A sunny hunny flower day

The day started with an early morning walk with the dogs at the east end of Ringstead Downs. In the short grass in the chalk pit the small plants of Thyme-leaved Speedwell were flowering. In the woods just out of the pit there were lots of plants of Sanicle, some with a few flowers fully open. (No camera with me on this walk).  Among the trees in flower were Beech, Pedunculate Oak and Wych Elm. My first flowering Prickly Sow-thistle of the year was by the edge of the path.
Back home and Andy had sent me an email asking to check out the "Wild Cabbage" on the cliffs at Hunstanton. So, after a quick lunch it was time for a walk through Hunstanton (not forgetting my camera!) starting at the cliff path. The "Wild Cabbage" certainly had large lemon flowers but also purple leaves - further observations will need to be made once there are some mature fruits present. There were plenty of other interesting plants present, most already blogged by Andy.  The blue-flowered iris is an escape - but could it be a bearded iris - it seems to have "a mass of stout hairs on the inner face of the outer sepals". I hadn't realised there were so much Duke of Argyll's Teaplant on the cliffs.

Duke of Argyll's Teaplant

Blue/Bearded Iris?

Next a walk along the prom to the wasteland which was the site of the Kit-Kat Club. I had found Musk Stork's-bill here 2 years ago and was pleased to find a number of plants of it again today - a much larger plant than the Common Stork's-bill and with much longer "bills".

Musk Stork's-bill

Up Park Road to the Community Field and Orchard. Just inside the gate/hole in the fence there were 3 clumps of Three-cornered Garlic - most unusual but well-named as it has very strongly three-angled stems.  In the hedge at the bottom of the orchard a Laburnum, Rowan and Whitebeam were all in full flower.

Three-cornered Garlic

Across to the Spinney to see Small-leaved Elms in flower. Then back to the car in Lincoln Square where Swedish Whitebeam and Evergreen Oak were flowering.
Back home to find an email from Phil describing a fantastic display of Meadow Saxifrage in Old Hunstanton Churchyard - best go and see them before the mower gets to them!. On arriving at the churchyard Phil is there and Andy arrives shortly after me. It was indeed a fantastic display, not only of Meadow Saxifrage but a good number of other species. A flower rich grassland worth keeping an eye on in future. Walking back to the car park we came upon Wavy Bitter-cress and one plant of Cuckooflower/Lady's Smock.

Meadow Saxifrage

Cuckooflower / Lady's Smock

Back home to update records!