Berkshire: Newbury Aliens

5 September 2013

1-2 hours

If in Newbury with a couple of hours to spare in September it is worth seeking out the wasteland flowers.

          We started at the most productive site, the station car-park, handy whether arriving by train or car.  We immediately spotted Oxford ragwort Senecio squalidus [South Europe] with its lax umbels of flowers larger than common ragwort, along with redleg Persicaria maculosa, annual mercury Mercurialis annua, weld Reseda luteola and thyme-leaved sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia, right next to the station platform. 

Oxford ragwort

Beside these was a single clump of rough bristle-grass Setaria verticillata [also from warmer climes to the east].

Rough bristle-grass

Immediately then came the first of many Bilbao's fleabanes Conyza floribunda [South America].  Similar to Canadian fleabane, the latter has red-streaked roughly hairy stems (the quickest field character) and (with a good lens) 5-lobed disc-flowers (4 in C. canadensis).  While Canadian fleabane was at one time the commonest of these Conyza species, here at least Bilbao's has become dominant, to the extent that we could not find any canadensis here at all, nor in other parts of central Newbury.  Bilbao's fleabane was first recorded in this car-park in 2001 (Crawley's Flora of Berkshire) and has thus become thoroughly naturalised.

Bilbao's fleabane

A bank across the car-park had fennel Foeniculum vulgare [Europe], wild carrot Daucus carota, hemp-agrimony Eupatoria cannabinum, Canadian goldenrod Solidago canadensis [North America], and purple toadflax Linaria purpurea [Italy].  Looking for Conyza species a specimen with red phyllaries (outer bracts around the flowers) seemed at first to be Argentinian fleabane, but we eventually realised that it was more like the commoner blue fleabane Erigeron acer, the two genera being very close.  It had red stems, while those of Argentinian fleabane seem to remain green, while only the tips of the bracts are red.  A close look revealed pale purple outer ligules to the flowers, but these were much more reduced than normal in blue fleabane and the plant was more branched and bushy.  We wondered whether it was a hybrid between blue fleabane and a Conyza species.  A hybrid between blue fleabane and Canadian fleabane has occasionally been found and is named X Conyzigeron huelsenii.  It usually has some abortive capsules, while our specimen seemed fully fertile, which would not be expected for a hybrid.  The photographs compare our possible hybrid with a true blue fleabane photographed at Beedon, just north of Newbury, where it was abundant in one field.  [We have received a comment from Artur Pliszko in Poland saying that this specimen is ssp serotinus of Erigeron acer, which is different from the type species (heads in a raceme rather than a panicle, leaves undulate and down-turned, red stems), but the distributions of ssp serotinus and ssp acer do not seem to have been studied in Britain.  We have accordingly re-labelled the following pictures - 20 March 2015.]

Erigeron acer ssp serotinus

Blue fleabane ssp acer

This bank by the car-park and others on the far north side were dominated by a strange tall white-woolly mullein with large yellow flowers.  This was Broussa mullein Verbascum bombyciferum [Turkey], first recorded at this very site in 2004 (Crawley's Flora of Berkshire).  Apart from its odd appearance, the species has narrow spathulate stigmas and the anthers on the two "lower" stamens running down on to the stamen rather than being sat crosswise on top like the other three.  (Stace uses "lower" but this refers to the position in the flower and not to their length, as these two stamens tend to be taller than the others - very confusing!)

Broussa mullein

In the NE corner of the car-park was a patch of variegated Algerian ivy Hedera algeriensis [North Africa], leaves mostly unlobed with red stalks, not recorded in the Berks Flora.

Algerian ivy

The warm micro-climate of the car-park, apart from favouring these plants from warmer climates, was also popular with field grasshoppers Chorthippus brunneus.

Field grasshopper among young plants of Broussa mullein

Leaving at the west end of the car-park we crossed into Bartholomew Street, going north through a main shopping area to St Nicholas's Church.  The churchyard had harebell Campanula rotundifolia in less frequently cut grass areas on the north side, with pellitory-by-the-wall Parietaria judaica.  A cultivated strip by the walls of the church on the east side had lesser meadow-rue Thalictrum minus and "Japanese" lantern Physalis alkekengi [Europe] with its bright orange seed-cases.  The latter is recorded in Crawley's Flora of Berkshire as abundant here in 2001, but there were now just a few plants.  The same source only gives the meadow-rue for a rubbish-tip in Newbury in 1961, so this is a new addition to the churchyard.  Autumn crocus Crocus nudiflorus is recorded here but we were too early to see any, even if it does survive.

