Botanists look at other things besides plants ­ here we are overlooking the Gannet colony on the Garden Rocks. 

Here we assume the more normal position!

Out on the cliffs we admired this form of Black Knapweed, which has obvious ray florets, unlike most of ours in Guernsey.  

More botanical deliberations, with Alderney’s leading botanist, Brian Bonnard, in the centre

On the sand dunes and shingle banks of Platte Saline were many familiar coastal plants, such as Sea kale, Yellow-horned Poppy, Sea Rocket and Sea Bindweed, in larger numbers than in Guernsey, and also the plant pictured above, Sea Spurge, Euphorbia paralias, which is now extinct in Guernsey.

This is a very small plant (the object to the right of the picture is a rabbit dropping) which forms yellow-green mats, and goes by the unfortunate name of Bastard Toadflax, Thesium humifusum. It grows in nearby France, but not in Guernsey, Sark or Herm.

On the layered sandstone at the top of the beach at Houmet Herbé we were able to see the rare Alderney Sea Lavender, Limonium normannicum, in full flower (left). This plant only occurs in this area of the island, and in Jersey. Growing alongside it for us to compare was our Guernsey Sea Lavender, Limonium binervosum subsp. sarniense (right) Guernsey Sea Lavender

We have a quick rest to absorb all we have seen and learnt. Here we see the whole group with the exception of the photographer. Thank you Charles for taking the pictures!