Species of the Month: September 2017

Traveller's Joy Clematis vitalba

 

A common sight in the hedgerows, woodland and scrub habitats of Britain, Traveller's Joy is a distinctive native climbing plant. The common name comes from the fluffy white seed heads remaining late into winter, a joyful sight during the drabbest months of the year. The fluffy seedheads also give its alternative common name, Old Man's Beard.

This species is found throughout the SEWBReC area, but we only have less than 2000 records of Clematis vitalba in our database. You can view the Welsh distribution of Traveller's Joy here on Aderyn.

More information about Clematis vitalba can be found on NatureSpot and the Woodland Trust website.

If you spot Traveller's Joy during September (or at any other time of year), please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.