Car Parks and Commons

We explored the border with Carmarthenshire on Thursday. In fact most of our time was spent in that county as the border has changed since the "recording borders" were set in 1850 or so.

Mike, my co recorder, was able to come out with us which helped a lot with identifications - several plants I would have had to examine in detail or even take home to check were instantly recognised.

But before I got there I had to check on two rarities Ray Woods had alerted me to:

First a tiny annual that has mainly done its thing by now in Hay Market car park. A first sighting for a very long time in Brecknock.

Little Mouse-ear, Clust-y-llygoden fach or Cerastium semidecandrum

And this is in Brecon Theatre car park.

Spotted Medick, Maglys brith or Medicago arabica

Again not something we see in Brecon at all often. Growing with Black Medick which we are familiar with.

After photographing these I eventually got to the target area and joined Mike who had already identified many species at the parking area there. Including:

Bird Cherry, Coeden geirios yr adar or Prunus padus

A source of eternal confusion to those of us who have a smattering of Latin as the close relative, Prunus avium, isn't "Bird Cherry"!

We soon came upon a significant patch of this Brecknock rarity. Not in flower yet but readily identified by my co-recorder:

Fragrant Agrimony, Llysiau'r-dryw pêr or Agrimonia procera (photographed near Stanner Rocks)

These are the type of leaves we saw - which should have been familiar to me as I do grow it at home...

Up on the common in the afternoon we got some lovely views and quite the greatest abundance of Wood Sorrel in open ground I have seen. (Open now but Bracken-shaded later.)

And plenty of this as well:

Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Rhwyddlwyn dail teim or Veronica serpyllifolia

In all we recorded 140 different species - many of which won't have been recorded recently enough for the Atlas.