Friezland Wood, Tunbridge Wells

Field meeting reports
Picture of Large Bitter-cress (Cardamine amara)
Cardamine amara (Large Bitter-cress). Photo: Brad Scott

Meeting date: 17 May 2015  

(Leaders: Geoffrey Kitchener and Helen Proctor)

Seven SBRS members met up with thirteen members of the Kent Botanical Recording Group on a warm, dry and sunny morning.  The objectives were to collect missing Sussex Plant Atlas (SPA) records in TQ53U for Sussex in the morning and help with monad recording for Kent in the afternoon.  The river Grom marks the county boundary.  Our route took us through the wood and in a loop on the southern side of the river in Sussex, before crossing the river into Kent.  The fit and able negotiated a steep path to see a large clump of Symphytum tuberosum (Tuberous Comfrey). Lythrum portula (Water-purslane) occurred in the wet woodland.  Lured by the sight of Geranium phaeum (Dusky Crane’s-bill), Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh Poppy) and Dryopteris borreri (Borrer’s Male-fern) on the other side of the river, a certain Kentish botanist took a short cut and paddled across the river!  We added three Cardamine species:  C. pratensis (Cuckooflower), C. bulbifera (Coralroot) and C. amara (Large Bittercress).  The latter covered a 10 metre length on both sides of the river, so everyone was happy.  We added 58 records to TQ53U.

We walked uphill for lunch at the High Rocks and a group photo.  It was then that we discovered another missing species, Homo sapiens x 5!  Mobile phone contact brought them back from the High Rocks Pub but they missed lunch! In Kent, Cardamine bulbifera flowered profusely on the roadside.  Over 400 flowering stems were counted.  Back at the cars, Sarah Kitchener kindly provided tea and cakes, a new Kentish tradition of which I thoroughly approve!

Group photo at the lunch spot

See also

  1. Scott, Brad. “The Grom valley and Friezland wood.” Diversions in Natural History. May 18, 2015. Accessed March 24, 2016. https://diversionsinnaturalhistory.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/the-grom-valley-and-friezland-wood/.

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