BOTANICAL NOTES 



TTHE fragrant Butterfly Orchid was very abundant this year in the 

 ^ Acrise and Newington areas, and some specimens were very fine. 

 An odd thing was noticed about the blooms gathered in the Newington 

 district. PolHnia were apparently growing from every part of the plant — 

 from petals, lip, spur, bracts, leaves and even from the main stem. A 

 similar condition occurred in the Marsh Orchid found in the same area, 

 but specimens of the Spotted Orchid growing in almost the same spot 

 were quite normal. Insect agency is suggested, but we should like to 

 discover the cause of this phenomenon. 



D. G. Standford. 



A curious aberration of the Scarlet Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was 

 found on waste land near Stanbury Crescent and brought into the 

 Museum. The petals were alternately red and pure white. Gardeners 

 will recall that it was from a somewhat similar abnormality that the 

 Rev. W. Wilks evolved the beautiful many coloured Shirley Poppies. 



V. F. P. Day, n.d.h., f.r.h.s. 



In spite of this Arctic spell, when we had our first botany walk on 

 April 10th, we found the vegetation normal for the time of year, and 

 garden plants well advanced ; by April 25th wallflowers were in bloom 

 and a wonderful show of daffodils was going over. 



Easter coincided with the bitter winds of " Blackthorn Winter " 

 (April 19th), but it did not affect the wonderful masses of primroses 

 — extra fine this year. 



It was probably a very short spell of very hot weather in May that 

 brought out wild orchids in quantity ; Fly and Butterfly were plentiful 

 and very fine, but Bee orchids were very scarce, and what few there were 

 appeared after the Late Spider. Later in the year broad leaved Helle- 

 borines were abundant. 



The less said about the cold wet weather of June and July the better ! 

 Farmers and holiday makers have said it first ! On the whole, wild 

 flowers of all kinds were abundant — except wild roses — and grasses 

 were especially fine. A peculiar happening was that unpleasant smells 

 in vegetation were intensified and sweet and aromatic scents suppressed, 

 both in garden and wild plants. Folkestone was one of the few places 

 that had fine weather for August Bank Holiday, but we had almost 

 forgotten what the sun was like when September opened with a welcome 

 warm spell which however did not last, though on the whole the weather 

 was better in September than during the " summer." We had some of 

 the finest weather of the year in October. 



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