identity

[tommy the cat]

Well you may have seen my pics title birch polypore.......s o flushed with success of posting pics have a look at these and tell me what they are....sorry to be so thick but I am new to this ( and having great fun!!!!!! )

Now I havent seen a wild clematis but was thinking maybe this could be it as it looks a bit like the gardeners climber ( sorr bottom pic)
This pic came out quite well

 

[JonnyP]

Middle one is gorse, have a smell on the flowers and tell me what you think the smell is......
The other two look like honeysuckle....

 

[fred gordon]

I would have said that the climber is honeysuckle and the yellow flower is gorse

 

[tommy the cat]

I guessed gorse but thought wasnt sure how to spell it ( ) and someone would come up with a posh name for it!
Honeysuckle should have known as got one in the garden....not as old as that one so not as thick and gnarled I guess honeysuckle doesnt help me trying to identify wild clematis then!!!! Out trying to identify trees really today but very few leaves and buds make for a hard time identifying ....its all better than doing diy on my day off eh!?
D

 

[British Red]

Thats honeysuckle for certain. Wild clem is likely still to have downy seed heads on (like dandelion down). The vine looks similar though

Red

 

[Butchd]

I think you'll recognise clematis when you see it as the leaves are much like what you'll find in the garden though off the top of my head I can't remember exactly what they look like. But like BR says, clematis is very likely to still have the old mans beard seed heads attached.

 

[tommy the cat]

just out of interest does the clematis 'gain' the wooley texture at a certain time of the year? Do they stay wooley or lose their fluffiness? Cant seem to find any at he mo........just made some char cloth though following your directions BR and it worked superb.......just like to find some nat stuff now

 

[British Red]

just out of interest does the clematis 'gain' the wooley texture at a certain time of the year? Do they stay wooley or lose their fluffiness? Cant seem to find any at he mo........just made some char cloth though following your directions BR and it worked superb.......just like to find some nat stuff now

The sed heads are fluffy. They look like this

They are reputed to make great tinder. To be honest I find it to be godawful stuff for lighting unless I dip it in salt petre. So why bother?

The bark rubbed off the stem though and buffed up to finer than grass is very useful.

Spot the seed heads, strip some bark off a stem (its a weed so you don't ahve to be too loving), get it really dry (in a pocket or cheat in the airing cupboard) and use as primary or secondary tinder - good stuff!

It grows well on chalk and clay do if there are downlands around you, thats where to look!

Red