Second Stretch Thornham to Burnham Deepdale

The second stretch of my walks went from Thorham to Burnham Deepdale. By following the coast path we were taken inland for a few of the check points, which was quite interesting in botanical terms.

Part of the more Inland sample sites was the blend between 'truly wild' plants and those that were cultivated at some point and have spread from their origin.

Because it is towards the end of summer, some of the plants had taken a dried out autumn state, like this fat hen in the photo above. This creates some very vibrant and interesting colours.

The inland samples also got larger to include the trees that obviously grow in sheltered conditions much more readily than on the coast.

Because one of my sample sites fell directly next to a badly field it seemed only rift that badly should be one of the plants that I collect and record. I am glad I did because it has such a beautiful symmetrical structure.

 As mentioned earlier some of the plants have dried out for the summer leaving almost skeletal versions of them behind. This red campion has beautiful sculpted seed pods tat got me thinking about the possibilities of using plants and their naturally formed seed pods to inspire packaging.

As well as inland sample sites, this walk included a few interesting stops in the salt marshes surrounding Brancaster. This is such a distinctive environment because many of these plants have to withstand complete inundation with salt water, which really effects the structural development of the plants.

Overall it was a very different walk to my first in that I did not sample directly from the coastline but rather from its general vicinity; ensuring a greater variety of plants identified.

Revised Collection Process

On the first stretch of the walk I processed all the plants at each stage by first colour sampling with Adobe Kuler and then identifying and drawing them. The problem with this was that I was simply naming my colour samples 'plant1' increasing numerically within each location. I was also colour sampling plants that I might not go on to draw and analyse. Because I soon found that doing so with all the plants that I had documented was far too ambitious. It was far more feasible to choose three or four of the most interesting plants and analyse them in greater depth. I have found that the analysis of said plants springs naturally from my observations and personal views about a plants structure, colour and general impression. Writing this down has really helped crystallise my thoughts. So, by trial and error I have found the best method is to colour sample and identify at the beginning, while selecting the plants that I want to go on and draw. This way it doesn't take up to two weeks to process all the information that is collected in one walk. 

The image above shows the material from just one six mile walk. As you can see, it is a lot of material. Because I previously underestimated the amount of work I was giving myself I have decided to cut down to three walks. Totalling about twenty miles as a complete stretch. The three consecutive walks I have chosen have an interesting and varying botany that acts as a great cross section of the norfolk coast line.

First Stretch Colours, Drawings and Identification

After collecting all the information on the plants during the walk I then went through the photos, and identified and colour sampled a few from each location(the ones that interested me most). I then also added some personal notes at the bottom of each plant examining its structural and semiotic qualities.

To organise what I have found I needed something physical so a pin board seemed much the best solution. Although it soon expanded beyond the board. Perhaps this can only be done for each leg and then taken down so the next stretch can be organised.