Plant Based Blog.

With the recent heat episode in the UK it has concentrated minds on the problem of global warning I have decided to do my bit and reduce my carbon output with a plant based blog. The real reason is that we have been up and down this stretch of canal it was difficult to find something new to write about. That and the fact that there are some lovely flowers about at the moment.

There is plenty of Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens Glandulifera) along the Trent and Mersey these days. It was introduced into the UK by those intrepid Victorian plant hunters and has spread more rapidly over the last 50 years. I suppose that seeds are carried along on the water, but the seeds are fired out to a distance of up to 7m when the pods dry out, so they could do a good job of spreading without the flow of water. Gorse does the same, to a lesser degree. It is an invasive species and can cause havoc and we should all play our part in trying to eradicate it as it causes damage to banks that can lead to erosion and it is so big that it shades out many of our native species. The best way to deal with it is to cut or pull it up before it seeds, and then leave it for a few days on the ground. After this it can be composted.

Not a very good photo but I hope this is Great willowherb that is a native of the UK and is common. The pink flower with the white centre has given rise to names such as Codlins and cream (A codlin is a type of apple), apple pie or cherry pie. It is a very useful plant too as it can be used as a hypnotic, astringent, antispasmodic, emollient, laxative and has been used for prostate problems. Every boat should have some it seems!

The Giant Rhubarb ( Gunnera tinctoriais just about full gown now. It is another invasive species as it originates from Southern Chile and Argentina and is known as Nalcas.. It was introduced to Ireland in 1939 ans has spread from there. In Ireland measure have to be taken to curb its spread but doesn't seem to grow too widely here. The leaves can grow to over 2m across. The young leaf stalks can be cut and peeled and cooked or eaten raw for an 'acidic and refreshing' taste. It can be used as an astringent and the roots cane provide a black dye.

Rosebay Willowherb is abundant along the canal and is a native. It is also known as fireweed. The colour is striking, but yet again this is another plant that can be used by uis. In Russia they have made tea from the fermented leaves. The shoots can be cooked like asparagus and the leaves and stems can be wilted like spinach. If it gets in your garden it can be a bit of a thug as the seeds blow everywhere like cotton wool and the roots creep easily and spread rapidly.

Common ragwort can be seen widely in the country side. It is the food plant for those beautiful red and black cinnabar moths and is seen as the most visited plants by insects with at least 200 been found on the plant. It is known as poisonous to both livestock and humans, however it is a horrible taste so is avoided by both. Even today we saw a paddock with several horses in it that large amounts of ragwort within it. I though it was a legal requirement to remove it from pasture, but no apparently the animals hate the taste so much they avoid it.The problem for livestock is when a field is mown for hay and ragwort is in the mix, then they can not differentiate easily, Tansy ragwort can be used to treat cancer, colic and wounds. It can be used to cause sweating and as a laxative. Some apply it directly to the skin as a relief of muscle pain.

Buddleia Davidii is the most common butterfly bush we see, The buddleia bit is after Rev Adam Buddle and English Botanist and a naturalist. The Davidii is after Pere Armand David a French Basque missionary and naturalist. The first buddleia found its way to the UK from China in 1774. It is usually purple but there are white variants (see top photo). It is a mass of butterfly when in flower, hence the nickname. The beautiful smell of honey can be heady on a warm still day.

Meadowsweet is a member of the rose family and has been long valued simply for the sickly sweet smell that was used on the floor of homes along with the straw of times gone by. It can also be used in recipes instead of elderflower. It has long been used to aid joint pain and for heartburn. It is abundant along the Trent and Mersey.

I think this is either a hawkbit or a hawksbeard. The hawk comes into it as in the dim and dark past it was thought that hawks fed on this to make their eyesite so good. I should have got a picture of the leaves to get a better idea. Hawkbit can be used like other dandelion species to treat kidney problems and to treat jaundice and dropsy, which is fluid retention commonly in the arms and legs.

I think I may have put this up before. This really looks like a boundary or mile stone. There is no boundary running here in front of the Hoo Mill Lock House but it is a mile from the up and down mileposts. It is unreadable now. How many stone mile posts on the Trent and Mersey are there as it seems that the cast iron posts were installed soon after the canal was dug.

Also just by Hoo Mill was this weather vane depict a narrowboat stuck on a sill. Quite an unusual subject really, and maybe a visual warning to all who pass to pay attention and not to take photos of weeds and rocks!

We had stopped for shopping and lunch at Rugeley and once back underway a passing boat warned us of a floating hazard as we approached the Trent Aqueduct. We stopped and picked it up and then stood in it to fully deflate it, after adding a few rents in the fabric. We will dispose at the next services.

The day has been overcast the whole time, well except for about 30 ins after we stopped. It had been drizzly all morning and enough to make me quite wet for a while. Have we had summer now?