Toothwort, Lathraea squamaria The last time I saw toothwort was 9th April 2014, in Howe Ridding Wood, And the flower was found by our guide Joe Murphy of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Today, we discover toothwort for ourselves, which is even better. So, an interlude of looking closely to consider this parasitic plant's habit and habitat. What we see emerging from a thick and deep cushion of mosses strewn with dead twigs is merely the plant's flowering. New flowers appear close to the trunk of the host tree, disguised in mosses.
Today, we discover toothwort for ourselves, which is even better. So, an interlude of looking closely to consider this parasitic plant's habit and habitat. What we see emerging from a thick and deep cushion of mosses strewn with dead twigs is merely the plant's flowering. New flowers appear close to the trunk of the host tree, disguised in mosses.
There has been coppicing in Warriner's Wood and we find birch, hazel and wild-cherry. We look at the bark of fallen branches. Moss grows thick on the trunks of the host trees which grow tall with few side-branches, then I find fresh birch leaves. So birch is one host of toothwort. Seeds from toothwort fall to the ground and sprout close to a suitable host. Being parasitic, the plant connects to its host's roots by underground haustoria through which it derives sustenance. its haustoria die back in autumn when the plant is dormant. I'm down in the mosses, photographing toothwort when a raptor flies loud over the canopy. Sparrowhawk, I reckon from the call.
Delighted to find toothwort, it's a remarkable plant, so I take photographs to show the flower and its habitat. And to show the strange structure and texture of the flower. Toothwort is pollinated by bumblebees and one settles on a flower to take pollen from its anthers that reach out, invitingly. A brimstone flutters through the trees. Someone has attacked the ivy in which the butterflies overwinter, not realising ivy's importance as shelter and sustenance for a range of species. The play of light through the trees and down to the woodland floor is lovely.
Delighted to find toothwort, it's a remarkable plant, so I take photographs to show the flower and its habitat. And to show the strange structure and texture of the flower. Toothwort is pollinated by bumblebees and one settles on a flower to take pollen from its anthers that reach out, invitingly. A brimstone flutters through the trees. Someone has attacked the ivy in which the butterflies overwinter, not realising ivy's importance as shelter and sustenance for a range of species. The play of light through the trees and down to the woodland floor is lovely.
Another day of glorious sunlight. As we set out, we came upon a willow warbler singing from a display perch, a slender ash tree rising above gorse. A lovely song of cascading notes He sang to the east, to the south, to the north, to the west, to any female who may see and hear him. I saw and photographed a chiff-chaff. They are abundant, they sing loudly from high in trees but they're hard to see, dipping behind concealing branches once they catch you looking. Chiff-chaff take insects off twigs and leaves, the tail pumping up and down as the bird flits about the tree.
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