by Miki Marks
I moved one of my terracotta pots and out wiggled a creature I recognised but realised I knew nothing much about; a golden, over- legged, writhing centipede. I watched as it thrashed itself into coils, antennae on the alert, and then disappeared down a crack in the paving. The first question I pondered was did they really have 100 legs? In fact, some species do. They have segmented bodies, with two legs per segment. The head segment has prominent antennae and venomous claws on each side of their heads so that they can catch their prey – which include spiders, tiny insects, woodlice, springtails and small worms. In addition to their formidable jaws they have a poison gland which produces venom which helps to kill their prey.
Centipedes belong to the family of Anthropods and are related to millipedes. They are both beneficial to the ecosystem by aiding decomposition of organic matter and enriching soil fertility. Again the question; do millipedes really have 1,000 legs? The view was that the number of legs varied – from 34 to 400. And then in 2021 a millipede named Eumillipedes Persephone was found deep in the Australian desert and it had 1,306 legs – and not surprisingly, this is record for the number of legs for any living creature. Millipedes are rounder and darker than centipedes and have two pairs of legs per segment. Hatchlings have only 3 pairs of legs – but as they grow they moult their outer skin to make more room for segments. It is a wonder how they manage to co-ordinate all those legs and not trip over their own feet.
Another member of the Anthropod family is the Trachypodoiulus niger or also called the ‘swift-footed Inulus’. This creature can grow to 55mm and is black with a varying number of white legs. It is extremely active – and prefers to feed under the surface debris in woodland and chalk grassland. It is a very good climber, scuttling up trees and walls. At night they seem to have a liking for entering houses. I have a list of creatures I would really like to see, but Inulus in the house is not on that list.
Botanist and conservationist Trevor Dines is bringing out a book next month entitled Urban Plants. He has been making a special study of the plants which spring up in our towns and cities in what would seem like the most unlikely, inhospitable places. Cracks in pavements, the bases of walls and kerbs or uncleared gutters; softening hard surfaces and bringing cheer. I have been watching a wall running alongside Cromwell Cottages. The infestation of ivy was cleared first – and rather predictably brought down a chunk of the wall as the roots had penetrated and weakened the mortar. But almost immediately plants began to appear. At the moment, and true to form, Buddleia dominates. See the photo Mark Matthews took.
The primrose in the photo by Brian Freeston is outside my house peeping up out of the drain – muddy but unbowed.
Another chancer of a plant is Geranium robertianum – commonly known as Herb Robert, or on account of its strong smelling leaves also called Stinking Bob. It is a pretty plant, with its fern like leaves and pink flowers in the spring. Wordsworth was fond of it and wrote, “Poor Robin is yet flowerless, but how gay his red stalks on this sunny day”. The stems are often tinged a deep red and the leaves take on a bright red hue in the autumn. In the Middle Ages there was widespread faith in the ‘Doctrine of Signatures’ which taught that a plant would reveal its divine purpose as a curative herb through its shape or colour. Therefore, the red stems and the autumn leaves of the Herb Robert should be used for blood disorders. The name ‘robert’ seems to come from ruber, which is Latin for red. Herb Robert belongs to the family of crane’s-bills, so called because of their characteristic sharp pointed beak-like fruit. Dove’s foot crane’s-bill is not uncommon and often found in hedge banks. The botanist and herbalist John Gerard (1545-1612) published his famous book Herball, or The General Historie of Plant in 1597. He prescribed this plant as a cure for ‘ruptures’. His recipe is bizarre as it not only includes powder from the plant but the addition of the powder of nine oven-dried slugs. This was mixed with good claret and drunk three times a day. Salud!
One of Nature’s wonders are seeds. That is how the pioneering plants mostly get around. Packed in a little pellet is all the potential for a flourishing new life. Early Spring is the prime time for seed sowing and the little germinating sprouts lift the spirits with the evidence of life renewed.
