This is another in our occasional series by our good friend Neil Anderson, on the state of plant and animal diversity in Perivale Park. As usual, it takes the form of general comments about various areas of the park, and then a list of the plant species observed in the orchard area.
Spent some time looking at the wildflowers/insects close to the brook path at the edge of Pear Tree Park before moving up to the garden area. It does look amazing at the moment as does much of the park. All credit to those who help maintain it. The Crack Willow saplings will need to removed or coppiced at some point. The whole area was brimming with insects. Of the butterflies, it was Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites & Small Skippers that were most numerous along with many bees & grasshoppers.
After spending an hour or so here I made my first visit to the Bistro, where I had their full English just before the cut off time off noon. Very good!
Following this a visit to the wetlands. Probably the most disappointing part of my visit. Plenty of water but hardly any dragonflies (saw far more in May).
I then walked back across the lovely meadows of Pear Tree Park.
Fairly quiet for birds though possibly the first time I’ve heard a Reed Warbler here, along the Brent by the wetlands. 2 Buzzards, 2 Red Kites & a Kestrel, the raptors seen.
Flora
- Festuca rubra Red Fescue
- Holcus lanatus Yorkshire Fog
- Alopecurus pratensis Meadow Foxtail
- Arrhenatherum elatius False Oat Grass
- Hordeum secalinum Meadow Barley
- Dactylis glomerata Cocksfoot Grass
- Agrostis sp Bent sp
- Lolium perenne Rye Grass
- Stipa gigantea Planted giant oat grass.
- Anisantha sterilis Barren Brome
- Phleum bertolonii Small Timothy
- Carex pendula Pendulous Sedge
- Urtica dioica Nettle
- Rumex obtusifolius Broad-leaved Dock
- Taraxacum officinale agg. Dandelion
- Hypochaeris radicata Common Cat’s-ear
- Crepis capillaris Smooth Hawksbeard
- Helminthotheca echioides Bristly Ox-tongue
- Leucanthemum vulgare Ox-eye Daisy
- Catananche caerulea Cupid’s Dart (blue flower from plantings)
- Jacobaea vulgaris Common Ragwort
- Achillea millefolium Yarrow
- Achillea filipendulina a yellow yarrow from plantings
- Tragopogon pratensis Goatsbeard
- Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed
- Centaurea scabiosa Greater Knapweed
- Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle
- Artemisia vulgaris Mugwort
- Rumex obtusifolia Broad-leaved Dock
- Rubus fruticosus agg Bramble
- Sanguisorba minor Salad Burnet
- Sanguisorba officinalis Great Burnet
- Origanum vulgare Marjoram
- Knautia arvensis Field Scabious
- Knautia macedonica a purple scabious originally planted
- Trifolium repens White Clover
- Trifolium pratense Red Clover
- Medicago lupulina Black Medick
- Medicago sativa Lucerne
- Lotus corniculatus Bird’s-foot Trefoil
- Galega officinalis Goat’s-rue
- Vicia hirsute Hairy Tare
- Lathyrus latifolius Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea
- Spartium junceum Spanish Broom (one flowering bush on bank)
- Hypericum perforatum Perforate St. John’s-wort
- Eryngium planum a planted sea holly with blue flowers
- Daucus carota Wild Carrot
- Papaver orientale Oriental Poppy from plantings
- Geranium pratense Meadow Cranesbill
- Geranium molle Doves-foot Cranesbill
- Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain
- Silene coronaria Rose Campion (from planting)
- Salix fragilis Crack Willow
- Malva sylvestris Common Mallow
- Malva moschata Musk Mallow
- Echium vulgare Viper’s Bugloss
- Galium verum Lady’s Bedstraw
- Galium album Hedge Bedstraw
- Allium sphaerocephalon Rond-headed Leek (introduced in plantings)