[059] Bucephala clangula, Goldeneye

[059] Bucephala clangula, Goldeneye

Introduction

Bucephala Clangula, the Goldeneye, is a diving duck usually only seen in Britain as a relatively rare Winter visitor. It is more strictly known as the Common Goldeneye.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (Birds)

Order – Anseriformes

Family – Anatidae

Subfamily – Merginae

Genus – Bucephala

Scientific Name – Bucephala clangula

Note

There are three species in Bucephala. Two of these are quite similar – the Common Goldeneye and Barrow’s Goldeneye, which has a more Western distribution. The third one is quite different. It is the Bufflehead, with an appearance from which ‘Bucephala’ is derived.

There was a time when the Bufflehead was the only species in Bucephala. The Goldeneyes were placed in Clangula, while the Long-tailed Duck was in the genus Harelda. Now the Long-tailed Duck has been moved to Clangula and the Goldeneyes have become Bucephala.

It is still not universally agreed that the three species should stay together. The Goldeneyes may be moved out again – but they can no longer go to Clangula; they would have to go to a new genus!

Name

The eyes are small but the yellow ring round them is a clear identification feature.

Both parts of Bucephala clangula are really associated with other ducks, as noted above.

Description

The most noticeable feature of the male Goldeneye is not his eye. It’s the white circle below the eye. Apart from this, his head is dark green and the back is black. The rest of his body is white with a black and white striped effect at the sides.

The female has a dark brown head without the white circle. Her body is dark on top with a more gradual mottled change to lighter colours underneath.

I think this next picture is a first winter male, or possible an eclipse form.

Most resident birds nest in holes in trees near to lakes. Most of the Scottish population make use of nest-boxes provided for them. They are diving birds and eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and molluscs.

They seem to use their flat tails to help them dive.

Habitat and use

Most Goldeneye spent their summer in the far North. They winter in the far East, the US and the UK. There is a very small resident population in Scotland

Other Notes

This is a relatively rare visitor to the South of England. The lakes of the Cotswold Water Park generally support a few birds.

You have to be careful sometimes when doing Internet searches. Make sure you exclude James Bond and the horse belonging to Alexander the Great.

And not every bird with a golden eye is a Goldeneye.

You will, of course, recognize [047] the Tufted Duck.

See also

Goldeneye tend to appear with another rare Winter visitor, [228] the Goosander.

[058] Bryonia alba, White Bryony

[058] Bryonia alba, White Bryony

Introduction

Bryonia alba, White Bryony, is a wild climbing plant native to Britain, with small, attractive, white flowers.

Bryonia is a small genus, all called Bryony. Somewhat confusingly, Bryonia dioica, Red Bryony, is also sometimes called White Bryony. Note also that the unrelated (but visually similar) Discorea communis is called Black Bryony.

To complete the confusion Bryonia alba has several other names – Wild Hops (though not a hop), Wild vine (though not a grape), English Mandrake (not a Mandrake), False Mandrake, Wild Nep (It’s not nepeta), Ladies’ seal and tetterbury.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Cucurbitales

Family – Cucurbitaceae

Genus – Bryonia

Scientific Name – Bryonia alba

Name

Bryonia is a Latinized version of its name in Ancient Greek. This another one where the common name seems to come from the Latin version. Alba is, of course, Latin for white.

Description

Bryonia alba is a perennial climbing plant with distinctive palmately lobed leaves.

The flowers are white or very light green with hairy edges that give it a silvery look.

The fruit is a small berry, just beginning to develop in the next picture. It eventually turns black.

[You can understand some of the confusion with names if you realise that White Bryony has white flowers and black berries; Red Bryony, also known as White Bryony, has white flowers with red berries; and Black Bryony also has white flowers with black berries.]

All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Habitat and use

White Bryony is native to Britain and Europe. It is available as a garden plant.

It can become an aggressive, invasive plant and can climb over other plants, trees, fences and buildings. It is not an easy plant to eradicate.

Other Notes

Bryony, sometimes with variation in spelling, can be used as a girl’s name.

It’s not clear why this plant has not become such an unwanted weed in this country. I don’t see it as often as several other invasive species.

See also

The only similar plants are some of our climbing plants, none of which are closely related.

[057] Brassica napus, Oilseed Rape

[057] Brassica napus, Oilseed Rape

Introduction

Brassica napus napus, Oilseed Rape or Rapeseed, is a cultivated crop now widespread in England. In places it turns the countryside yellow with its flowers in Summer.

Brassica napus is a polyploid hybrid between Brassica oleracea (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and other vegetable varieties) and Brassica rapa (turnip, Chinese cabbage and other varieties). It has two subspecies – B napus napus, Oilseed Rape and B napus rapifera, the swede (also known in the USA as rutabaga or yellow turnip.)

[Don’t worry, there won’t be a test later.]

It has been cultivated for thousands of years.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Flowering Plants

Order – Brassicales

Family – Brassicaceae (Mustard and Cabbage)

Genus – Brassica

Species – Brassica napus

Subspecies Scientific Name – Brassica napus napus

See below for cultivated varieties

Name

The name ‘rape’ comes from the turnip plant, Brassica rapa. WIkipedia calls this crop Rapeseed but I have always known it as Oilseed Rape. It is the third largest World source of vegetable oil from its seeds.

Brassica is Latin for cabbage or cauliflower. Napus is the Latin for turnip or rapeseed. Latin purists might wonder why Brassica is feminine and napus is masculine, but see Names.

Crops

I have included some domestic animals and will include some cultivated crops. They date from several thousand years ago so their origins may be unclear. After such long periods of cultivation, vegetable crops have many different established varieties that may be very different to the original wild plants.

Brassica

Many species of Brassica are well established crops and all parts of the plants can be eaten, particularly the roots, leaves and seeds. Several varieties of mustard are included within Brassica.

Triangle of U

I have to mention the ‘Triangle of U,’ but first you need to know about polyploidy. It’s to do with having more than the expected number of chromosomes.

Organisms in general all have a number of paired chromosomes. They are called ‘diploid’. Humans have 46 chromosomes in 23 pairs (including one pair of sex chromosomes.) Plants in general have about ten pairs. In sexual reproduction the chromosomes of the parents, (which determine what the offspring will be) combine, mix and separate so that the new organism gets half of the information in its chromosomes from one parent and half from the other one.

Some plants have arisen naturally having sets of four chromosomes, instead of pairs of chromosomes. Bread wheat even has six sets of 7 so it has 42 chromosomes where its ancestor plant had just 14. These are called polyploid.

