Meadow clary (Salvia pratensis)

A quiet weekend near home after a trip north last week to join a  Skye Botany Group walk over the limestone pavement at Torrin where the highlight for me was dark red helleborine in leaf (others found the sedges more exciting!), and  Aviemore for coralroot orchid among other nice things, 

Heath Fragrant Orchid at Torrin

Small White Orchid, North Skye

Coralroot Orchid, Aviemore

Coralroot Orchid, Aviemore

Meadow clary is a nationally scarce native which has a stronghold in North Oxfordshire, particularly an area around Charlbury on the oolitic limestone.  Quoting from 'Threatened Plants of Oxfordshire' it prefers waysides and ancient grasslands on chalk and limestone, with perhaps raised magnesium levels.  Seed generates readily but not in close sward.

Described as nationally near scarce, in Oxfordshire it is not so, if you know where to look.   For many years the Wychwood Flora Group (originally the Cotswold Rare Plant group) has been monitoring most of the populations and undertakes an annual census.   I joined the survey of three sites on Saturday; it proved to be very worthwhile, not only to see the meadow clary because in addition we came across a wasp orchid (Ophrys apifera var. trollii) on a road verge near Crawley.   On the same verge was a single plant of cornflower, now a rare arable weed, growing on ground disturbed by cable laying, and almost certainly not introduced, together with long-stalked crane's-bill, both of which are covered in 'Threatened Plants of Oxfordshire.

Wasp Orchid

Wasp Orchid

Long-stalked Crane's-bill 

Pyramidal orchid var. albiflora

Pyramidal orchids

We found lots of pyramidal orchids, including a couple of pure white plants (var. albiflora) some normal bee orchids and inevitably common spotted orchids.

Yet the best is still to come.  On Thursday evening another location will be visited - near Fawler - which has thousands of meadow clary plants including white forms, and is probably the best site in the UK.  Even better there is a good pub not far away too for later.