26 June 2010

Wild Asparagus at Port Eynon

The Wild Aspargus (Asparagus officinalis subsp. prostratus) growing on Port Eynon Point is one of the rarest plants found in Gower, but has a very tenuous toe-hold on the peninsula, for example at this site it occurs as a 20cm x 35cm patch.

Nearby at Culvor Hole, there was a pair of Fulmars apparently nesting in an old Raven nest.

Off Overton Cliff a minimum of 36 Common Dolphins and 3 Harbour Porpoise were seen, some of the dolphins were only ~500m offshore giving excellent scope views in perfect morning light, as they were jumping right out of the water.

3 comments:

Nigel Ajax Lewis said...

At the risk of appearing a taxonomic pedant I thought our native asparagus was called Asparagus prostratus now. I am not very good at keeping up with these name changes normally.

Unfortunately all the plants at Port Eynon are male. There is more than one plant unless they are all sprouting off the same root.

Apparently the Port Eynon group are genetically distinct from the rest of the populations in UK and Europe including the other plants on Gower which makes them of supreme importance for the conservation of that species.

As you also visited the Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Overton Cliff that same day but only report cetaceans and fulmar I assume you did not see any swifts using the large cave entrance on the seaward face of Overton Cliff. They used to nest in the cave in previous years a comment I was going to make to your previous report about them nesting around Thurba.

Nigel

Barry Stewart said...

I was unaware that Swifts also nested there - as it happens there were birds screamng around the place, but I was too entertined by the dolphins to notice where they were going - thanks.

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