Industrial Estate Nature

I had to take my car for an MOT today and so went to our local garage on an industrial park. It was a nice day so I decided to go out and have a look around to see what I could see.

It was quite amazing that it about 15 minutes of ambling around just how much was around.

Apart from the usual Dandelions Taraxacum officinale, Daisies Bellis perennis, Hawthorns Crategus monogyna, and (what I recognise almost instantly like an old friend) Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, I also saw Wild Pear Pyrus communis.  There were some areas which seemed to be cultivated too, and were several plants in these beds, one of which looked as though it might be Sea-Buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides, some rosehips, and a number of shrubs with white berries.  Now these ones with white berries were in the area where there was an actual bedding area.  So these may well be cultivated plants rather than wild ones.

Wild Pear

Rosehip

Sea-Buckthorn

Unknown (to me at least) plant with white fruit

I did feel a bit foolish looking around an industrial estate looking at plants and taking photos, but it takes all sorts and I am trying to be an Amateur Naturalist....

A Windy Walk

Although it was wet and very windy today, I indulged in a walk into town, deciding to not rush around (as I would normally) but the amble along and take in some of the Natural world around me.  It was a delight.  Seeing Hawthorns Crataegus monogyna, Wych Elm Ulmus glabra, English Elm Ulmus procera (with the round green papery seeds with the acutal seed in the middle), along with my old friend the Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, also saw the Groundsell Senecio vulgaris in several places, most noticably in one of the many car parks.

When looking up I spotted several immature  Herring Gull Larus argentatus with their brown plummage, the ubiquitous Magpie Pica pica, a few Rooks Corvus frugilegus, Starlings Sturnus vulgaris, House Sparrows Passer domesticus, and several female Chaffinches Fringilla coelebs.

It is really quite astounding how many different species of plant, tree, and bird you can see in a relative short walk.  Perhaps it is something we should all do once in a while. :-)