Most of the green area that you can see in the photograph above is a mire, full of moisture-loving plants and .....
..... this area, where water constantly trickles out of the mine levels and across the old lead ore washing floor is home to some interesting species. Here are a few that were at their best this morning:
Marsh lousewort Pedicularis palustris, a partial parasite on the roots of grasses.
Ragged robin Lychnis flos-cuculi
Common butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris - for more on this carnivorous plant click here
Northern marsh orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella
Marsh horsetail Equisetum palustre spore-bearing cone
such lovely wildflowers! In this season (monsoon) our wildflowers are also seen in some plots.
ReplyDeleteThis is a place I often return to, lotusleaf
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ReplyDelete150 years ago this was a hive of industry, Kate.Long underground tunnels, ore crushers, horse-drawn railways. They were tough miners that worked there, especially in winter. Now it's a wonderful nature reserve and the old water courses are breeding sites for dragonflies.
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