Lithospermum revisited

Back to the Denbighshire Lithospermum purpocaeruleum site last week, it has certainly grown up since March, but is probably suffering from too much shade, as there is no sign of flowering and the plants are not as tall as they can be. A management challenge for our colleagues in Natural Resources Wales, working with the site owners. I don't envy the decision makers, when dealing with the only site in North Wales, all the eggs are definitely in one basket, and any management operation must carry risks as well as benefits!

Lithospermum purpocaeruleum - purple Gromwell in woodland shade

At the other historical site around the corner we searched for several hours but did not refind it, so maybe it really has vanished - or maybe it is sitting quietly and vegetatively in a spot where three botanists didn't spot it! We did record quite a good species list for the woodland, and also found Viola hirta - hairy violet - which I believe is a new record for the 10km square and an additional record for the Denbighshire Rare Plants Register (it is Locally Scarce in Denbighshire, though if a few more people find new ones, perhaps not scarce forever?).