An early season Norfolk Flora group outing to the grazing marshes was obviously a good time to catch the flowering rush Butomus umbellatus in flower.

Hard Grass was growing as a salt alien, along the edge of the slip road to the A11 in Wymondham. The picture shows the glumes, side by side, and hiding behind are the anthers which are important for identification.

We found a few patches of Betony in bud in Silfield nature reserve near the Lizard in Wymondam, then later in the open meadow we came across a mass of purple flowers. 

The two colonies of Common Cow-wheat at either end of the strip of woodland between Eaton Park and Bluebell Road are both doing well. This plant is hemi-parasitic, meaning that it relies on obtaining some of its nutrients from the roots of nearby plants.

There were a couple of typically large plants growing in a roadside hedge on the outskirts of Attlebridge. An easy plant to spot and identify with its marbled-white veined leaves and large capitula with spiny phyllaries.

It was good to see White Sedge, Carex canescens doing well at East Ruston Common SSSI after scrub clearance in recent years.

This striking variation of Greater Periwinkle was clambering around a roadside verge. 

Our annual joint meeting with the Lowestoft field club and Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society yielded an interesting range of wetland species on Roydon Common, including this Long-stalked Yellow-sedge.

Growing beside cycle-track next to new road.

Members celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society at How Hill were treated to a splendid display of Meadow Thistle on our walk across the fen meadow led by Dan Hoare.