Japanese lantern

We then crossed the market-square to the east and wended our way through other car-parks back to the station.  The only fleabane we saw other than Bilbao's was one very large clump of Guernsey fleabane Conyza sumatrensis [South America] beside one wall, growing with buddleia Buddleja davidii.  Apart from being tall and bushy this fleabane is conspicuously hairy.  This made it a three-fleabane day, four if one counts the possible hybrid.  It also completed our tour of the world inside one square kilometre.

Guernsey fleabane

Berkshire: Knowl Hill to Hurley Chalk Pit

30 August 2013                                OS map 175 Reading & Windsor

Half-day

We walked after lunch from the car-park of the Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill SU818718. 

Bird in Hand

The eastern boundary of the car-park itself has a tall false acacia Robinia pseudacacia with large clusters of mistletoe Viscum album - an unusual host.

The dark bunches of mistletoe show up against the paler Robinia foliage

We walked alongside the A4 a little way to Canhurst Lane, from the end of which a footpath goes NW through a strip of woodland, with a large old sandpit on the right, which has apparently used as a landfill site but was currently being reworked.  Where the path bent left we passed a group of common spotted orchids Dactylorhiza fuchsii in seed.  The dampness of this area, rising up Bowsey Hill, was indicated by the common presence of water mint Mentha aquatica and hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum.  There was also some peppermint Mentha x piperata, the hybrid between water mint and the garden spearmint.  We took a path to the right inside the wood, which kept us near the edge of the sandpit.  Here was marsh horsetail Equisetum palustre, remote sedge Carex remota, wood sedge Carex sylvatica, wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides, dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis and hard rush Juncus inflexus in an unkempt neglected woodland of birch Betula pendula, hornbeam Carpinus betulus, and beech Fagus sylvatica.  Of most note was the frequency of wood barley Hordelymus europaeus, an ancient woodland indicator which seems to be able to survive quite a lot of disturbance.

Marsh horsetail

Bowsey Hill wood

When we encountered a bridleway at the end of the path we turned right out of the wood (the turn left goes to the top of Bowsey Hill, but there seemed to be no more interesting flora in that direction).  Beyond the wood we turned left through a double hedgerow towards Warren Row, with more wood barley and wild angelica Angelica sylvestris.  After a small wood we emerged in the centre of Warren Row at a small green with an oak Quercus robur carrying young knopper galls among its ripening acorns. 

Knopper gall among normal acorns

We turned right along the lane past another large oak with oak brackets Inonotus dryadeus growing out of the base of the trunk.  These were easily recognisable by their buff colour and the brown droplets that sprinkled the surface. 

Oak bracket

By a group of planted white poplars Populus alba we turned left along the Chiltern Way (Hodgedale Lane) and continued north by horse pastures and another double hedgerow with yet more wood barley and coppiced hazels Corylus avellana.
          When we reached the next wood we immediately came upon a young fallow deer.  On the left was an entrance to an old quarry now a small BBOWT nature reserve, Hurley Chalpit.  The rough grassland here had small scabious Scabiosa columbaria, fragrant and common agrimonies Agrimonia procera and eupatoria, chalk knapweed Centaurea debeauxii, clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata, carline thistle Carlina vulgaris, ploughman's spikenard Inula conyza, devilsbit scabious Succisa pratensis, Chiltern gentian Gentianella germanica and other typical chalk grassland species.  Shorter turf had wild and large thymes Thymus polytrichus and pulegioides, rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium, autumn gentian Gentianella amarella and squinancywort Asperula cynanchica.  A variety of early summer orchids were now unrecognisable spikes of seed-pods.  A hornet was exploring the vegetation with us.

Carline thistle

Clustered bellflower

Fragrant agrimony fruits

Common agrimony fruit

A remnant of the bare chalk face was difficult to get to above loose scree, but was worth it to see a few plants of the very rare slender bedstraw Galium pumilum.  This needed a good lens to see that the prickles at the edges of the leaves were pointing outwards or backwards, not forwards.  Unlike the common hedge bedstraw Galium mollugo also present it is not very robust and quite prostrate.

