   

• Birds—nest
• Ghost
• Fen
• Monkey
• Green-winged
• Military
• Man
• Fly
• Greater Butterfly
• Bee - over 300
• late Spider - over 300

Names in Latin supplied on request - all requests will be ignored.

Cost of one week — full board, including wine with evening meal ... £16. (and that is not a misprint)