Weasel's-snout

Weasel's-snout - or Lesser Snapdragon - is a decreasing arable plant that is possibly native and is found sparingly in the UK (mostly in the south of England). I was delighted to find out that a single flowering specimen had been found at the botanical wonderland that is Langley Vale, in a field due west of Nohome Farm. Unfortunately my pictures were not up to much, but worth posting here for anybody that is not familiar with what it looks like. Ignore the reddish-brown vegetation that is wrapping itself around the plant, as that is Black Bindweed.

Whilst scouring the site it was a delight to bump into several local naturalists, and among their number was artist and creative writer Susy Jones. We teamed up to try and hunt down the Venus's Looking-glass plants found earlier in the summer. Even though we were armed with grid-references and 'pin's on digital maps' we failed. Was that down to our poor fieldcraft or had they stopped flowering, which would have made them almost impossible to spot in the heavily vegetated field? It later transpired that others had looked earlier in the day without success, so it seems as if the plants had indeed 'gone over'. There was plenty of Narrow-fruited Cornsalad still on show, although most of it was past its best, along with some impressive Catmint specimens. What was not so impressive was the amount of Barren Brome. I spent a good half hour picking out the wicked seed-heads from my boots and clothing, marvelling through gritted teeth at how they are able to burrow so deep into whatever they attach themselves to. After attempting to rescue my socks I gave up and put them in the bin. So yet another gem of an arable plant finds its way onto my Langley Vale list. One day I'll devote a post to them all - it really is a special site that needs cherishing. The Woodland Trust have something of great botanical value in their hands...