Wildflower survey 2021

Botanical survey of ‘The Lawn, Duxford Road, Whittlesford, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. CB22 4ND Vc29 Survey dates 9th and 18th June 2021.
Grid reference: 547456, 248282

Geology
> Solid geology

The vast majority of the area known as ‘The Lawn’ is Zig Zag Chalk Formation, this is the upper (youngest), stratum formerly known as the Lower Chalk. At the south eastern edge more or less opposite the URC Church, the contour rises over a narrow outcrop of the Melbourn Rock which runs in a north easterly direction towards the junction of Mill Lane and The Lawn. The base of this outcrop may well produce spring water in the centre of the football pitch very wet years.  The remainder of the grassed area is Holywell Nodular Chalk; the basal stratum of what was formerly known as the Middle Chalk.

> Superficial deposits

River Terrace Deposits, 1-2, Sand and Gravel; could possibly be from deposits formed up to 2 million years ago during the Quaternary Period. More likely however, to have been deposited by the braided river system from the periglacial period 10,500 years BP. The River is now more or less a single meandering channel.

Vascular plants

  1. Lolium perenne Perennial Ryegrass
  2. Veronica arvensis Wall Speedwell
  3. Bellis perennis Daisy
  4. Poa trivialis Rough Meadow Grass
  5. Poa annua Annual Meadow Grass
  6. Anisantha sterilis Sterile Brome
  7. Geranium pusillum Small Flowered Crane’s-bill
  8. Sonchus asper Prickly Sow Thistle
  9. Dactylis glomerata Cock’sfoot Grass
  10. Veronica persica Common Field Speedwell
  11. Hordeum murinum Wall Barley
  12. Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain
  13. Taraxacum officinale agg. Dandelion
  14. Arenaria serpyllifolia ssp serpyllifolia Thyme Leaved Sandwort
  15. Festuca rubra sensu lato Red Fescue
  16. Phleum bertolonii Common Cat’sear Grass, Small Timothy Grass
  17. Glechoma hederacea Ground Ivy
  18. Medicago lupulina Black Medick
  19. Trifolium repens White Clover
  20. Jacobea vulgaris Common Ragwort
  21. Carex spicata Spiked Sedge
  22. Erigeron acer Blue Fleabane
  23. Trifolium pratense Red Clover
  24. Sagina procumbens Procumbent Pearlwort
  25. Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd’s Purse
  26. Cerastium glomeratum Sticky Mouse Ear
  27. Ranunculus bulbosus Bulbous Buttercup
  28. Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow Thistle
  29. Lapsana communis Nipplewort
  30. Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse Ear
  31. Achillea millifolium Yarrow
  32. Sagina apetala Annual Pearlwort
  33. Viola odorata Sweet Violet
  34. Ophrys apifera Bee Orchid Opposite Moon’s Car
  35. Veronica chamaedrys Germander Speedwell
  36. Rumex x pratensis Hybrid Dock between Rumex crispus Curled Leaved Dock and Rumex obtusifolius Broad Leaved Dock
  37. Leontodon hispidus Rough Hawkbit
  38. Geum urbanum Herb Benet
    Meeting the rough grassland area opposite the boundary of Moon Green’s and the Postle’s
  39. Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley
  40. Trisetum flavescens Yellow Oat Grass
  41. Veronica hederifolia Ivy Leaved Speedwell
  42. Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle
  43. Plantago major Greater Plantain
  44. Galium verum Lady’s Bedstraw
  45. Arrenatherum elatius False Oat Grass
  46. Crepis capillaris Smooth Hawk’sbeard
