The Danish Invasion

300 yrs on from the Vikings, the Danes are still coming after us! The salty spray produced by cars during the winter months makes the central reservations of motorways a hostile place for many plants but Danish scurvy grass, which usually grows on sea-cliffs, likes this environment. It is in flower now and produces the thousands of tiny white flowers that pepper the ground in the middle of motorways and along the verges. Danish scurvy grass is continuing its advance inland and is now spreading along the A-roads. The plants in this picture are growing alongside the A638, just outside Ackworth.

Danish scurvy grass along the roadside verges

Kingcups

The wet weather over the past twelve months might have been bad for some species but it has been beneficial for this large patch of marsh marigolds in Hemsworth. Growing in some particularly damp ground beneath a stand of crack willow, the recent sunny days have brought them into flower producing a carpet of large yellow flowers.

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)