As new year’s eve celebrations ramp up, I find myself questioning the wisdom of arranging to meet plant-loving folk the following morning, but by the time it is morning, it’s great to have something to hop out of bed for. This is the first year I’ve plant-hunted on NYD with others and I’m really looking forward to sharing my route with them.

Five of us meet at Blackfriars station on the south bank of the Thames at eleven, and I’m already impressed that Jenny had the energy to cycle here from Dulwich. I explain the criteria for the Botanical Society’s new year’s plant hunt – wild plants in flower found within 3 hours – and, as we start the clock, we immediately find our first plant in flower, Pellitory-of-the-wall, growing right next to the station.

Following the river’s edge eastwards, we check for wild plants growing on the river wall, between the paving stones and in planters and flowerbeds, and there are flowers to be found among the discarded bubbly bottles and debris from fireworks. In one flowerbed are some weeds which won’t definitely won’t have been planted: Petty Spurge, Annual Meadow Grass and Common Chickweed. There are two Speedwell species as well which I’m fairly sure are Common Field-speedwell and Green Field-speedwell as both have bi-lobed hairy fruit, but differ in the way they are joined.

Peering at the stamens of two white-flowered plants in the Cabbage family through my hand lens, I see that we’ve found both Wavy Bitter-cress (six stamens) and Hairy Bitter-cress (four stamens).

In front of Tate Modern the stand of birch trees hasn’t been too thoroughly weeded and we spot Tall Nightshade, Fern-grass (see pictures) and another grass, Common Bent. There’s another representative of the Potato family (like the Tall Nightshade) growing beneath the birches, which Than tells us is Kangaroo-apple (and Google Lens agrees with him), although it’s not in flower.

It’s getting busy on the path now with lots of people promenading in the mild weather. Along a wall are the distinctive rosettes of Thale Cress and Common Whitlowgrass but neither are in flower just yet, unlike London pavement regulars from the Americas – Mexican Fleabane, Guernsey Fleabane and Shaggy-soldier all in the Daisy family – which seem to flower happily all year round.

I get very excited when I find a lone sprig of Jersey Cudweed on the river wall as it’s my favourite pavement plant. I tell the others it’s currently a red-listed plant, meaning you are breaking the law if you weed it out, despite being on the increase in London. As we reach Bermondsey, I point out on the river wall some little rosettes of Rue-leaved Saxifrage not yet flowering, and then we find lots of Annual Buttonweed – a garden escapee – some Sun Spurge and Small Nettle which all do have flowers.

Just across from Bermondsey station and as the three hours is nearly up, we spot some very pretty Pink-sorrel, growing in an estate lawn. The sorrel brings the grand total to 31 species (once the ids have been double checked). This year there was no sign of Herb-robert (or any other crane’s-bills) in flower, nor Dandelion, nor Water Bent which I’ve recorded here in previous years, so perhaps these weren’t so keen on the recent snow.

I’ve had a lovely walk in fine company, thanks to Jenny, Liz, Than and Tulay (who took the pic), and I’m re-energised to keep learning about pavement plants in 2023.

Appendix – complete list of species seen in flower

Pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria judaica

Petty Spurge Euphorbia peplus

Annual Meadow Grass Poa annua

Chickweed Stellaria media

Common Field-speedwell Veronica persica

Green Field-speedwell Veronica agrestis

Red Deadnettle Lamium purpureum

Shepherd’s-purse Capsella bursa-pastoris

Annual Mercury Mercurialis annua

Cleavers Galium aparine

Wavy Bittercress Cardamine flexuosa

Green Alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens

Guernsey Fleabane Erigeron sumatrensis

Groundsel Senecio vulgaris

Tall Nightshade Solanum chenopodiodes

Fern-grass Catapodium rigidum

Common Nettle Urtica dioica

Smooth Sowthistle Sonchus oleraceus

Common Bent Agrostis capillaris

Mexican Fleabane Erigeron karvinskianus

Shaggy-soldier Galinsoga quadriradiata

Black Medick Medicago lupulina

Hairy Bitter-cress Cardamine hirsuta

Procumbent Pearlwort Sagina procumbens

Jersey Cudweed Gnaphalium luteo-album

Annual Buttonweed Cotula australis

Daisy Bellis perennis

Buck’s-horn Plantain Plantago coronopus

Sun Spurge Euphorbia helioscopia

Small Nettle Urtica urens

Pink-sorrel Oxalis articulata