  47. Rosa canina agg Common Dog Rose
  48. Narcissus pseudonarcissus Hybrid Daffodil planted
  49. Hyacinthoides non-scripta Bluebell planted
  50. Erophila verna Common Whitlow Grass
    End of WWII access road opposite Paul Warwick’s house
  51. Plantago coronopus Stag’s horn Plantain halophyte
  52. Ballota nigra Black Horehound
  53. Stellaria media Common Chickweed
  54. Triticum aestivum Winter Wheat
  55. Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed
  56. Lycium barbarum Duke of Argyll’s Tea Plant
  57. Torilis nodosa Knotted Hedge Parsley
  58. Malva sylvestris Common Mallow
  59. Malva neglecta Small Flowered Mallow
  60. Bromus hordeaceus Soft Brome
  61. Sisymbrium vulgaris Hedge Mustard
  62. Galium aparine Common Cleavers
  63. Lamium album White Dead Nettle
  64. Myosotis sylvatica Wood Forget-me-not
  65. Conyza canadensis Canadian Fleabane
  66. Chelidonium majalis Greater Celendine
  67. Pentaglottis sempervirens Wild Green Alkanet
  68. Cirsium vulgaris Spear Thistle
  69. Hedera helix Ivy
  70. Urtica dioica Common Stinging Nettle
  71. Medicago arabica Spotted Medick
  72. Euphorbia peplus Petty Spurge
  73. Bryonia dioica White Bryony
  74. Iris foetidissima Stinking Iris
  75. Iris germanica Bearded Iris garden plant
  76. Ficaria verna Lesser Celendine
  77. Symphytum x uplandicum Russian Comfrey
  78. Sambuccus nigra Elder
  79. Cupressocyparis x leylandii Leyland Cypress
  80. Syringa vulgaris Lilac
  81. Ulmus procera English Elm
  82. Epilobium hirsutum Great Hairy Willowherb
  83. Symphoricarpos albus Snowberry
  84. Acer platanoides Norway Maple
  85. Polygonum aviculare agg. Knotgrass
  86. Lamium purpureum Red Dead Nettle
  87. Ranuncuus repens Creeping Buttercup
  88. Cedrus atlantica var glauca Blue Atlantic Cedar
  89. Castanea sativa Sweet Chestnut
  90. Carpinus betulus Hornbeam
  91. Quercus robur Pedunculate Oak
  92. Fagus sylvatica Beech
  93. Aesculus hippocastanum White Horse Chestnut
  94. Aesculus x carnea Red Horse Chestnut
  95. Aesculus indica Himalayan Horse Chestnut largely immune to Camararia ohridella
  96. Sorbus aria Whitebeam
  97. Tilia cordata Small Leaved Lime
  98. Holcus lanatus Yorkshire Fog Grass
  99. Rumex obtusifolius Broard Leaved Dock
  100. Centranthus rubra Red Valerian, garden escape
  101. Anacamptis pyramidalis Pyramid Orchid also present in 2022
  102. Centaurea nigra Black Knapweed
  103. Hordeum secalinus Meadow Barley
  104. Crepis vesicaria Beaked Hawk’sbeard
  105. Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup
  106. Plantago media Hoary Plantain
  107. Tragopogon pratensis ssp minor Goat’sbeard
  108. Trifolium dubium Lesser Trefoil
  109. Alopecurus myosuroides Blackgrass
  110. Sorbus aucuparia Rowan
  111. Cornus sanguinea Common Dogwood
  112. Corylus avellana Hazel
  113. Alnus glutinosa Common Alder
  114. Fraxinus excelsior Ash
  115. Festuca pratensis Meadow Fescue
  116. Taxus baccata Yew
  117. Leucanthemum vulgaris Ox-Eye Daisy
  118. Allium vineale Crow Garlic
  119. Juglans regia Walnut
  120. Luzula campestre Common Field Wood Rush
  121. Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip Tree
  122. Ulmus carpinifolia aurea Hybid Elm
  123. Prunus padus Northern Bird Cherry
  124. Cynosaurus cristatus Crested Dog’stail.

A. R. Arbon, 1, Wren Park, Whittlesford, Cambridge. CB22 4LY. 30th June 2021.