Hurley chalkpit

Slender bedstraw

A second entrance from the lane led to the top of the quarry and woodland where round-mouthed snails Pomatias elegans were evident and crested hair-grass Koeleria macrantha grew at the top of the chalk face.  Under the trees was a small patch of helleborines in fruit, apparently broad-leaved Epipactis helleborine.

Round-mouthed snail

We continued through this part of the reserve to the bridleway on the far side, which we took SE towards Ashley Hill.  The hedge along here had hedgerow cranesbill Geranium pyrenaicum, tufted vetch Vicia cracca, sweetbriar Rosa rubiginosa, and a surprising sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides. 

Sweetbriar hips

Sea buckthorn

We passed along the edge of Channers Wood with more wood barley and a glimpse of roe deer.  A ditch contained hartstongue fern Phyllitis scolopendrium and soft shield fern Polystichum setiferum.
          The woodland up Ashley Hill was again neglected and dominated by bracken Pteridium aquilinum and rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum, but we did see some tutsan Hypericum androsaemum, lesser spearwort Ranunculus flammula, yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum and dark mullein Verbascum nigrum. 

Ashley Hill wood

Near the summit we turned right on a path descending southwards back towards Knowl Hill, past a little bugle Ajuga reptans.  Below the wood the path passes through ordinary pasture with a view of the church at Knowl Hill, in front of which a steel walkway rises above the busy A4.

Path to A4 and Knowl Hill church

Berkshire: Cholsey & Aston Upthorpe downs

26 August 2013                                OS map 174 Newbury & Wantage

All day

This walk was a replica of the spring visit we made here in our post for 27 May, so that the description of the route there will suffice.  Many of the summer flowers that had emerged since then had by now gone to seed, unfortunately, so that at an early August visit would generally be preferable - although that would miss the Chiltern gentian, which was just coming into flower, and the peak period for clustered bellflowers.

         A full list of chalk flowers seen on this occasion is appended; only the more interesting highlights are mentioned here.
          Beside the track up Kingstanding Hill was a tall clump of the alien cotton thistle Onopordum acanthium, still statuesque although the flowers were over, ghostlike in its downy whiteness.  We also passed several plants of vervain Verbena officinalis, whose narrow spikes of small flowers were much more difficult to distinguish from the background vegetation, and spurge laurel Daphne laureola in the shade of the hedgerow.  There were many plants of another of the majestic thistles, woolly thistle Cirsium eriophiorum, which on our last visit were only leaf-rosettes, but all were now in seed.  Apple mint Mentha x villosa was a well-established garden escape , enjoyed by a variety of bees, flies and beetles.

Traveller's joy in seed

Ploughman's spikenard

Apple mint with Eristalis pertinax drone-fly

Woolly thistle gone to seed

By the open track, Fair Mile, was tall grass with pale toadflax Linaria repens, golden melilot Melilotus altissimua, tufted vetch Vicia cracca and even a patch of the rarer spiny rest-harrow Ononis spinosa surviving on a less overgrown bank. Near the latter scuttled the black carrion beetle Silpha atrata, with a narrow head used for attacking snails. A lizard was basking in a bare patch until we surprised it.  Red-legged partridges abounded, sometimes running for hundreds of metres along the path in front of us instead of flying off into scrub at the side.  Buzzards flew above.

         A corner of an arable field with a maize crop had a number of interesting casuals, such as small nettle Urtica urens, field pansy Viola arvensis, common fumitory Fumaria officinalis (subspecies officinalis and wirtgenii), common poppy Papaver rhoeas, luxuriant black bindweed Fallopia convolvulus, the unusual common amaranth Amaranthus retroflexus (with very hairy stems distinguishing it from green amaranth), and the increasingly scarce henbit dead-nettle Lamium amplexicaulum.

Common amaranth

Common fumitory

Common poppy

In the Aston Upthorpe combe clustered bellflower Campanula glomerata dominated in patches, perhaps the greatest concentration we had seen of this plant, comparable to the chalk milkwort seen here in the spring.  There were also many patches of harebell Campanula rotundifolia and seedheads of dropwort Filipendula vulgaris, which had come and gone since spring.  Similarly, the orchids were now difficult to identify spikes of seed-pods but would seem to include pyramidals Anacamptis pyramidalis.  On the other hand, the autumn gentians Gentianella amarella were still mainly in bud. 