Long ago there were three species of diploid Brassica – B nigra (Black Mustard); B rapa (Turnip and other varieties) and B oleracea (Cabbage etc.) Somehow each pair formed a polyploid hybrid species. B juncea (Indian Mustard) is a hybrid between B nigra and B rapa. B carinata is a hybrid between B nigra and B oleracea.

And B napus is a hybrid between B rapa and B oleracea. All three of these hybrid species contain two pairs of chromosomes from each of the original species. The following diagram may (or may not) make it clearer to you.

These hybrids are not the results of modern science. They all happened long before the species were domesticated.

[You were wondering why it’s called the Triangle of U. Well, the theory was first published by Woo Jang-choon, a Korean-Japanese botanist, writing under the Japanized name Nagahuru U.]

Description

The Oilseed Rape plant grows to a height of a metre or more and the top half is just an erect stem covered in bright yellow flowers.

The seed pods are light green and elongated as shown below and in detail.

Habitat and use

With modern farming methods, Rapeseed can be grown widely and it is one of the major crops produced in Britain.

It is not easy to get up-to-date statistics but from recent figures Rapeseed comes third in terms of annual arable production (after wheat and potatoes.)

Other Notes

In many places there are extensive field full of Rapeseed and sometimes a footpath will take you through it.

See also

I suppose you may possibly see swedes being grown but this other subspecies of Brassica napus is not a major crop in Britain – either for human consumption or as animal feed.

Look out for some more agricultural crops to come. You can probably guess some of them.

[056] Branta leucopsis, Barnacle Goose

[056] Branta leucopsis, Barnacle Goose

Introduction

Branta leucopsis, the Barnacle Goose, is a Black Goose which breeds in the far North and winters in sites in Scotland and elsewhere.

There is also a feral population in Norfolk and another small feral population resident in and around the Slimbridge wetlands and Frampton-on-Severn.

We saw [055] the Canada Goose yesterday. This post will also consider the Nene (Hawaiian Goose) and other Branta species.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (Birds)

Order – Anseriformes (Waterfowl

Family – Anatidae

Subfamily – Anserinae (Geese and Swans)

Genus – Branta

Scientific Name – Branta leucopsis

Name

We can blame Gerald of Wales (Circa 1146-1223) an Archdeacon of Brecon for the myth that led to the name of this bird. Like many birds, we only saw these geese in winter and nobody knew where they came from. Gerald claimed to have seen them emerging from barnacle shells and so it was thought that the two were two forms of the same animal. The barnacle is now called the Goose Barnacle.

Until about two hundred years ago, in some places Roman Catholics who abstained from meat during Lent could still eat the Barnacle Goose as it was considered to be a fish.

Another goose, Branta bernicla, known to us now as the Brent Goose was at the time considered to be the same species, and that was the one that kept the name ‘bernicla’ meaning barnacle.

Leucopsis, from Greek roots means white-face.

Barnacle Goose

The Barnacle Goose is significantly smaller than the Canada Goose. It has a black neck and back, and a white face and breast. Both areas of white are larger than the Canada Goose. The back is noticeably barred with white.

Goslings are less marked, mostly grey.

Habitat

Three separate wild populations breed in Eastern Greenland, Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. The Greenland population winters in Western Ireland and the Hebrides. The other two go to the Solway Firth and the Netherlands respectively.

The local feral populations are not migratory.

Other Notes

They can be seen at Frampton where they will share their grass with sheep.

Nene

Branta sandvicensis is the Nene, also known as the Hawaiian Goose. The word Nene, the name of this bird in Hawaiian, comes from the sound of its call. Hawaii used to be known as the Sandwich Islands.

Like many species on isolated islands, this species diverged from the rest of the World just after the islands of Hawaii were formed, about half a million years ago.

Its body is barred in shades of grey, separated from the neck by a dark band. The neck becomes a buff colour at the face, and the face and the top and back of the head are black. Both sexes look similar.

In its natural habitats in Hawaii this goose inhabits shrubland, grassland and volcanic lava plains. So, its webbed feet have adapted,

I see these birds at Slimbridge where they may now be more common than in Hawaii. They breed successfully there and some have been released back to repopulate their native locations.

See also

Others species in the Branta genus.

• Canada Goose, Branta canadensis – see [055]
• Brent Goose, Branta bernicla. Visually similar to the Barnacle Goose but not so closely related. Seen in coastal locations of Britain, especially in Winter.
• Red-breasted Goose, Branta ruficollis. The smallest Branta. It does have red breast. Summer in Siberia and Winter on the Black Sea.
• Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii. Very similar to the Canada Goose but smaller. Only seen in North America and the tip of Siberia,

[055] Branta canadensis, Canada Goose

[055] Branta canadensis, Canada Goose

Introduction

Branta canadensis, the Canada Goose, is a widespread and common ‘black’ goose in the UK but is not technically a native species.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (birds)

Order – Anseriformes (Waterfowl)

Family – Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans)

Subfamily – Anserinae (Geese and Swans)

Genus – Branta

Scientific Name – Branta canadensis

Name

Branta is Latinized from the Old Norse Brandgas meaning burnt-goose i.e. black goose.

Description

The back is a barred light grey-brown and the breast is white. Male and female birds are identical.

The head and neck are all black apart from a white cheek patch.

Branta geese are distinguished from other geese by their black legs and feet.

They are gregarious and mainly herbivores. They feed on grass, beans and grains and sometimes aquatic plants just below the surface of the water.

The young goslings start as yellow-brown chicks similar to most waterfowl. They can walk, swim and feed themselves immediately. They follow the parents and gradually grow to look like them.

Habitat and use

The Canada Goose is widespread and common in North America, where it is migratory. Hence its name.

It has been introduced in Europe from several sources, starting in the Seventeenth Century with the collection of King James II in St James’s Park in London.

They are widely hunted in the USA but are not otherwise normally eaten.

When flying in flocks they can be a hazard to aircraft.

Other Notes

They are frequently seen in wetland environments. Canada Geese do sometimes visit ornamental gardens and parks but this is usually a single pair and they may not stay for long.

See also

Tomorrow we will look at [056] the Barnacle Goose and other Branta species.

