August in Merioneth - Caerdeon

August in Merioneth was Caerdeon, with a record attendance. The weather continued fine, in spite of forecasts, and we were uninterrupted by rain.  Botanists from as far afield as Scotland, Leicester, Sussex and Hampshire convened for four days of intensive recording.  We made 4000 records and had a great time.  It is now so late in the year, and an account will, I hope, appear in the BSBI Yearbook early next year, so I will just post a selection of the photos which we took.

The team after a slog up to a fine view above
 Llyn Wylfa

Touch-me-not Balsam

Impatiens noli-tangere, Touch-me-not Balsam, grew in abundance on our way back down to the road

Father and daughter Donald
botanising along the Afon Gamlin

Flora, Duncan and I found Saw-wort alongside the river Gamlin after struggling through what seemed like acres of Molinia tussocks

 Serratula tinctoria, 
Saw-wort

Andromeda polifolia

At the hot-spot of Cors Coch we found the target species of Andromeda polifolia, Bog Rosemary, and Drosera intermedia, Oblong-leaved Sundew and we did a full species list, which had not been done by the CCW surveys of previous years

Drosera intermedia

Vicia orobus

Blogger at Cors Coch

On the way back we stopped off to see the Vicia orobus, Wood Bitter-vetch, which grows quite frequently along the A470 near Trawfynydd between the fields and the verge-cutting.


Those were all my photographs, but Phill Brown made a great record of his four days at Caerdeon and has kindly said I can post them - so here they are - the ten following ones are all his - and great pictures, too.  They give an excellent idea of the scenery, flora and ambience we enjoyed at Caerdeon.

This old miners' track is the start of the hike up to Diffwys - it always amazes me that it is so well-preserved and easy to find after so many decades of disuse.

The view from the flanks of Diffwys showing the extent of the upland blanket bog and the settled  farmland below.

Cryptogramma crispa, Parsley Fern,   - a plant typical of these very acid rocky habitats

The summit path to Diffwys -

 -  and the team at the top!

Some plants of these high acid mountains

Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Cowberry

Diphasiastrum alpinum, Alpine Clubmoss

Martin in a mine adit, with abundant
Asplenium trichomanes subsp. trichomanes  
Maidenhair Spleenwort

And finally......

Breakfast at Caerdeon.....

.....and the fine old house of Plas Caerdeon