A pub, a walk and a plant

[peter hood]

The Cleveland AGS group went for a trip in Yorkshire under the heading above. (We get our priorities right)
The pub first; this one was the original for the Woolpack in the soap Emmerdale; it also still serves its beer from a jug direct from the barrel. The walk, about a mile and a half in each direction, was long enough, as it involved an ascent, a steep descent, and many stops for photos.
This photo shows some of the group at their destination. The dark green patches on the rock face are mature, indeed venerable, plants of Dryas octapetala.
Sadly, not quite open, though some buds looked as if it would only take the sun to open them.
More seriously, there was no signs of young plants

[Maggi Young]

Not at all surprised to learn about the sensible organisation of the group's visit  priorities!
With such fine old plants of the Dryas it seems strange that there is no sign of young plants  - one is  more used to seeing that sort of problem with tree. Wonder what the problem is - grazing animals?

[peter hood]

Don't know, Maggi, but the some of the plants had trunks like trees!
Even if Dryas was not in full flower, there were plenty of others. Primula farinosa was in full flower, especially in wet flushes. we soon stopped taking pictures of "ordinary" plants, to photo strong colours; and especially a group of white ones.

 I seem to be having some problems with the white pictures, so I'll post these and then put the white ones on in a minute.

[peter hood]

Here are the pictures of white Primula farinosa as promised.
Also Viola lutea. This is an interesting plant in the Pennines, as in the North, Particularly in Teesdale and at the site in North Lancashire which Brian Burrow has written about, they come in multi-coloured variety, Blue, & Purple, often with yellow white or even blck on them as multicolours, but rarely in pure yellow.
Once you are south of about Wensleydale, and also in Derbyshire, where I first saw them, they are all yellow as the name suggests. Much discussion over whether we would prefer to plant them in multicolours, or in a single stand.
The Viola is found particularly around the brow of the hill. The soils on the steep sides are too lime rich, the top is leeched enough for Bilberry to grow, the Viola likes mildly acid soils over limestone.

[peter hood]

The final plant I want to feature, which was with us for most of the walk, was Orchis mascula. Not a rare plant; but I still remember when I first saw drifts of Orchids and cowslips down the steep sides of dales in Derbyshire. In my experience, there are not so many cowslips in the Yorkshire dales (we saw two!) but the orchids are nearly as frequent. Once again, the odd colour variant caught the eye. A large flowered pink form, and a rather small flowered white form.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Pubs and plants - what could be better. Where is that pub?

[Yann]

Ralph :+))

[Graeme]

Cowslips have been particularly spectacular this year in Derbyshire - the banks and fields have been yellow

[David Nicholson]

Pubs and plants - what could be better. Where is that pub?

http://www.thefalconinn.com/food-and-accommodation/

[Lesley Cox]

The pub looks wonderful. It's many years since I watched Emmerdale (it's still on our TV) and I don't remember the pub particularly but would certainly love to become acquainted with it now. 

[Tristan_He]

Peter, as it happens we are holidaying near the Dales at the moment and we were inspired by your pics to have another go near Malham Tarn after a bit of a washout looking at some meadows in Langstrothdale. No Dryas but lots of birdseye primrose and mountain pansy. Will post in a seperate thread.