[054] Bos taurus, Cattle

[054] Bos Taurus, Cattle

Introduction

The hardest thing to explain about the species [054] Bos taurus is what they are called. I will call them Domestic Cattle or just Cattle. They have been domesticated and farmed for thousands of years – for meat, milk, leather and other products.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Mammals

Order – Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)

Family – Bovidae

Genus – Bos

Scientific Name – Bos taurus

Subspecies – Bos taurus taurus

The Zebu, Bos taurus indicus, is a humped animal found in India and Africa, now generally considered to be a separate subspecies of Bos Taurus.

Both are descended from wild Aurochs, which are now extinct.

There are over a thousand recognized breeds worldwide. Most breeds still have horns.

Name

Cattle have been with us for so long that they are named through the process of farming. Generally speaking,

• A Bull is an adult male;
• A Cow is a female animal that has had at least one calf (sometimes two, depending on regional usage);
• A Heifer is a female that has not yet had a calf and is under three years old;
• Calves (singular: calf) are young of both sexes before being weaned;
• Weaners are young after weaning but under a year old;
• A Bullock is a castrated male (or in America a young bull);
• A Steer in America is a castrated male;
• An Ox (plural: oxen) is an animal kept for draft or for riding, usually a bullock or female animal;
• A Freemartin is a female twin of a bull, usually becoming an infertile intersex;
• A neat is an obsolete term for a horned ox.
• Cattle is a general word for the animals in general.
• Beef Cattle are cattle raised for human consumption.
• Dairy Cattle are bred specifically for milking.
• Bovine is a general adjective applying to cattle.

Those not involved in farming just use the words bull, cow and calf for the male, female and young, terms that apply to several other animals including whales, hippopotamuses, camels, elks and elephants (none of which will appear in this blog.)

The word ‘cattle’ coming originally from Latin ‘caput’ is cognate with ‘chattels’ and economic ‘capital,’ originally just meaning personal property, especially livestock, that was sold as part of the land. In the King James Bible, ‘cattle’ refers to any livestock as opposed to ‘deer’ meaning wildlife. We use the word now just for this species of animal.

There is no singular form of ‘cattle.’ Sometimes an unidentified animal seen at a distance may be called a cow, which is statistically quite likely to be accurate. More accurate terms are head of cattle, cattle beast or bovine.

‘Cow’ comes from Anglo-saxon roots and is cognate with the now obsolete plural form ‘kine.’

‘Bull’ also comes from ancient roots and ‘bullock’ is a diminutive.

Bos (for the animal in general) and taurus (for the male) are both Latin for this animal.

Description

Cattle are large even-toed (cloven-hoofed) ungulates. Like antelopes, pigs, deer, giraffe, camels, sheep and goats, they bear their weight on just two of their toes.

I won’t go into the complex nature of their stomachs and digestive systems, which are what makes them ungulates.

They come within the family Bovidae, which consists of sheep, goats, antelope and its closer relatives within Bos. (See below.) All male Bovidae and most females have horns but they have been bred out of most breeds of domestic cattle.

You can search the Internet if you want to know any more about cattle reproduction or farming or breeds but this blog is not intended to be a full encyclopaedia of information.

Here are a selection of breeds, mostly cows but starting with another bull and some calves.

Domestication

The Neolithic Revolution, about 10 000 BC, was a change in human culture from a hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Somewhere around 6 000 BC, modern cattle were domesticated from aurochs, a species that remained in the wild until possibly the Seventeenth Century.

Habitat and use

Cattle are used for meat (beef or veal), milk and leather. They may be entered in competitions at agricultural shows and in some countries, they are used in bullfighting or rodeos.

I won’t go into the details of cattle farming. They may eat by being allowed to graze in fields of grass but modern farming can provide other food sources. Dairy cattle are normally milked twice a day. In modern farms this is a fully automated process

Other Notes

You may wonder why I have included domesticated animals. Well, you are much more likely to see a cow or sheep on your travels than a Sparrowhawk or Strawberry Tree or any kind of sawfly. You will also find them easier to recognize.

Cattle in particular are not only found on farms. Some of my pictures are from Commons or open areas where they are allowed to graze in order to improve the condition of the land or wildlife habitats.

See also

The Buffalo, Bison (known as Buffalo in America) and Yak are among this animal’s closest relatives, coming within the genus Bos. You may see Buffalo in some Nature Reserves but are unlikely to find the others in Britain

[053] Bombylius major, Bee Fly

[053] Bombylius major, Bee Fly

Introduction

Bombylius major, the Bee Fly, is a medium sized fly, superficially resembling a bumble bee.

We have the usual problem. As there are about 5 000 species in the Bee Fly family, we have to be a bit more specific. It’s the Large Bee-fly or Dark-edged Bee-fly. There are one or two other bee flies (or bee-flies) that are seen very rarely in Britain but this one is usually just known as the Bee Fly.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Diptera

Suborder – Brachycera

Superfamily – Asiloidea

Family – Bombyliidae

Subfamily – Bombiliinae

Genus – Bombylius

Scientific Name – Bombylius Major

Name

Bombilius presumably comes from Bombus, the Bumble Bee genus.

Flies

This is our first fly, one of about a million species. The Order Diptera is named (‘two-wings’) from the wing structure of flies. They only have one pair of wings with which they fly. The other pair are modified into tiny ‘halteres,’ which act like gyroscopes and enable aerobatic manoeuvring in flight.

Flies are diverse and include craneflies, horse flies, hoverflies, house flies, flesh flies, gnats, mosquitos and midges. They are fully metabolous and generally have good eyesight.

Bombyliidae

Just to give you an idea of numbers, there are about 200 families of flies and Bombyliidae has 5 000 species in hundreds of genera, mostly called bee flies. They vary in size but all are parasitic and host specific. 450 species come under the genus Bombylius.

Description

The body of the Bee Fly is dark but it covered in hairs which make it look a light brown. Its wings are dark at the front and light towards the rear with an undulating border. It has long legs that dangle in flight and a very long proboscis that it uses to extract nectar from flowers. It often hovers in flight.

The adult flies are seen from April to June. They have several host species including [024] the Mining Bees (and other solitary bees and wasps.) The female fly hovers over the bee’s open nest and flicks her eggs into it.

The larvae are hypermetamorphic parasitoids, which feed on the stored food and the young bees. This means that the first instar is a mobile form seeking out the food source for the main development.

Sometimes the female fly lays her eggs on the flowers visited by the host species. Developing larvae then find a nest or attach themselves to the bee to be carried there.

Large numbers of eggs are laid as few survive to find a host. When the larva does find a host larva it holds on tightly as it eats it. The pupa overwinters.

