New Year Plant Hunt 2025 - Uckfield North

I introduced last year's account of the BSBI New Year Plant Hunt by saying "Recently the weather has been very wet, turning many little weedy plants that were hanging on from the summer to mush." It has been exactly the same this year and the results were quite similar - I got 35 species compared to 36 last year.

Sometimes the number of species found doesn't tell the whole story. For some species that I usually expect to find easily, I had to search really hard to find one or two blooms. For example: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Ivy (Hedera helix) and Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum).

A battered Herb Bennet (Geum Urbanum)

My first find, on the public path just outside our hedge was a very miserable Herb Bennet (Geum Urbanum). Then the usual "weeds" - a lot of Daisies (Bellis perennis) and the odd Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) etc. A quick visit to the Winter Heliotropes (Petasites fragrans) near Ringles Cross showed that there were far fewer of the pink fluffy flowers than last year.

Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea) at Holy Cross

I meandered through the town to the church and found a lovely group of Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea) on the Holy Cross Church wall.

Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

The Holly (Ilex aquifolium) in Belmont road had a lovely scattering of dainty white flowers. The Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) was a little trickier - there were quite a few flowerheads with buds but the one open flower took a lot of finding.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) at the Fire Station

Another usually reliable New Year flower that was hard to find was Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). I found a rather scrappy specimen outside the fire station.

Gorse (Ulex europaeus) on Bellbrook Industrial Estate

The Bellbrook Industrial Estate gave me Gorse (Ulex europaeus) and some battered little weeds. 

White Melilot (Melitotus Albus)

Back in November, I found a White Melilot (Melitotus Albus) flowering in the Station car park. It seemed impossible to believe that it's delicate white pea flowers would still be blooming but they were.

White Deadnettle (Lamium album) at the Mill

On the other side of the road, I found some White Deadnettle (Lamium album) while a friendly German Shepherd investigated my bags.

The last Ivy (Hedera helix) flowers in town

Down to my last half-hour, I scurried home, conscious that I had not seen any Ivy (Hedera helix) flowers - there had been plenty of fruit on the plants round the town but not a single flower. I examined the Ivy at the top of the Dene, while discussing the plant hunt with a neighbour. I checked about three quarters of the heads when I found one that was still blooming. After this, I headed home for a much needed hot coffee.

At the time of writing:

• the Uckfield results are available from Uckfield
• all results are available from Results.

New Year Plant Hunt 2023 - Uckfield North

2022 weather was a real rollercoaster with a drought, then incessant rain and, just before Christmas, hard frosts and snow and the Met Office has concluded it was the hottest year on record. So when I did the 2023 BSBI New Year Plant hunt I expected to find very few species in flower compared to previous years. Sure enough, this year, I found 22 species in bloom, much fewer than the 36 to 46 I found in each of the previous 3 years. 

Number of species vs Year.

For most of the species that I did find, there were far fewer plants in flower - for example, I usually expect to see Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) in flower in several places during my hunt, whereas this time I found just one.

Daisy (Bellis perennis) - Manor Park

My first find was at the front of next door-but-one's garden - a Daisy (Bellis perennis) battered, but enough to get me going.

Ivy (Hedera helix) - Manor Park

As I made my way through the estate, I found a variety of little weeds in bloom as well as Ivy (Hedera helix). 

Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans) - London Road

The Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans) on London Road had obligingly come into bloom in time for the hunt.

Wendy Tagg with Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea) - High Street

The old walls at the top of the town are usually quite productive. However there were no flowers on the usually reliable Trailing Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana) and there were just two little flowers on the Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea).

Gorse (Ulex europaeus) - Bellbrook industrial estate

On the Bellbrook industrial estate the Gorse (Ulex europaeus) near the river Uck gave a nice splash of yellow.  

Alder (Alnus glutinosa) - Bellbrook industrial estate

Once again, I found red Alder (Alnus glutinosa) catkins lengthened and showing pollen. Trying to get a photo of them was a challenge as they danced in the breeze way above my head.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria Muralis) - Bellbrook industrial estate

There very few herbaceous plants in bloom but I found a Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus Repens) in the sheltered spot behind the Barny's Playbarn sign and an Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria Muralis) tucked behind a wall.

Hazel (Corylus avellana) dancing over the River Uck

I meandered down to the river, where it is bridged by the High Street and found fully lengthened catkins catching the sunlight over the river. 

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) - Southview Drive

After noting the Hazel (Corylus avellana), I headed home via Lime Tree Avenue, where I found some Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) with sorry-looking flowers. A quick inspection of the base of a South-facing wall in Southview drive yielded a Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and some Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

Species found in bloom - wildflowers

Species found in Bloom - Naturalised

These are the garden plants that have 'jumped the garden fence'.

New Year Plant Hunt 2017 - Uckfield

For a number of years, the Botanical Society of the British and Ireland have been running a New Year Plant Hunt. I've taken part in 2015, 2016 and again this year.  I didn't expect much because we have had some proper winter weather in the run up to the plant hunt.  Some of our own garden regulars such as Gorse and Lesser Celandine were not showing any signs of flower.

This year, I started the hunt from the new seat in front of the shops in Browns Lane, which was installed by the Manor Park and Hempstead Fields Residents Association.