Harebells

Clustered bellflowers

Juniper and Aston Upthorpe combe

Autumn gentian and dropwort in fruit, with seed from woolly thistle

Many butterflies were enjoying the sunshine - meadow and hedge brown, small heath, large white, peacock, small tortoiseshell, brimstone, common blue, small copper, speckled wood and even a, presumably migrant, clouded yellow, still in good condition.  The abundance of flowers even at this late date attracted many of the greenish Lucerne Plantbugs Adelphocoris lineolatus.  The old juniper Juniperus communis bushes also harboured many insects, particularly the small shiny domed black ladybird with two vague reddish spots, Heather Ladybird Chilocorus bipustulatus, and the Juniper Shieldbug Cyphostethus tristriatus.  (We searched for caterpillars of the rare Juniper Carpet moth but did not find one.)  Many of the clustered bellflowers had galled spikes where the flowers were replaced by swollen leafy clusters, caused by the mite Aculus schmardae.

          This former reserve was the only place on the walk with short enough turf for the thymes Thymus polytrichus and pulegioides and squinancywort Asperula cynanchica.
          Surprisingly, it was not until we walked into Aston Tirrold that we saw any dark mullein Verbascum nigrum at the roadside.  In the village were also pellitory-by-the-wall Parietaria judaica.
          On our return we diverted, as before, to Riddle Hill, where there was little in the way of short turf as at the Aston Upthorpe reserve, but did have lots of devilsbit scabious Succisa pratensis, clustered bellflower and many other chalk grassland plants seen earlier.  Here we saw a brown hare.
          By the lane going up to Aston Upthorpe reserve there was the alien rose with sprays of small flowers Rosa multiflora in the hedge.  A chalk bank beside an arable field just below the reserve had chicory Cichorium intybus and long-stalked cranesbill Geranium columbinum.  We searched here for evidence of the elusive blue pimpernel Anagallis arvensis ssp foemina seen here ten years ago, but saw only the red sub-species.
          Native catmint Nepeta cataria has been recorded from many places along this walk in the past, but we were disappointed not to find single plant.  It seems to disappear from known sites and re-appear at new ones, so that we have only seen it when expected on some of our walks.

Lower end of Aston Upthorpe combe

List of flowers of chalk grassland and scrub
Bartsia, red Odontites vernus
Basil, wild Clinopodium vulgare
Bellflower, clustered Campanula glomerata
Buckthorn, common Rhamnus catharticus
Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga
Campion, white Silene latifolia
Carrot, wild Daucus carota
Chicory Cichorium intybus
Cranesbill, hedge Geranium pyrenaicum
Cranesbill, long-stalked Geranium columbinum
Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris
Eyebright, common Euphrasia nemorosa
Flax, fairy Linum catharticum
Gentian, autumn Gentianella amarella
Harebell Campanula rotundifolia
Horehound, black Ballota nigra
Juniper Juniperus communis
Knapweed. chalk Centaurea debeauxii
Knapweed, greater Centaurea scabiosa
Marjoram Origanum vulgare
Mignonette, wild Reseda lutea
Mullein, dark Verbascum nigrum
Orchid, pyramidal Anacamptis pyramidalis
Parsnip, wild Pastinaca sativa
Ploughman's spikenard Inula conyza
Rest-harrow Ononis repens
Rest-harrow, spiny Ononis spinosa
Rock-rose, common Helianthemum nummularium
Salad-burnet Sanguisorba minor
Scabious, devilsbit Succisa pratensis
Scabious, field Knautia arvensis
Scabious, small Scabiosa columbaria
Spurge laurel Daphne laureola
Squinancywort Asperula cynanchica
Thistle, dwarf Cirsium acaule
Thistle, musk Carduus nutans
Thistle, woolly Cirsium eriophiorum
Thyme, large Thymus pulegioides
Thyme, wild Thymus polytrichus
Toadflax, pale Linaria repens
Traveller's joy Clematis vitalba
Vervain Verbena officinalis
Vetch, tufted Vicia cracca
Wayfaring tree Viburnum lantana