Habitat

Bombylius major is found in temperate Europe and North America and some parts of Asia.

Other Notes

I have seen them in my garden. I have also seen them among a large number of mining bees making their nests.

See also

If you are feeling sorry for the bees, wait for [237] Nomad Bees.

[052] Bombus Species, Bumble Bees

[052] Bombus Species, Bumble Bees

Introduction

There are 250 species in the genus Bombus known as Bumble Bees or Bumble-bees or Bumblebees. About thirty species may be seen in Britain but only about half a dozen are common. I will consider a few species, jointly and separately.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Hymenoptera

Suborder – Apocrita (Bees, Wasps and Ants and others)

Superfamily – Apoidea

Clade – Anthophila (Bees)

Family – Apidae

Subfamily – Apinae

Clade – Corbiculata (Bees with pollen baskets)

Tribe – Bombini (Bumble Bees)

Genus – Bombus (Bumble Bees)

Scientific Names – See text

Name

Bumble and the Latin Bombus are both derived as onomatopoeic versions of buzzing or humming. In the archaic form humblebee, humble- means ‘low’ or ‘on the ground,’ as many species nest in underground burrows.

Bumble Bees

Most Bumble Bees are social in the same way as [029] the Honey Bee but with much smaller numbers in their colonies. (About 50 to 2000, compared to hives of about 50 000.) There are some species of Cuckoo Bumble Bees, acting as brood parasites – we have some in Britain but they are not included here.

The largest of our bee species, (Queens are even larger) they are round and hairy, generally with warning coloured bands. Females of the social species have pollen baskets, which distinguishes them from the cuckoo species. They gather nectar and pollen and are important vectors of agricultural pollination.

Queen and workers are both able to sting. They can sting repeatedly as the stinger is not left behind, but they are not usually aggressive. (The male cannot sting.) The 250 species are in fifteen subgenera, one of which is the cuckoo bumble bees.

Reproduction and Castes

Young queens leave the nest in the autumn and mate with male drones driven out of the colony. Drones and workers die and the queen feeds intensively before hibernating. (It’s called diapause but it’s very like hibernation.)

Reproduction is haplodoploid, as for Honey Bees, and the whenever the queen lays an egg, she controls whether to allow fertilization – and hence she controls the sex of the offspring. Larvae are fed both nectar for carbohydrates and pollen for protein. The queen produces workers who continue to look after the nest.

In a young colony the queen minimizes reproductive competition through aggression and pheromones. Almost all of the eggs laid by workers are eaten. As the colony grows larger it eventually produces males and new queens. The queen is usually the mother of the first males but eventually the workers also lay male eggs.

In practice, this means that we see many Queen Bumble Bees and at some times of the year there are only Queens about.

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee

Bombus terrestris, the Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, is common and widespread throughout the UK, and one of the most common Bumble Bees throughout Europe. Terrestris is Latin and means relating to the land or the earth.

It has two obvious orange-brown bands across its body and the tail is white with variable amounts of buff towards the top of this band. The first picture below is a Queen.

Many Buff-tailed Bumble Bees look like White-tailed Bumble Bees, Bombus lucorum, and the two are difficult to distinguish. Bombus lucorum is now widespread on the island of Ireland but very rare in Britain.

Carder Bee

Bombus pascuorum, the Carder Bee or Common Carder Bee is the most common and widespread British Bumble Bee. Pascuorum means ‘of the pastures.’ It has a distinctive large round hairy area, usually brownish, on its back that gives it its name. (Carding was a process in the productive of wool that involved brushing the fleece with dried [117] Teasel flowers.)

Again, the first picture is a Queen.

Garden Bumble Bee

Bombus hortorum, the Garden Bumble Bee, is widespread and common over most of the UK. Hortorum is Latin for ‘of the gardens.’ It has three yellow bands and a white tail.

It has a very long tongue used in extracting nectar and sometimes flies with its tongue extended

Tree Bumble Bee

Bombus hypnorum, the Tree Bumble Bee, only arrived in Britain in 2001 but is now widespread over all of England and Wales. It has the same hairy back as the Carder Bee but its body is much darker and can be all black.

(Another Queen.)

Red Tailed Bumble Bee

Bombus lapidarius, the Red-Tailed Bumble Bee, is relatively widespread but rare in the North of England and Scotland. Its body is almost completely black apart from the distinctive red tail area. Lapidarius is Latin for ‘stony.’

Early Bumble Bee

Bombus pratorum, the Early Bumble Bee is also common and widespread. Pratorum means ‘of the meadows.’ It has a red tail, which is much less marked then Bombus lapidarius. It does emerge earlier than other species.

Others

We have about half a dozen other species with very limited distribution or recently made extinct in Britain

See also

Watch out for [237] Nomad Bees.

[051] Betula pendula, Silver Birch

[051] Betula pendula, Silver Birch

Introduction

Betula pendula, the Silver Birch is a familiar, common and widespread tree with distinctive white or silvery bark.

In North America it is known as the European White Birch and is considered invasive in some States.

I will also look at other Birch species that are grown as ornamental trees.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Fagales (Includes Beech, Oak, Walnut, Chestnut

Family – Betulaceae (Birch, Alder, Hazel and Hornbeam)

Subfamily – Betuloideae (Birch and Alder)

Genus – Betula (Birches)

Subgenus – Betula (Typical Birches)

Scientific Name – Betula pendula

Name

The tree has always been called a Birch and Betula is its Latin name. Pendula means ‘hanging.’

Birches

All Fagales are trees or shrubs.

There is no general agreement and the genus Betula has between thirty and sixty species.

We have already seen the very closely related [017] – Alder, which used to be considered a member of Betula

Description

The bark of Betula pendula is so distinctive and so well-known that this tree is instantly recognisable. No other British tree could ever be confused with it.

It’s almost plain white for a young tree and stays almost white as the tree matures.

It grows to a tall tree, which is thin because the branches hang down like a willow tree. This is why its Scientific Name gets the epithet pendula.

Leaves have fine serrated edges.

The development and reproduction of the Birch is very similar to its close relative, [017] the Alder. Here are some catkins and cones in various stages of development.

Habitat and use

The Silver Birch is common and widespread across most of Eurasia except its extreme South. It is often grown as an ornamental tree and has several cultivated varieties.

Other Notes

There is apparently a species, Betula pubescens, the White Birch, common and widespread across the same areas, almost identical to the Silver Birch. I have never heard of it and in North America it is considered the same species as B pendula. I will not attempt to distinguish between the two species.

