Creeping buttercup, Ranunculus repens. With a Latin name sounding somewhat like a Harry Potter spell, this bright yellow flowering plant is, like most buttercups, poisonous and due to its acrid taste, avoided by cattle. The basal leaves are divided into three broad leaflets. The plant grows to 50cm high and spreads by use of running stems. WT
Creeping thistle, Cirsium arvense. Other names include Lettuce from hell thistle and Cursed thistle. It forms extensive colonies via an underground root system. Seeds have a feathery pappus which helps with wind dispersal. Seeds are important for Goldfinch and Linnet and used as a food by over 20 species of butterfly including Painted Lady. It’s an invasive species, present in the […]
Crocus, Crocus chrysanthus. Bears vivid bowl-shaped flowers. Its common name, “snow crocus”, derives from its exceptionally early flowering period, blooming about two weeks before the giant crocus, and often emerging through the snow in late winter or early spring. The leaves are narrow with a silver central stripe. Present, although probably planted, on the northern section in Muswell Hill.
Cuckoo bee, Nomada lathburiana. The term cuckoo bee is used for a variety of different bee lineages which have evolved the kleptoparasitic behaviour of laying their eggs in the nests of other bees, reminiscent of the behaviour of cuckoo birds. Cuckoo bees typically enter the nests of pollen-collecting species, and lay their eggs in cells provisioned by the host bee […]
Cuckoo pint, Arum maculatum. A common woodland plant species of the Araceae family. Also known as lords and ladies, it has other less attractive names such as snakeshead and devils and angels that hint that it may be something to avoid. It is one of the most common causes of accidental plant poisoning, based on attendance at hospital A & […]
Cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium. Wild Cyclamen is native in Europe and the Mediterranean and has escaped from gardens and naturalised in many areas across southern Britain. It prefers dappled shade or an undisturbed woodland setting where it will quickly spread, but it will grow in full sun. Rosy pink flowers from August to December. Dark green ivy-like leaves mottled with pale silvery-green. […]
Dock bug, Coreus marginatus. A large and mottled reddish-brown squashbug with a broad, oval abdomen. The two small projections between the antennae are diagnostic. Picture shows two bugs mating on a dock leaf. There is one generation per year, adults mating and laying eggs in spring. The nymphs feed predominantly on dock so you are likely to find them easily […]
Dunnock, Prunella modularis. A small brown and grey bird often confused with the sparrow. Quiet and unobtrusive, it is often seen on its own, creeping along the edge of a flower bed or near to a bush, moving with a rather nervous, shuffling gait, often flicking its wings as it goes. When two rival males come together they become animated […]
Emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator. Britain’s bulkiest Dragonfly and a frequent visitor to the pond in the Wildlife Trail. This one was expertly netted, handled and freed by Dan Hackett. They are highly inquisitive and will fly very close if you keep still. We’ve seen them laying eggs at the pond and are aware of at least a dozen nymphs hatching […]
Enchanter’s nightshade, Circaea lutetiana. It has small pinky white flowers between June and August. it’s a ‘hairy’ plant with hairs seen on the leaves (both sides) and leaf stalks (petioles). Despite its name, enchanter’s nightshade is unrelated to other nightshades. It actually belongs to the willowherb family. WT. Photo: Stephen Middleton
