Continuing the theme of watery wildflowers I took a short walk through the Purwell Ninesprings nature reserve in Hertfordshire. The river Purwell rises out of chalk bedrock in nearby St. Ippolyts and the reserve is in effect a floodplain of the river. It begins with an area of wet woodland which is currently as dry underfoot as I've ever known it.

 The woodlands give way to an area of marshy reed beds. Here too the ground is firm whereas it is usually pretty boggy even in summer.

 

 Purwell Ninesprings is noted for wetland species. For example Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is flowering nicely so there must be sufficient moisture below ground. In fact plants that like damp conditions are often well adapted to drought because their habitats inevitably dry out from time to time. 

 Beyond the reeds the river wends through a stretch of wet meadow and scrub which needless to say is pretty parched. This part of the reserve is grazed by cattle. Inevitably there was a plan to build houses on it back in the seventies which was resisted. Purwell Ninesprings became hemmed in by the post-war expansion of Hitchin but has survived as a much appreciated amenity.

 As I've noted in several recent entries the margins of streams and rivers are a good bet for spotting wildflowers in late summer, especially in a drought year. Here is Water Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) mingling with a Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum or E. parviflorum).

 I mentioned seeing Water Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) a few days ago in the shallows of the River Hiz in Hertfordshire. Saw more today further upstream. Very similar in appearance to the Field Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis) and the Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). Basically the same plant adapted to different habitats; distinctions between species can be marginal.

 For example I also noted seeing Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris) which looks a lot like Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica). They sometimes cross to create the naturally occurring hybrid Stachys x ambigua.  

 This heap is the bed of Borage on the allotment cut down to the ground. It flowered magnificently for several months attracting a constant traffic of bees. [see entry dated 20th. June]

 Borago officinalis is an annual (though occasionally it overwinters). This locale obviously suits because it grows prolifically as a result of self-seeding.

 I'll leave this pile to compost itself into a mulch. Borage is not usually spoken of as a "green manure" but it creates so much biomass here that I think it fulfils that purpose.

 The next allotment was taken on by a family recently. Fair play to them they are really going for it by creating raised beds and buying large quantities of compost and wood chip. That will certainly pay dividends particularly when growing annual vegetables.

 Then again it is possible to increase the levels of humus in the soil at little or no expense with the green manure approach.

 Here is some green goo. I've been brewing a big vat of Comfrey tea. Frankly it stinks but is said to be an excellent fertiliser that is high in NPK i.e. nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. 

 Comfrey pops up all over the place on the allotment. I let it flower for the bees then cut it back and add it to the pot. In fact it keeps growing through the summer months as a cut and come again crop.

 The theory is that Comfrey is a "dynamic accumulator" because the deep tap roots gather up minerals and nutrients which are released by steeping the leaves. I add the stems as well though the concentrations are probably higher in the leaves.

 I've held off using it while the soil has been so dry but yesterday we actually had some rain. And the right kind too- steady persistent drizzle which soaked into the parched ground making it more receptive to a liquid feed of this stinky brew.

 Flowers may be scarce by this time in the year but seeds provide another season of interest. For example the fluffy heads of Hemp Agrimony (Eupatoruim cannabinum) are equally striking whether in flower or gone to seed.

 Wildflowers are less abundant by late summer particularly in a drought year (though most wild plants are well adapted to survive long dry spells). Watery places are usually a good bet to find something in bloom at this point in the season.

 Admittedly this stretch of the River Hiz between Hitchin and Ickleford is not laden with flowers. Nonetheless there are flowers to be found among the vegetation where the muddy bank meets the shallows.

 Looks like Hedge Woundwort but it's by the water so I think this is Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris).

 Looks like a Field or Wood Forget-me-not but it's growing in the water so I think this must be Water Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides).

 Looks like a mint but it's growing in and around the water so I think this will be Water Mint (Mentha aquatica). 

 As anticipated the grapes on the vine are starting to ripen as the long hot summer continues [see entry dated 14th. August]. This only happens - in Hertfordshire at least - during the longest hottest summers and this one is surely going to break records.

 I'm enjoying the sun but we need rain. Some say it would be rather pleasant if southern England became more like the Mediterranean. Trouble is that would mean the Mediterranean becomes more like the sub-Sahara.

 The figs are also becoming ripe. Blackbirds are pecking away like mad at them but that's ok.

 The Patrinia scabiosifolia I mentioned recently [31st. July] is attracting bumblebees. Hailing from Japan it illustrates a point I made in another recent entry [2nd. August]. Planting "exotic" species as well as natives can extend the flowering season for pollinators. 

 

And so late summer is upon us...

 

 Green Park in central London is not looking as green as it should. The grass is a parched stubble littered with dry brown leaves; the trees are shedding a month or two early under the stress of the drought.

 Postscript  There was some rain today (Tuesday). Very light and for a couple of short periods only. Prolonged light rain would ideal at this point to wet the soil. Better that than torrential downpours while the soil is baked so hard. 

 A Mediterranean courtyard... in Hertfordshire. Several decades ago my father planted a Grapevine now scrambling all over the back porch. And he planted a small Fig which has grown to become a voluminous tree. Both are looking like they will produce edible fruit in this long hot summer.

 The Grape has intermingled with a Chocolate Vine (native to Japan, China and Korea) and Virginia Creeper (North America). Species like Trailing Bellflower (from the Dynaric Alps) have spread through the cracks in the paving. Out of shot to the right a very large Holly Tree looms overhead. So it's more of a global fusion courtyard really. 

 Could be a bee but I think it's a bee mimic- one of the many species that resemble bees, wasps and hornets. Possibly a hoverfly? One Henry Walter Bates (an English naturalist) proposed the theory that came to be known as 'Batesian mimicry' i.e. that something harmless evolves so as to resemble something dangerous. 

 Lavender is the common name applied to various species and cultivars. Often as not they are varieties of Lavendula x intermedia which is the cross of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia. This is one such I think and my favourite though I've never known what it's called!

 The leaves are of a particular grey-green hue and the flowers a pale violet-blue. It has a long flowering period and is very aromatic. The cross is known for a high yield of oil and probably was first cultivated for that reason.

 The one above was being mobbed by bumblebees and honey bees. Lavender is quite possibly the most bee prolific plant at this time of year and I have formed the impression that this particular cultivar attracts more bees than any other.

 The wheat is in and the hedgerows are laden with ripening blackberries. The drought has hastened the harvest and not a drop of rain forecast in southern England for the week ahead. 

 The year from January to June is said to be have been the driest for that period since the long hot summer of 1976. Last month was the driest July in the south-east since records began. So it's seriously parched out there. And seriously hot (though lovely) to be out in the countryside; even the breeze is a waft of warm air.

 Seen lots of Knapweed and Field Scabious on recent walks.

 Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) are dainty but tough. To be found nestling among the grasses in soils that are dry and not very fertile. 

 Native plants have a particularly valuable symbiosis with pollinators. These are species that have co-evolved with pollinators in the same ecosystem. Other plants from the northern hemisphere can play their part being hardy in UK conditions. In many cases they will attract a similar range of pollinators. Not always though; for example there are numerous North American species that have evolved to be pollinated by hummingbirds and we have none.

 Likewise various "exotics" from warmer climbs have a role to play. Some -like Budleja- are so common they don't seem very exotic anymore. The Passion Flower seen above definitely evokes the sense of a hot country but is hardy or at least half hardy in parts of the UK. 

 One tangible benefit of some of these introductions is that they extend the foraging season for pollinators deeper into summer as our native flora starts to fade.