See also

There are no other native birches in Britain but you may see some others in gardens and parks. They also have cultivated varieties. here are three others.

• Himalayan Birch

Betula utilis, native to the Western Himalayas, is very similar, with a similar, whiteish bark, which has been used to make paper.

• Paper Birch

Betula papyrifera, native to the USA, with a thin, white bark, also used for paper.

• River Birch

Betula nigra, also known as the Black Birch, from the USA. The bark becomes much darker for a mature tree. This one, as the name suggests, was by a river.

[050] Berberis Species, Barberry

[050] Berberis darwinii and others, Barberry

Introduction

Berberis darwinii, Darwin’s Barberry; Berberis dictyophylla, Netleaf Barberry; Berberis julianae, Wintergreen Barberry or Chinese Barberry; Berberis thunbergii, Japanese Barberry; and Berberis verruculosa, Warty Barberry are five similar species widely cultivated as small shrubs or hedges for their attractive flowers and berries.

While the common names may be used, as cultivated plants they are normally just called Berberis in the UK.

My pictures may be mostly Darwin’s Barberry but this post is about all the cultivated varieties.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Ranunculales

Family – Berberidaceae

Genus – Berberis (Barberries)

Scientific Name – as listed

Many cultivated varieties are available.

Name

Unusually the common name comes from the Latin name for the plant, berberis. At least one species of this large genus is native to Southern Europe so it was well-known to the Romans.

Species names are as follows’

• Darwinii – named after the famous Charles Darwin.
• Dictyophylla – ‘net-leaf.’
• Julianae – named after a woman called Julian or Juliana
• Thunbergii – named after a Swedish naturalist.
• Verruculosa – warty.

Description

The plant is fairly unnoticeable with its small, dark green leaves. Some have spines and sharp leaves.

They produce attractive yellow flowers in large inflorescences.

The fruits are small berries, either red or dark blue.

Netleaf Barberry and Japanese Barberry are deciduous. The other three are evergreen.

Habitat and use

Darwin’s Barberry is native to Southern South America; Japanese Barberry is from Japan; and the other three are from China. All have been grown as cultivated plants in other countries and some have naturalised in places.

It can be planted as a shrub but is often planted as a hedge because of its spines and attractive plants. Wikipedia suggests they are useful in crime prevention as they are ‘dense and viciously spiny.’ Some varieties have attractive coloured leaves.

The last picture is probably Japanese Barberry.

See also

There has been much discussion about the inclusion of several other species also called barberries. They are now generally called [219] Oregon Grapes and are in the separate species Mahonia.

[049] Bellis perennis, Daisy

[049] Bellis perennis, Daisy

Introduction

Bellis perennis, the Daisy, is a widespread and very common small plant, best known as a familiar weed in cultivated lawns.

There are of course many plants called daisies so we can call the species the Common Daisy, Lawn Daisy or English Daisy

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Asterales

Family – Asteraceae

Genus – Bellis

Scientific Name – Bellis perennis

Name

‘Daisy’ is derived from “day’s eye,” as the flower head close at night and reopens in the morning. Chaucer called it ‘Eye of the day.’

‘Bellis perennis’ is Latin for ‘pretty everlasting’

Description

The plant itself is insignificant and it is always the flower that is noticed.

Its small flowers are typical of Asteraceae, with a yellow centre and white ray florets. It can flower almost through the year.

(The last picture also shows a small sawfly of some type.)

Habitat and use

The Daisy is widespread in Europe and naturalised in Australia and the Americas.

It is considered a weed in lawns because it is not affected by regular mowing to keep the grass short. But in some places the flower is allowed to give the lawn a more rustic appearance.

Other Notes

I was going to say that the common daisy is not a cultivated plant but many of its larger relatives in the daisy family, Asteraceae, are cultivated. But Wikipedia says that it actually has cultivated varieties – these may be used in America.

See also

There are many much larger plants bearing daisy-like flowers. In particular, look out for [204] Ox-eye Daisy, which will also look at the Shasta Daisy.

[048] Begonia cucullata, Wax Begonia

[048] Begonia cucullata, Wax Begonia

Introduction

Begonia cucullata, Wax Begonia is a perennial flowering plant native to South America, which is frequently used in ornamental gardens to provide colourful ground cover.

It is also known as a Clubbed Begonia.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Flowering Plants

Order – Cucurbitales

Family – Begoniaceae (Just Begonias plus one obscure species!)

Genus – Begonia

Scientific Name – Begonia cucullatea

It has the synonyms B dispar, B nervosa, B paludicola, B setaria and B semperflorens and seems to be known generally in horticultural circles as B semperflorens.

It has about half a dozen horticultural varieties.

Name

Many garden plants are known by their scientific genus (and often by an obsolete genus that is no longer technically correct.) Begonia is an example where there is no other Common Name. We call them Begonias.

A French botanist named them to honour Michel Bégon, a former governor of the French colony that is now Haiti.

For the Wax Begonia, ‘cucullata’ means ‘hooded.’ (‘Semperflorens’ means ever-flowering.)

Description

Begonia has about 2 000 species, many of which are houseplants or garden plants. Many have strikingly different leaves and flowers. The colourful flowers have sepals but no petals. There are also many hundreds of hybrids and cultivars.

Begonia cucullata has round, smooth, flat leaves that are dark purple brown and provide excellent ground cover. Its open red flowers almost merge with the surrounding leaves and the plant can be in flower all year round.

There are varieties with white flowers.

It can be grown as a specimen plant in gardens.

Habitat and use

The Wax Begonia is native to central South America but it is now a common ornamental plant.

Other Notes

I see these plants in ornamental gardens around. They look as if they are planted everywhere and then other tall plants are added later. They can be replanted every month or so when the gardens are replanted.

What makes them useful is their uniformity. Hundreds of small plants are laid out in a tiled format to give a pretty red look to the whole flower bed – either a uniform dark red or a mixture of red and white.

When I was at University (about fifty years ago) we had a new block of rooms in the College Grounds and a Tutor once described how it looked as if the owners had asked the architect for 200 yards of something from a catalogue.

That’s the effect Wax Begonias have on me – instead of a garden, lets have an acre of Begonias.

See also

There is only one other species in the Begonia family and we won’t meet that.

[047] Aythya fuligula, Tufted Duck

[047] Aythya fuligula, Tufted Duck

Aythya ferina, Pochard

Introduction

Aythya fuligula, the Tufted Duck, and Aythya ferina, the Pochard, are two diving ducks commonly seen in Britain. The females are more similar in appearance than the males.