Start - Outside Browns Lane shops at 9:30, 2nd January.

If you wish to go straight to a full list of my New Year's flowers, scroll to the bottom of the page.  This year my list comprised 23 flowering plants, compared to 34 last year. I had a sense this year of normal service being resumed after last year's bumper list.  This time there were no proper spring flowers such as Wild Primroses or Cowslips and few summer stragglers.

As usual, I started by walking through twittens on Manor Park. I didn't find as many wild flowers as usual. Maybe this was because 2016's odd weather encouraged thick grass growth. This had two effects: First, the grass competed out the wild flowers that usually grow along the edges of paths, and second, people had cleared away the vegetation, which had become a nuisance. I did find the ever-reliable Groundsel and Petty Spurge. Groundsel was the 2nd most frequently recorded flower on the plant hunt's lists.

Groundsel - 2nd most recorded flower

I moved on to the sunny corner where Southview Drive meets Beeches Close and found Ivy still in flower as well as some Yarrow.

Ivy flowers

At the top of the town, I managed to find a little Wall Bellflower in bloom but nothing like the numbers of flowers I had seen in previous years. The church walls also yielded very little - just some clumps of Common Field Speedwell, with tiny blue flowers. However, I had better luck in the car park, with a neat clump of Sweet Violets.

Sweet Violets

I didn't find anything in Belmont Lane. In a change from last year's route, I walked along the path that runs parallel to the bypass. Although I didn't see any flowers I was delighted to spot a Tree Creeper in a splendid old oak. Once I had reached the Meads Doctors' Surgery, I crossed the road to the Bellbrook Industrial Estate. This is new to my route and yielded some wild flowers that I had never recorded before.  One was Annual Mercury.

Annual Mercury

Another, the Guernsey Fleabane, is one that I had seen in various places but had never previously got round to identifying.

Guernsey Fleabane

After exploring the industrial estate (and surprising three Pheasants) I hurried to the warmth of the Station Pub.  After a break and glass of wine, I hurried back home to catch a few final stragglers before I ran out of time.  These included a Daisy, just across the road from where I live and a bedraggled Dog Violet in my own garden.



Daisy - On more lists than any other flower.

The Science Bit

Location: Uckfield, East Sussex.  Start point: TQ478219

What was missing?

Flowers that I had seen in both 2015 and 2016 but were missing this year were:

• Wild Primroses
• Cowslips
• Yellow Corydalis (on the church walls)
• White Deadnettle
• Black Medick.

21 Wild Plants Flowering on 2nd January 2017

Achillea millefolium	Yarrow
Bellis perennis	Daisy
Capsella bursa-pastoris	Shepherd's Purse
Cardamine hirsuta	Hairy Bittercress
Centranthus ruber	Red Valerian
Conyza sumatrensis	Guernsey fleabane	New in 2017
Corylus avellana	Hazel
Euphorbia peplus	Petty Spurge
Hedera helix	Ivy
Lamium purpureum	Red Dead-nettle
Mercurialis annua	Annual Mercury	New in 2017
Poa annua	Annual Meadow Grass
Senecio vulgaris	Groundsel
Sonchus oleraceus	Smooth Sow-thistle
Stellaria media	Common Chickweed
Taraxacum officinale	Dandelion
Ulex europaeus	Gorse
Urtica dioica	Common nettle	New in 2017
Veronica persica	Common Field Speedwell	New in 2017
Viola odorata	Sweet Violet
Viola riviniana	Dog Violet

2 Naturalised Plants Flowering on 2nd January 2017

Bergenia cordifolia	Elephants ears	New in 2017
Campanula portenschlagiana	Wall Bellflower

 

Lime Aid and a Geocache

I spent most of today in the company of 100 magnificent limes.  These wonderful trees form Lime Tree Avenue in Uckfield and I was one of a group of volunteers who were giving them some TLC. We trimmed back epicormic growth, or suckers, from the bottom of each tree. Trimming the unwanted growth not only keeps the trees tidy but prevents energy that is needed to keep the whole trunk healthy from being diverted into unwanted growth. 

Lime tree, before and after epicormic growth (suckers) removed.

It is rather wonderful to get up close and personal with trees that are so old and so big. It allows me to appreciate the craggy old bark, the smooth, olive coloured twigs and buds that look as if they could start bursting any day.

Fresh green leaves of cow parsley, wild arum (cuckoo pint) and ivy seem to swirl round these old giants. The cuckoo pint flowers will be first to appear, then the white froth of cow parsley and finally ivy flowers provide a late summer nectar bar.

All day birds flitted and chattered round us while we worked. Male blackbirds seemed to be chasing each other from perch to perch while a blue tit gave us shrill abuse for daring to step into its territory. A robin paused on a nearby fence post and inspected work in progress. 

As we wound down, there was one last surprise. I found a plastic box. At first I thought it was some litter, or maybe a child's lunchbox hidden by a less than friendly school mate. When I opened it I found a charming little collection of gifts and a notebook. It seems that someone had left a geocache. I wrote my name in the book and put it back.

Geocache, which I found hidden at the foot of a lime tree.

The Lime Aid group, led by Martyn Stenning, does this twice a year, in October and February. So if you fancy having a go, look out for notices in the local press, social media and in Lime Tree Avenue itself.