FLY AGARIC

• Likely to be found from September to November on poor acidic soils under birch and oak trees.
• In Cumbria it is most likely to be found in the central Lakes area around Coniston/Windermere and Thirlmere/Derwentwater/Bassenthwaite areas. It is fairly scarce in South Cumbria, suitable habitat only being found between Haverthwaite and Cartmel and in the Duddon Valley, and it is virtually non-existent in the north and east of the county.
• Although the typical red and white toadstool of children's books, it is highly poisonous and hallucinogenic.
• An infusion of Fly Agaric used to be used as a fly poison - hence its name.
• Its network of underground tissue infects the roots of the tree, providing the tree with important minerals.
• Viking warriors are reputed to have eaten small amounts before going into battle.
• As the toxin causing the effect passes through the body unchanged, urine could be drunk to ensure a safe repeat dose!!

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GREEN HELLEBORE

• A scarce plant in England, especially the north, found in late February and March.
• Suitable habitat is lime rich soils beneath deciduous trees.
• Found in a dozen or so localities around the head of the Kent Estuary in South Cumbria; one or two other examples to the north and south of Penrith may be garden escapes.
• At around 2 feet tall, is smaller than its scarcer cousin - Stinking Hellebore.
• Striking green "flowers" - no need to advertise its presence by bright colour as there's little competition at this time of year and few insects.
• The "petals" are really the sepals - the tiny rolled up petals form an inner ring containing nectar.
• Very nectar rich to attract the few insects about at this time of year.
• The plant poisonous, has caused deaths in cattle and children.
• Often associated with old farmsteads, as it used to be used for treating cattle ailments.
  

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GUELDER ROSE

• This is not a rose but a member of the Honeysuckle family (actually Viburnum opulus). The name Guelder comes from Gueldersland, a Dutch province, where the tree was first cultivated. It was introduced into England under the name of 'Gueldres Rose.'
• The large, flat-topped heads of white flowers are produced in June and are 5-10 cm across, made up of large but sterile outer petals and small inner petals providing nectar, especially popular with hoverflies.
• It is the berries and autumn foliage that make this tree one of our most attractive hedgrow species. The fruits form a drooping cluster of bright red berries, shining and translucent, as August turns into September. Then the leaves begin to turn, producing a vibrant display of yellows, reds and purples.
• The berries are popular with birds but unpalatable to humans unless cooked. When they dry they turn black and were once used to make an ink.
• It is found throughout the lowland areas of Cumbria, preferring damp conditions and an alkaline soil. There are some particularly good bushes along the A590 in South Cumbria, for example near Sowerby Woods on leaving Barrow, on the Dalton Bypass and leaving Newby Bridge in the direction of the M6. Well done to the Highways people for some imaginative planting.

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CORALROOT

• This is an orchid species that is more at home in Greenland!! In Cumbria it is at its southern distribution limit.
• It occurs in the county in dune slacks, but only at Sandscale Haws and to a lesser extent at Eskmeals.
• This saprophyte relies on its associated fungus to get its food from the roots of other plants. It does have a "fall-back" position of having a small amount of chlorophyll, so during the flowering period it can supplement its diet.
• An insignificant plant that is hard to find, even when you are standing over it! Rarely more than 12-15 cm tall in dune slacks, with reddish stems usually having about 6 to 10 tiny flowers, it is obscured by the surrounding vegetation.
• Each flower is greenish or yellow and the petals have brown tips, giving it a withered appearance even when fresh; flowering is typically late May and early June.
• The "lip" is attractive and repays careful study - white, frilly and marked with red spots at the base.
• It gets its name from the rhizome, which is small, cream and knobly like coral, but without roots.
• Except during the flowering period the plant is entirely underground, often submerged as the dune slack floods in winter.

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