An array of interesting plants are on display at Lackford at the moment- some huge and statuesque; others which can be admired only by getting down on your hands and knees!
By far the tallest plant in flower are the very woolly
great mulleins, which grace the perimeter of the car park and the edges of the breckland field to the east of the Centre. In ideal conditions these can reach an impressive seven feet tall, but the poor sandy soil of Lackford and the occasional nibble from the rabbits keeps them a little shorter- perhaps five feet at most. These have a long spire of yellow flowers, a few of which open at a time and the leaves are the foodplant of mullein moth- their white caterpillars with rows of black and yellow spots often adorn the leaves in late summer on the reserve and are an impressive sight.
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| great mullein |
Another, rarer relative, the
dark mullein, has a habit of growing singly or in very small groups close to the Viewing Platform. Its a smaller plant, but with brighter yellow flowers with conspicuous furry purple stamens- very beautiful close up.
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| dark mullein spire |
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| dark mullein (flower detail) |
The royal-blue flowers of viper's bugloss are still visible all around the edges of the Kingfisher Trail, and these are a favourite with bumblebees (especially common carder), butterflies and the odd hummingbird hawkmoth (who visit usually on hotter days).
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| viper's bugloss |
Mingled in with the viper's bugloss, and approximately the same height, are the creamy white spires of wild mignonette. This is one of a wide range of plants that grow at Lackford because they like the light, sandy soil typical of the Brecks. It's often a little more windy than elsewhere here, and these winds frequently disturb the light, loose soil which the Breckland plants actively benefit from- it provides them with bare, open patches for their seeds to germinate without the competition from vigorous grasses which prefer a more stable soil. Breckland plants often grow slowly and many are very small; this lack of competition from grasses means they can thrive at Lackford. The foliage of wild mignonette provides food for the caterpillars of the large white, small white and orange tip butterflies, and the flowers are very popular with bees and hoverflies.
Church Walk is currently dotted with the yellow star-like flowers of
cat's-ear, a member of the dandelion family but much shorter and more delicate-looking. If you look over the fence that borders the path here you'll also the tawny brown flowerheads of
carline thistles, another breckland speciality, sitting ten to fifteen inches above the ground. Carline thistles are usually found growing in coastal sand dunes, but the sandy inland conditions at Lackford prove just as suitable! Three other thistles can be readily seen on the reserve at the moment- the very small but numerous lilac flowers of
creeping thistle, the larger violet blooms of
spear thistle, and the nodding purple heads of
musk thistle which grow in clumps in the fields either side of Church Walk.
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| Musk thistle |
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| Carline thistle |
The diversity of habitats at Lackford mean the reserve also has its fair share of plants which prefer things damp and shady too- at the moment there are lots of
harebell in flower on the path between the Viewing Platform and Double Decker hide and the orchid-like spikes of
purple horehound are mingled in amongst the nettles on summer trail. Out this evening, I noticed that the damp scrapes on the Slough have turned into a blaze of colour with the flowers of
purple loosestrife, lilac
water-mint and yellow
common fleabane- a favourite nectar source for the common blue butterfly.
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| Harebell |
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The Slough in full summer colour!
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Of course the biggest plants of all on the reserve are the trees, and as summer progresses you can clearly see a change in them. The berries of the
guelder rose have been like hard green peas up until now, but the clusters are slowly turning red and by autumn will be a vivid, glossy crimson as will the foliage before it falls.
alder trees are also ripening their cones- in fact they are the only deciduous tree to produce cones rather than flowers in order to reproduce- and when these are ripe they will be a magnet for visiting flocks of siskins and redpolls come the winter. A lot of the taller trees are clad in thick layers of
ivy, especially the oaks, and as ivy is very late flowering it will be an invaluable nectar source for late bees and butterflies- currently the buds are still small but in a month or so they'll begin to open when most other plants' flowering season is over.
These are just a few of the many beautiful plants which are on show at Lackford at the moment- so do keep an eye open for them next time you visit. Some of those mentioned here feature on markers dotted along the kingfisher trail, between the viewing platform and the Centre, and over time we'll change these so that different plants are highlighted when they are each looking their best. A pair of binoculars are helpful for identifying more distant specimens, especially in the breckland field which lies to the east of the Centre. Here we have marked a spot on the kingfisher trail which gives a good view of this field and its plants.
by Heidi Jones (volunteer at Lackford Lakes)
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