The Lyons Share

During a farm survey this morning I spotted this thyme on the tiniest slither of chalk-grassland. I thought it looked rather beefy so I decided to take a photo and a specimen and it keyed out to Large Thyme. I have often looked for this species to no avail and I was glad that it so readily matched the description under the microscope in David Streeter's new book. You can easily see the long hairs on the four corners of the stem. Two opposite stem sides are broad and hairless, the other two narrower and shortly hairy (much shorter than the hairs on the four corners). The inflorescence is also extended, perhaps twice as long as wide. A welcome addition to my list. I also saw a single plant of the glaucous Corn Parsley but it was yet to flower and I have also found Rough Poppy on three of the farms now. Amazingly I finished shortly before 10.00 am and missed the rain completely. Oh yes, I also recorded a number of birds.