Monday 24th May 2021 - Hutton Roof Common
This photo shows below the full Heath Milkwort plant including branch offs and most important shows all below the main junction. Everything above the main junction is usually seen without problem, whereby all below can be hidden in heathland type grass.
The next photo below shows the activity below the main junction and you will note that immediately below the main junction we see clearly the "propeller" type leaves starting up and most of the leaves below this are similar with true opposite side to side, this feature is one of the true identifiers between both common and heath milkwort.
The next photo below shows you the comparisons between both the Heath Milkwort on the left and the Common Milkwort on the right
(above) another good pointer I use to distinguish between both Heath and Common is that the Common (seen right) is far more woodier, especially by looks which can be much darker. I will try and show this more in the next photos.
The next photo below shows the flowerheads with the Common on the right hand side. Notice with the Heath on the left the sepals are much steeper and sharper than the more blunt on the Common M.
Left is Heath Milkwort
Right is Common Milkwort
Sat 18th May 2019 - Hutton Roof Common and Burton Fell
First job was checking out the large amounts of variable coloured Milkwort which ranged from white, blue and white, green and white to china blue to deep royal blue. The only regular colour I could not find amongst them which would have completed the colours was "pink".
I must have examined over 20 specimens to see if they had opposite side basal leaves and sure enough they all qualified for Polygala serpyllifolia (Heath Milkwort) both on the Hutton Roof Common and again sampled populations on Burton Fell.
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows the low down basal leaves set at true opposite sides of the stem (propellers)
which confirms "Heath Milkwort".
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows both the leaf structure together with the lower down basal leaves
set at true opposite sides of the stem which confirms "Heath Milkwort".
A nice royal blue specimen
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows the low down basal leaves set at true opposite sides of the stem (propeller)
which confirms "Heath Milkwort".
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows both the leaf structure together with the lower down basal leaves
set at true opposite sides of the stem (propeller) which confirms "Heath Milkwort".
A nice light purple and white specimen
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
A nice white with green specimen
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows both white and blue close together
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows white collective
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows light blue collective
Photo: Hutton Roof Common on 18th May 2019
Shows nice blue flower with white