Berkshire: River Thames Cholsey-Wallingford

21 August 2013                                     OS Map 175 Reading/Windsor

All day

We parked in Ferry Lane. Cholsey SU599857 and walked down the lane to the River Thames.  At this juncture is Cholsey Marsh Nature Reserve (BBOWT).  This is fenced off for breeding snipe, but the constituent plants can be seen from the lane and the subsequent footpath.  The plants here can also be seen along the bank of the Thames going north to Wallingford (most of the day was on the Thames Path trail).  The appendix lists all the marsh and waterside plants we saw during the morning.  Compared with many other sections of the Thames this stretch is still rich in plantlife.  Our only real disappointment was not seeing any greater dodder Cuscuta europaea at its classic location along this river.  Although we have seen it elsewhere we have yet to find it beside the Thames.  Dragonflies were naturally much in evidence, although many were too strong-flying for us to get a chance to identify them.  We did record common darter, small red damselfly, and banded demoiselle.

Cholsey Marsh with reed canary-grass, great willowherb and meadowsweet

Common comfrey

Orange balsam and great willowherb

Marsh woundwort

Amphibious bistort

Gall of gall-midge Wachtliella persicariae on amphibious bistort

Brown sedge in Cholsey Marsh

Reed sweet-grass with reed canary-grass in front

Pfeiffer's amber snail on hedge bindweed leaf

Hedge bindweed was clambering over most of the tall vegetation

Gipsywort

Bean galls of sawfly Pontania proxima on crack willow

Common fleabane

Mine of moth Stigmella salicis in osier leaf

Bittersweet

Gall on meadowsweet caused by fungus Triphragmium ulmariae

Common skullcap

Hard rush inflorescence; its narrow stiff grey stems distinguish it from  soft rush

Purple loosestrife

Confused Michaelmas-daisy has colonised much of the riverbank

Viviparous form of cocksfoot grass, quite common late in the season

Tufted vetch

Branched bur-reed

The river itself supported few aquatics, given the continuous boat traffic.  Away from the bank, these plants were mainly limited to yellow water-lily, unbranched bur-reed and spiked water-milfoil.  Close to the bank but still in the water were common club-rush, yellow iris, branched bur-reed, bulrush, great water dock and water-plantain.

Thames near Cholsey

Yellow water-lily and its "brandy-bottle" fruits

Great water dock

Unbranched bur-reed

Common club-rush

Some way north of Cholsey Marsh, opposite the village of North Stoke, were a couple of pasture fields which, although now dry, had obviously been wet earlier in the year, especially in shallow hollows.  The Berks Flora indicates that the Red Data Book grass-poly Lythrum hyssopifolium had been seen in this area.  Once considered extinct in the county, it was rediscovered in 2001 and seen again in 2002.  Despite an extensive search we did not unfortunately see any, although our expectations were low for this plant, which is an annual and does not necessarily appear every year.

Shortly after this we passed a boathouse and a wooden platform at the bank of the Thames where there was a quiet pool which had flowering rush, yellow loosestrife and greater duckweed - all of which may have been introductions, as we saw them at no other spot.  Here we also saw the river snail Viviparus viviparus.

Great and common duckweeds

River snail

Flowering rush

After walking under the main road bridge we were on the outskirts of Wallingford, passing the ends of large gardens, before housing began to extend close to the river.  Here hops were common draped over fences and bushes.  A stream branched off west, where we saw a group of poplar fieldcap Agrocybe cylindracea toadstools growing at the base of a large willow.  We took the footpath beside this stream up to the road which we followed north to The Partridge for an excellent lunch in the back garden under the shade of a tree, relaxing with a glass of rosé.

Hop leaf with mine of fly Agromyza flaviceps

Poplar fieldcap on willow trunk

 

After lunch we took the chance to explore a back street just west of the main one, as we continued north to the centre of town.  Here there were plenty of urban and wall specialists to keep us occupied - Guernsey and Canadian fleabanes Conyza sumatrensis & canadensis, pellitory by the wall Parietaria judaica, tall rocket Sisymbrium altissimum, Oxford ragwort Senecio squalidus, ivy-leaved toadflax Cymbalaria muralis, wall barley Hordeum murinum, water bent Polypogon viridis, wall lettuce Mycelis muralis, nipplewort Lapsana communis, green alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens, sun spurge Euphorbia helioscopa, yellow corydalis Pseudofumaria lutea, rough mallow Malva neglecta, hollyhock Alcea rosea, biting stonecrop Sedum acre, Mexican fleabane Erigeron karvinskianus, and creeping bellflower Campanula rapunculoides - a considerable haul in just half a kilometre!

