Our monthly walk starting at the Woodfield Pavilion on Tooting Common, London Borough of Lambeth, will take place on Thursday 29 August and have Signs of Autumn? as its theme.  All welcome, meet at the Pavilion at 11 a.m.; booking unnecessary.

Report:  Eight people turned up on a warm and sunny morning to spend about an hour wandering around the area and discussing some of the plants found there.  We started by examining Jersey cudweed, and then examined European pear rust, orange patches caused by the fungus Gymnosporangium sabinae on pear, Pyrus sp., leaves.  Plant galls became a feature of the walk, and we examined five species on pedunculate oak, Quercus robur, and cauliflower gall-mite, Aceria fraxinivora, on ash, Fraxinus excelsior.  We also enjoyed sowbread, Cyclamen hederifolium, of which there are thriving colonies in the area.

Image:  Jersey cudweed, Laphangium luteoalbum, growing in tarmac outside the Pavilion; formerly rare, Jersey cudweed is now common in paved areas throughout London, August 2024.