There are five other species (Aythya and Netta) called Pochards, so purists may call the familiar one the Common Pochard.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (Birds)

Order – Anseriformes (Waterfowl)

Family – Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans)

Genus – Aythya

Scientific Names – Aythya fuligula, Aythya ferina

Names

The tuft on the male Aythya fuligula is very obvious. Aythya comes from an unspecified seabird mentioned in Ancient Greek by Aristotle and others. ‘Fuli-gula’ from Latin roots means ‘sooty-throat.’

Pochard is cognate with poker and Wiktionary asserts that sometimes the Pochard may be called a poker. ‘Ferina’ just means wild.

Description

We have seen a few ducks and [023] Mallard included some general notes about ducks. These two are Diving Ducks, which doesn’t make them look particularly different. Both are sexually dimorphic.

The male Tufted Duck is mostly black with white side panels. He has a metallic blue bill, a bright yellow eye and a prominent tuft at the back of his head.

The female Tufted Duck is mostly dark brown, even darker on her back. She has the yellow eye and metallic bill of the male and may have a very small tuft.

The extent of the white over the bill is variable and it is usually absent. It can make her look more like a Scaup.

The male Pochard is predominantly a light silver-grey with black breast and tail and a dark red-brown head. His bill is partly the same metallic blue and partly black. The dark red eye merges with the colour of his head and can be almost invisible.

The female Pochard is mostly greyish brown. The eyes and bill distinguish her from the female Tufted Duck.

Habitat

The Tufted Duck is common throughout Europe. For much of its range it is migratory but, in the UK, it is a resident bird.

The Pochard has a much wider distribution and is migratory almost everywhere. In small areas of Britain, it is resident but most of the birds we see are winter visitors and almost all of these are male. They breed in Siberia and the males leave to fly to the UK while the females are still looking after the young. Females, when they migrate, don’t have enough time to reach Britain so they overwinter in nearer countries.

They feed by diving completely under the surface but sometimes just dabble near the surface. They eat molluscs, aquatic insects, small fish and sometimes vegetation. They are gregarious and are often seen together. The two species are known to hybridize occasionally

Other Notes

As for most of the birds associated with water, you need to visit wetland sites for these birds such as WWT sites or wildlife reserves. The Tufted Duck is more common and may sometimes be seen on ornamental lakes with the tame Mallard, Coots and Moorhens.

See also

The Scaup and Lesser Scaup are quite similar in appearance to the Tufted Duck but both are rare visitors to Britain.

Look out for [236] Red-crested Pochard.

[046] Athalia rosae, Turnip Sawfly

[046] Athalia rosae, the Turnip Sawfly

Introduction

Athalia rosae, the Turnip Sawfly is a common sawfly found in Britain. It has been the subject for scientific studies about haplodiploid reproduction in Hymenoptera (See below.)

It is also called the Cabbage Leaf Sawfly or Beet Sawfly.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees and Wasps – and Sawflies)

Suborder – Symphyta (Sawflies and others)

Superfamily – Tenthredinoidea

Family – Tenthredinidae

Genus – Athalia

Scientific Name – Athalia rosae

Name

This sawfly, as a larva, feeds on turnips and other Brassica family plants.

All I can find about Athalia is that it may be a Latin woman’s name. They got it wrong with ‘rosae’. It’s not a rose sawfly.

Description

In many ways this species is similar to [036] Arge Pagana. It has orange and black markings with distinctive diamond-shaped ‘shoulders.’

(It is sometimes useful to use informal anthropomorphic terms like ‘shoulders,’ rather than strict biological terms.)

From the side it has the same dumpy orange look as the Rose Sawfly but the black markings on the legs are also very distinctive.

Habitat

Athalia rosae is common and widespread as a resident in England and also migrates in large numbers from Europe. It feeds on many plants in the Brassicaceae family. Adults feed on nectar. It can be a serious pest for many crops.

Other Notes

We have met haplodiploidy in [029] Honey Bee.

It applies to all species of Hymenoptera but can get more complicated. Basically, fertilized eggs get two sets of chromosomes and develop into diploid females; unfertilized eggs produce haploid males.

For some species the female has a quantity of stored sperm within her and can control whether she lays fertilized or unfertilized eggs.

In some species there is also a single gene within the chromosomes determining sex – so that occasionally a (fertilized) diploid offspring can develop into a male. Initial studies of this phenomenon come from sister-brother matings of Athalia rosae.

See also

There are many species of sawfly found in Britain but we will not meet any more. You have already seen [036] Rose Sawfly.

[045] Asplenium trichomanes, Maidenhair Spleenwort

[045] Asplenium trichomanes, Maidenhair Spleenwort

Asplenium ruta-muraria, Wall-rue

Asplemium ceterach, Rustyback

Introduction

Asplenium trichomanes, Asplenium ruta-muraria and Asplenium ceterach are three species of fern all in the same genus as Hart’s Tongue Fern. All three are very small plants that like growing in walls.

Asplenium trichomanes is called Maidenhair Spleenwort.

Asplenium ruta-muraria is called Wall-Rue although it is not related to the plant called Rue.

Asplenium ceterach is called Rustyback.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Polypodiopsida – Ferns (and Horsetails)

Order – Polypodiales – Ferns

Suborder – Aspleniineae

Family – Aspleniaceae (Spleenworts)

Genus – Asplenium

Scientific Name – Asplenium scolopendrium; Asplenium ruta-muraria; Asplenium ceterach

Name

The whole genus are called Spleenworts and asplenium is a Latinized form of spleenwort.

Wiktionary ways that this comes from its use in treating anthrax in livestock. Wikipedia attributes it to the Doctrine of Signatures, which asserts that it must be good for the spleen because the spores are the same shape as a spleen. Either way, it’s an ancient belief.

I can’t say anything about maidenhair. Wall-rue does look like the plant Rue even though it is not related. Rustyback has rusty coloured spores on the back of the leaves.

Trichomanes is a Greek word for fern, and ruta-muraria is Latin for rue-wall. Ceterach may come from a French word cétérac, possibly used for Rustyback.

Asplenium

The genus has about 700 species. The taxonomy is unclear and some pteridologists split Asplenium into several genera. Ceterach is one of these genera and its type species is Rustyback, then called Ceterach officinarum.