Water bent with annual meadow-grass and field forgetmenot

Creeping bellflower

Mexican fleabane and pellitory of the wall by Wallingford Bridge

From the centre of Wallingford we continued north by the footpath beside the Thames.  Here we passed many of the morning's waterside plants, although not quite so rich.  We added crow garlic to our list.  After a kilometre we decided to turn back, past the bridge and along Thames Street in Wallingford to where the footpath begins again beside the river going south.  This section, which we had earlier omitted by leaving for the south end of Wallingford, was much affected by the proximity of the town and had little more to offer, although we did see a single plant of arrowhead in the river.  We continued south along the path we had walked in the morning, checking once more fruitlessly for greater dodder.  We saw just a single plant of Indian balsam Impatiens glandulifera, so we presumed that this aggressive alien was regularly rooted out whenever it appeared.

 Appendix: List of marshland and water plants

Alder Alnus glutinosa (frequent)
Angelica, wild Angelica sylvestris (frequent)
Arrowhead Sagittaria sagittifolia (once)
Balsam, Indian Impatiens glandulifera (once)
Balsam, orange Impatiens capensis (frequent)
Bindweed, hedge Calystegia sepium (abundant)
Bistort, amphibious Persicaria amphibia (occasional)
Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara (occasional)
Bulrush Typha latifolia (occasional)
Bur-reed, branched Sparganium erectum (frequent)
Bur-reed, unbranched Sparganium emersum (abundant)
Canary-grass, reed Phalaris arundinacea (abundant)
Chickweed, water Myosoton aquaticum (once)
Chicory Cichorium intybus (once)
Club-rush, common Schoenoplectus lacustris (occasional)
Comfrey, common Symphytum officinale (frequent)
Comfrey, Russian Symphytum x uplandicum (occasional)
Cranesbill, meadow Geranium pratense (occasional)
Dewberry Rubus caesius (abundant)
Dock, great water Rumex hydrolapathum (occasional)
Duckweed, greater Spirodela polyrhiza (once)
Figwort, water Scrophularia aquatica (occasional)
Fleabane, common Pulicaria dysenterica (frequent)
Garlic, crow Allium vineale (occasional)
Gipsywort Lycopus europaeus (frequent)
Hop Humulus lupulus (occasional)
Horsetail, water Equisetum fluviatile (once)
Iris, yellow Iris pseudacorus (frequent)
Loosestrife, purple Lythrum salicaria (frequent)
Loosestrife, yellow Lysimachia vulgaris (once)
Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum (occasional)
Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria (frequent)
Michaelmas-daisy, confused Aster novi-belgii (frequent)
Mint, water Mentha aquatica (frequent)
Osier Salix viminalis (frequent)
Reed Phragmites australis (frequent)
Rush, flowering Butomus umbellatus (once)
Rush, hard Juncus inflexus (occasional)
Sedge, brown Carex disticha (occasional)
Sedge, false fox Carex otrubae (occasional)
Sedge, great pond Carex riparia (frequent)
Sedge, hairy Carex hirta (occasional)
Sedge, lesser pond Carex acutiflorus (frequent)
Sedge, pendulous Carex pendula (occasional)
Sedge, remote Carex remota (occasional)
Sedge, slender tufted Carex acuta (frequent)
Sedge, spiked Carex spicata (occasional)
Silverweed Potentilla anserina (frequent)
Skullcap, common Scutellaria galericulata (occasional)
Sneezewort Achillea ptarmica (occasional)
StJohn's-wort, square-stalked Hypericum tetrapterum (occasional)
Sweet-grass, reed Glyceria maxima (abundant)
Vetch, tufted Vicia cracca (occasional)
Water-lily, yellow Nuphar lutea (frequent)
Water-milfoil, spiked Myriophyllum spicatum (occasional)
Water-plantain, common Alisma plantago-aquatica (occasional)
Waterweed, Nuttall's Elodea nuttallii (once)
Willow, crack Salix fragilis (frequent)
Willow, white Salix alba (occasional)
Willowherb, great Epilobium hirsutum (abundant)
Woundwort, marsh Stachys palustris (frequent)