Rainham Marshes and Swanscombe Marshes

Two marshy areas along the Thames, Swanscombe I went to in May 2022 and Rainham in September 2022. (The Swanscombe photos are after the Rainham photos.)

End of September 2022, we went to look at birds but it was too windy. The walk along the sea wall was great. Swanscombe Marshes is across the Thames (to the right).

Rainham Marshes

Dartford Crossing in the distance

Dartford Crossing from Rainham Marshes

closer view of that sea mayweed

sea mayweed

closer view of the leaves

sea mayweed rainham marshes

it's late in the season, the flowers are spent (sea aster, I think)

sea aster Rainham Marshes

another sea aster, I think

Rainham Marshes

lots of sea beet

sea beet Rainham Marshes

sea beet

sea beet rainham marshes

although it's not red in the centre as those above, I'm pretty sure this is sea beet as well

sea beet

and lots of perennial wall rocket

perennial wall rocket Rainham Marshes

mallow

mallow

field bindweed

field bindweed

field bindweed

bristly oxtongue

bristly oxtongue

chicory

chicory rainham marshes

dandelion rosette

dandelion rosette rainham marshes

hoary ragwort, not something I see very often and this is well past its best

hoary ragwort

hoary ragwort

hoary ragwort rainham marshes

a magnificent rosette, I'm thinking Eastern rocket but I hope to go back and see how it develops

quite fuzzy in the centre like other eastern rockets I've seen

verbascum

hoary mustard rosette

verbena, flowers just coming to an end

verbena rainham marshes

verbena rainham marshes

verbena rainham marshes

masses of narrow-leaved ragwort

narrow-leaved ragwort rainham marshes

mugwort

mugwort Rainhm Marshes

creeping cinquefoil

creeping cinquefoil

Swanscombe Marshes mid-May 2022

Swanscombe Marshes

Crosswort, not seen this before (excuse the poor photos, the bright sun did not help)

crosswort Swanscombe Marshes

crosswort Swanscombe Marshes

crosswort Swanscombe Marshes

I usually see Crepis vesicaria starting as a basal rosette close to the ground but at Swanscombe there were lots of small plants with those lobed leaves upright rather than low to the ground.

Crepis vesicaria Swanscombe Marshes

Crepis vesicaria Swanscombe Marshes

Crepis vesicaria Swanscombe Marshes

there were also some fasciated Crepis vesicaria

fasciated crepis vesicaria

fasciated crepis vesicaria

fasciated crepis vesicaria

fasciated crepis vesicaria

hoary cress

hoary cress swanscombe Marshes

young hoary cress plant

hoary cress swanscombe marshes

I saw lots of sea beet, both near the shore and inland where it seemed very dry so at first I wasn't sure what it was.

sea beet swanscombe marshes

sea beet

sea beet swanscombe marshes

sea beet swanscombe marshes

this one was closer to the shore

sea beet swanscombe marsh

annual wall rocket

annual wall rocket Swanscombe Marshes

annual wall rocket swanscombe marshes

annual wall rocket swanscombe marshes

second trip to Rainham Marshes end of October 2022

lots of possibly shepherd's purse rosettes, hope to go back and check them and confirm identification

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

and these two which may be shepherds purse but I'm not as sure as those above

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

shepherds purse rosette rainham marshes

there were also rosettes that looked rather Crepis vesicaria-like although I've not seen them at this time of year, again, hoping to go back and see how they've developed

crepis vesicaria possibly rainham marshes

crepis vesicaria possibly rainham marshes

crepis vesicaria possibly rainham marshes

crepis vesicaria possibly rainham marshes

crepis vesicaria possibly rainham marshes

crepis vesicaria possibly rainham marshes

close-up of the centre of the rosette above

then some rosettes that looked like hedge mustard

hedge mustard rosettte possibly rainham marshes

hedge mustard rosettte possibly rainham marshes

hedge mustard rosettte possibly rainham marshes

and this one I have marked as "unknown", I'm really not sure

centre detail close-up of the rosette above

unknown rosette rainham marshes centre detail

I think this must be a dandelion [

a return trip to Rainham Marshes 29-11-2022

I wanted to see if some plants were any more identifiable. I took this photo to pinpoint where some of them were as I had difficulty finding them again.

Rainham Marshes

uncertain rosettes

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosettes Rainham Marshes

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosettes Rainham Marshes

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosettes Rainham Marshes

the next two are a bit different from those above

rosette Rainham Marshes

rosette Rainham Marshes

lots of bristly oxtongue at Rainham Marshes

bristly oxtongue Rainham Marshes

bristly oxtongue Rainham Marshes

bristly oxtongue Rainham Marshes

bristly oxtongue Rainham Marshes

bristly oxtongue Rainham Marshes

white campion

white campion Rainham Marshes

wondering if this is stonecrop

dry skeleton stems of hoary mustard

hoary mustard dry stems

hawkweed oxtongue

hawkweed oxtongue Rainham Marshes

hawkweed oxtongue Rainham Marshes

hawkweed oxtongue Rainham Marshes

hawkweed oxtongue Rainham Marshes

hoary mustard rosettes

hoary mustard rosette Rainham Marshes

ribwort plantain

ribwort plantain rosette Rainham Marshes

ribwort plantain Rainham Marshes

narrow-leaved ragwort

narrow-leaved ragwort Rainham Marshes

creeping thistle

creeping thistle Rainham Marshes

I think this is charlock (Sinapis arvensis)

charlock Sinapis arvensis Rainham Marshes

charlock Sinapis arvensis Rainham Marshes

 

There were a number of rosettes I suspected were shepherd's purse, first saw in September, then October, then November. It seems too cold for them to bloom and maybe they'll be dormant until spring?