Maidenhair Spleenwort

The first impression of Asplenium trichomanes is that it is like a very small version of the much more familiar fern, [284] Bracken, but it is much smaller, a lighter green in colour, and it grows out of walls.

It has long, thin, tapering, simply divided fronds. [All the words are different for ferns. We know they are leaves but we have to call then fronds – sometimes.]

I mentioned the reproductive spores yesterday and showed them for Asplenium scolopendrium. The back of the leaves of Asplenium trichomanes are covered in tiny spores.

Wall-Rue

The thick, flat leaves of Asplenium ruta-muraria don’t look so much like ferns. They are a much darker green but the plant is just as small.

If you look on the back, they also have lots of very small spores.

Rustyback

Asplenium ceterach looks a bit in between the other two. It’s a bit like Asplenium trichomanes but with rounder, chubbier and darker leaves.

The last picture looks a bit untidy because a few of the leaves have curled over. The backs are extensively covered in spores in a way that gives this species its name.

Habitat and use

All three are widespread in Britain and have much wider distributions abroad. All three like growing on walls. In places you can see these species growing next to each other as shown in the header picture.

Other Notes

On most days I walk past a section of brick wall about fifty metres long and has all three species. It’s where all my pictures come from but I have these species on other walls.

See also

It is always worth looking at walls. You may also see [110] Ivy-leaved Toadflax and the aptly named Pellitory-of-the-wall.

[044] Asplenium scolopendrium, Hart’s Tongue Fern

[044] Asplenium scolopendrium, Hart’s-tongue Fern

Introduction

Asplenium scolopendrium, Hart’s-tongue, is a Fern that looks almost like a flowering plant (although it has no stem or flowers.) It is common in Europe and can form extensive areas in the right habitat. In shady places it looks dark green and luxuriant.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Polypodiopsida – Ferns (and Horsetails)

Order – Polypodiales – Ferns

Suborder – Aspleniineae

Family – Aspleniaceae (Spleenworts)

Genus – Asplenium

Scientific Name – Asplenium scolopendrium

It has the synonym Phyllitis scolopendrium.

Name

Presumably the fronds look like the tongue of a deer. ‘Hart’ is an obsolete word for a fully mature male Red Deer.

We will see the derivation of Spleenwort as a name and Asplenium tomorrow when we look at Asplenium trichomanes. Scolopendrium is derived from the Greek for centipede or millipede, from the appearance of the underside of the fronds.

Ferns

If you leave out the obscure group of Clubmosses (and some extinct species) then Ferns are the only Vascular Plants that are not Flowering Plants or Conifers. They do not produce seeds in the same way as Flowering Plants and Conifers.

I don’t want to go into the details of fern reproduction but here is a simplified view. The plants we see as ferns are completely asexual. No part of them is male or female. They produce tiny spores that fall to the ground (and may be transported elsewhere, for example by the wind.)

It’s these tiny spores that do the reproduction. They grow a little and have male and female parts. By sexual reproduction they produce new plants growing into the ferns that we know. See tomorrow’s blog for more illustrations.

Those who study ferns call themselves pteridologists. Some of the words they use are different and the leaves of ferns are generally called fronds.

Description

Asplenium scolopendrium is an unusual fern with plain undivided fronds. They are dark green, can be half a metre long and have a wrinkled look.

In the right conditions, in shaded woodland, they can grow in large groups.

Here is a large fern with a close-up showing the tiny spores on the backs of the leaves.

The leaves are a lighter green when not in a shaded environment.

Habitat and use

Asplenium scolopendrium is common and widespread in Britain and also over most of Europe. They like shady conditions and walls.

In can be grown as an ornament plant and it won’t surprise you (after reading tomorrow’s blog) that it used to be used medicinally as a spleen tonic.

Other Notes

I see it often almost at the water’s edge in inaccessible locations such as under bridges. I’m not sure if it likes the water or just the undisturbed walls.

See also

Tomorrow we will look at three more closely related Ferns [045] Maidenhair Spleenwort, Wall-Rue and Rustyback. They are all species of Asplenium but the Hart’s Tongue Fern is disputed – some put it in Asplenium, others feel it should be in a separate genus, Phyllitus.

Much later [284] Bracken is the much more familiar fern we all know.

[043] Asbutus unedo, Strawberry Tree

[043] Arbutus unedo, Strawberry Tree

Introduction

Arbutus unedo, the Strawberry Tree, is a small evergreen tree that produces edible fruits that look fairly similar to strawberries

Because it grows in parts of Ireland, it is also known as the Irish Strawberry Tree or Cain or Cane Apple (from the Irish name Caithne.)

It is not a close relative of the strawberry.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Ericales

Family – Ericaceae (Heathers)

Genus – Arbutus

Scientific Name – Arbutus unedo

Name

Arbutus is the Latin name of this tree, of which Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) said, ‘Unum tanto edo,’ meaning ‘I eat only one.’ It is not clear why he said this.

Description

It is an evergreen tree or shrub which is attractive in itself with dark leaves and dark red-brown trunk and branches.

The next picture shows the leaves, red-brown branches and some developing fruit.

The small, white flowers come out in autumn just as the fruit from the previous year is maturing.

The fruit gradually develops and eventually turns a bright red, looking very similar to strawberries.

Habitat and use

The natural range of Arbutus unedo is the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula with two isolated areas in Ireland. It has been cultivated for hundreds of years. 

It is always fascinating to read about herbal medicine but in folk medicine the leaves of the Strawberry Tree have been used as an astringent, diuretic, antiseptic, intoxicant and tonic and to treat rheumatism, hypertension and diabetes.

The fruits are edible but very difficult to transport because they bruise easily. They are used for jam, marmalade, yoghurt and alcoholic beverages.

Other Notes

I have been introduced to many new species of tree in Pittville Park, Cheltenham, and for most of them I have seen a few more round the town later. But I haven’t found another Strawberry Tree yet.

See also

There are no similar species in Britain.

[042] Arvicola amphibius, Water Vole

[040] Arvicola amphibius, Water Vole

Introduction

Arvicola amphibius, the Water Vole, is a small, semi-aquatic mammal that used to be common and widespread through Britain but has been declining in numbers for half a century or more.

Strictly speaking it is the European Water Vole or the Northern Water Vole and it is often informally called a water rat – as immortalized in The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

There are two other species of Arvicola called water voles found in Europe and a slightly larger, similar Water Vole in North America.

