Janet Higgins

Young leaves of Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), which are beginning to appear now,

An abundance of Sweet Violets (Viola odorata) adorned the roadsides throughout a couple of tetrads to the east of Watton.

Whilst tramping through the reed on Guist Common, we came across a couple of willow shrubs.    The subopposite smallish (9-12mm), slightly curved, male flower buds with a slight reddish tinge suggested Purple Willow.   

We found these 1-pinnate shiny green leaves with 7 pairs of pinnae growing in a ditch running alongside a country house.

A few tufts of this distinctive fern, with its diamond or fan-shaped pinnules, were found growing out of crevices in the old wall surrounding Kettlestone Church. 

51 species were found in flower whilst taking part in the BSBI New Year Plant Hunt in Horsford.  We chose the tetrad which the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) passes through as

25 plants were found in flower during a 3 hr walk from Holme to Thornham and back following the Norfolk Coastal path.

According to 'A Flora of Norfolk' this Yucca was planted in 1912 on the dunes between the laboratory and the plantation.  It has been flourishing and flowering most years since. 

Thorn-apple (Datura stramonium) turned up in Yarmouth on some waste ground near the River Yare, a typical habitat for this opportunist which likes nitrogen-rich soils.

We spotted this pale-flowered Speedwell growing in the short vegetation alongside the Mid-Norfolk Railway on a Norfolk Flora Group outing It was more abundant near Wymondham but it was also found on the platform at Kimberley.