Cotoneaster. Delight or invader?

It is certainly a cheerful delight at this time of year.

There are 70 varieties of Cotoneaster in Britain. We have 16 of them in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB.

My Blip shows the clear distinctions between two of these.

The one on the right is Cotoneaster salicifolius. (willow leaved) It has much larger leaves, a light brown thicker main stem and the berries are in groups on little stems of their own.

On the right is Cotoneaster horizontalis. This has much smaller leaves, single berries which grow from the main stems which are thinner and darker.

There is some controversy about Cotoneaster. The National Trust is trying to remove quite large quantities of it as it can be invasive and is encroaching on our precious species rich limestone grassland.