I was keen to include this species but my stock of pictures is very limited

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Mammals

Order – Rodents

Family – Cricetidae (Hamsters, Voles, Lemmings and American Rats and Mice)

Subfamily – Arvicolinae (Voles and others)

Genus – Arvicola

Scientific Name – Arvicola amphibius

The placing of Arvicolinae within Cricetidae is disputed. Some authorities put them under Muridae in common with European rats and mice.

Linnaeus

Modern scientific Taxonomy owes its origin to Carl von Linné (1707-78) usually known by his Latin name, Linnaeus. (In those days Latin was the universal language of science and education.) He defined the system and gave many species the scientific names that we still use today.

He didn’t get everything right and he defined two species of water vole in the same work on the same page. Arvicola terrestris and A amphibius are now recognized as the same species. It used to be called A terrestris but the first person to resolve the ambiguity picked A amphibius, which has now become its official name.

(Somehow it also has the obsolete synonyms Mus amphibius and Mus terrestris, also both attributed to Linnaeus. Perhaps he thought they were mice before he separated them into Arvicola.)

Name

Vole is an Orkney (from Norse) dialect word for a mouse. Before about 1800 all voles were called mice.

Arvicola, from Latin roots, means ‘Field inhabitant,’ but of course voles used to be called field mice and they still are in some countries.

Description

The technical definition of voles depends mostly on the structure of their molar teeth.

They in some ways similar to rats but they have rounder noses, deep brown fur, chubby faces, short fuzzy ears and hairy paws and tail.

Habitat

They live in riverside burrows and prefer calm, slow moving water. In Britain their habitat is declining and there are some attempts to try to reintroduce them.

In places such as central France they live in large numbers and cause excessive damage to crops.

Other Notes

The only place I have ever seen this animal is at the WWT Slimbridge site. They are more likely to be out in the sun.

I have to mention The Wind in the Willows, a novel written for children, based around four anthropomorphised animals called Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger. Rat is, of course a water rat or what we have come to know as a European Water Vole. The book is a mixture of camaraderie, adventure and morality. I won’t give away the plot but it does have a happy ending.

See also

We will also meet two other rodents, [232] the House Mouse and [297] the Brown Rat.

We won’t see a Mole (never seen above ground) or a Badger (now being exterminated in large numbers by politicians to please farmers who mistakenly blame them for the spread bovine tuberculosis.) Toad will slip in disguised as a frog in [295].

[I hope all my non-English speaking readers understand that ‘mice’ is the plural of ‘mouse.’]

[041] Artemisia vulgaris, Mugwort

[041] Artemisia vulgaris, Common Mugwort

Introduction

Artemisia vulgaris, Mugwort, is a very common and widespread, tall, bushy wild flower with insignificant flowers. It is in a genus with other species that are called called wormwood and sagebush and others called mugwort – so we should really call it Common Mugwort.

Wikipedia give a list of alternative names – riverside wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, old Uncle Henry, sailor’s tobacco, naughty man, old man or St. John’s Plant!

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Order – Asterales

Family – Asteraceae

Genus – Artemisia

Scientific Name – Artemisia vulgaris

Name

Mugwort is an Old English word for the plant, cognate with midge-wort where ‘wort’ is a general herb or plant.

Artemisia comes from the Greek goddess Artemis and may refer to Queen Artemisia of Caria a botanist who died in 350 BC. Vulgaris is very commonly used to mean common.

Description

A vulgaris is a tall, perennial plant that spreads vegetatively. It can look like a bush although it consists of many separate tall stems.

It has attractive dark green leaves and a thick, dark red stem.

As a member of Asteraceae, its ‘flowers’ are inflorescences of several tiny florets. They are tiny and insignificant. You need to look closely to find them even though many grow together.

Habitat and use

Mugwort is native to most of Europe, Asia and North Africa and has become naturalised in North America, where in places it is considered invasive.

Artemisia vulgaris has been used as a herb to repel midges, fleas and moths; and in brewing.

Many other Artemisia species are used herbally or for their bitter taste in the production of vermouth and absinthe.

Other Notes

There are not many plants that I would describe as weeds but Mugwort is one of them. It spreads wildly in open areas such as local footpaths and in areas set aside for wildflowers.

It is host to a number of butterflies and moths and you may even spot the larva of [169] the Harlequin Ladybird.

See also

We have lots of annual wildflowers but not many such large unwanted perennial wildflowers.

[040] Arum maculatum, Cuckoo Pint

[042] Arum maculatum, Cuckoo Pint

Introduction

Arum maculatum, a plant with many names, is a small plant looking somewhat like a lily, notable for its very poisonous red or orange berries.

It is supposedly called Cuckoo Pint. I know it as Lords and Ladies. Wikipedia also give the names: snakeshead, adder’s root, arum, wild arum, arum lily, devils and angels, cows and bulls, soldiers diddies, priest’s pintle, Adam and Eve, bobbins, naked girls, naked boys, starch-root, wake robin, friar’s cowl, jack in the pulpit and cheese and toast.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Plants

Division – Vascular Plants

Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)

Clade – Monocots

Order – Alismatales

Family – Araceae (Arum family)

Genus – Arum

Scientific Name – Arum maculatum

Name

All the common names relate to its symbolic appearance in relation to sex. The ‘pint’ of Cuckoo Pint is a euphemistic shortening of pintle, an obsolete form of ‘penis.’

Arum is the Latin name for the plant. See below for ‘maculatum.’

There is a plant called a Lily. Wikipedia lists over a hundred other unrelated genera called lilies because of their appearance!

Description

The family Araceae has about 4 000 species, mostly tropical, and all have the same type of inflorescences, as described below.

The leaves of Cuckoo Pint are either purple spotted (maculatum) or unspotted (immaculatum.) It is a woodland species and only the flower structure is noticeable.

It has a poker-shaped inflorescence called a spadix, partially enclosed in a green leaf-like hood called a spathe. Both male and female flowers are unseen, surrounding the base of the spadix inside the spathe. A ring of hairs trap insects, which carry pollen to other flowers.

The female flowers turn to red or orange berries, which are visible when the spathe and other leaves wither away.

Habitat and use

Cuckoo Pint is common and widespread in Britain and across Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus.

Its roots can be cooked and eaten but this must be done carefully as they are highly toxic.

Other Notes

Cuckoo Pint is available for cultivation as an ornamental plant. It can self-seed and become invasive.

All parts of the plant are poisonous. It is one of the most common causes of accidental plant poisoning.

See also

Nothing else found in Britain looks similar.