New WILTSHIRE BOTANICAL SOCIETY · 2016. 4. 15. · colour from Wiltshire Botanical Society Committee Richard Aisbitt Chair, Newsletter, Co-Recorder 01793 694680 [email protected]

Newsletter Issue 43 Summer 2014

WILTSHIRE BOTANICAL SOCIETY

Website: http://www.wiltsbotsoc.co.uk

ContentsIn this issue------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1Subscriptions----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1Articles for “Wiltshire Botany”-------------------------------------------------------------------1Appeal to BSBI Atlas Recorders------------------------------------------------------------------1Wiltshire Botanical Society Committee---------------------------------------------------------1Website and Social Media: an update------------------------------------------------------------2Our Wiltshire Outings------------------------------------------------------------------------------3

Oyster’s Coppice and Gutch Common------------------------------------------------------3Everleigh Ashes--------------------------------------------------------------------------------4Fonthill Abbey Woods-------------------------------------------------------------------------5Stock Wood, Hullavington--------------------------------------------------------------------6Silk Hill, Salisbury Plain----------------------------------------------------------------------7Blakehill WWT Reserve ----------------------------------------------------------------------8Ballard’s Ash------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9and Notton Protected Road Verges ---------------------------------------------------------9Southlake Moor, Somerset Levels----------------------------------------------------------10Porton Ranges---------------------------------------------------------------------------------11Cranborne Chase Atlas Updating Survey--------------------------------------------------12Abberd Brook, Calne-------------------------------------------------------------------------13Lowland Farm, West Lavington------------------------------------------------------------14Cotswold Water Park, Aquatic Plants Workshop----------------------------------------15Clatford Arboretum, Marlborough---------------------------------------------------------17

Visit to the Peak District--------------------------------------------------------------------------18Monsal Head ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------19The Roaches-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------20Miller’s Dale Quarry -------------------------------------------------------------------------21Bellamy’s Bank-------------------------------------------------------------------------------22

Next generation of Botanists?-------------------------------------------------------------------23New Whitebeams for Dave Green--------------------------------------------------------------23

http://www.wiltsbotsoc.co.uk

Page 1 Wiltshire Botanical Society Summer 2014

SubscriptionsThese are due in January, so pleasemake sure your payment gets to SueFitzpatrick. The rates are:

Single member £15.00Family membership £20.00

Sue’s address:

Dr Sue Fitzpatrick7 Wyndham ParkWyndham RoadSalisburyWiltshire SP1 3BA

Phone and email below -

Articles for“Wiltshire Botany”As explained in the last issue, anyarticle for “Wiltshire Botany”received from now on will be put onour website and will therefore beimmediately available. Whensufficient have accumulated, they willbe published in an issue of thejournal. They should be submitted toJohn Presland,[email protected]. He willalso be pleased to discuss proposedarticles informally (Tel: 01225865125).

A leaflet is available offeringguidance to authors on article design.

Appeal to BSBIAtlas RecordersPlease Send in your Records

It’s been another busy year of botanicalrecording. Richard and I have alreadyreceived thousands of records from themany people who have volunteered to belocal Hectad Guardians for the BSBI’sAtlas Updating Project. Gratifyingly,there are many more dots on the map ofWiltshire than there were in 2010, at thebeginning of the project.

If you have been out recording this yearand have yet to send in your findings,please do try to submit them as soon asyou can. The winter is when we catch upwith data management tasks and sendnew records on to the BSBI and theWiltshire & Swindon Biological RecordsCentre. This winter we shall also analysehow the project is progressing so that wecan identify gaps in recording coverageand areas where additional recordingeffort e.g. through WBS recording daysmay be useful.

If you have not yet submitted records andhave any concerns about computerisingyour data, please contact either Richardor myself for help.

Sharon Pilkington

You can download this newsletter (and other recent newsletters) incolour from www.wiltsbotsoc.co.uk

Wiltshire Botanical Society CommitteeRichard Aisbitt Chair, Newsletter, Co-Recorder 01793 694680 [email protected] Appleyard 01980 610 385 [email protected] Buckland Meetings Secretary 01380 698395 [email protected] Darby 07919 810458 [email protected] Sue Fitzpatrick Treasurer 01722 410807 [email protected] Green 07900 248992 [email protected] Heywood Minutes Secretary 01380 830478 [email protected] Kaye Web Site, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust 01249 656284 [email protected] Pilkington BSBI Recorder for Wiltshire 01373 827074 [email protected] Presland Editor, Wiltshire Botany 01225 865125 [email protected] Robinson Secretary 01793 731947 [email protected] Woodruffe Annual Residential Trip 01794 884436 [email protected]

In this issueWe have reports of a varied programmeof meetings all over the county, organisedby Jane Brown and Paul Darby. Mostwere rambles through nice places to seeinteresting plants, with a few devoted toproducing species lists for kilometre gridsquares in the Atlas Update.

Other activities described in thenewsletter:

● Sharon Pilkington ran one of heridentification workshops, this time onwater plants in the Cotswold WaterPark. As ever, she passed on manyuseful tips and extended our knowledgewith a good variety of plants.

● Our annual residential trip, organisedby Pat Woodruffe and Dave Green,took us to the Derbyshire Peaks.Details later in the newsletter.

● Tim Kaye has continued to develop ourwebsite and Facebook page. Do look.Our thanks to Tom Finney fordesigning, maintaining and hosting thewebsite.

● The Atlas Update is progressing, with20,000+ records reaching me this yearand many more to come. See Sharon’snote on this page. I aim to have aprogress report in the next newsletter.

● Jane and Paul have been enthusingPewsey schoolchildren with growingand meeting wild plants – a retirementproject for us all?

● Dave Green has scored a hit bydiscovering two new Whitebeamspecies, with a third on the way – seethe end of this newsletter.

Finally, thanks to all our writers of visitreports and to those who sent in photos.

Richard Aisbitt

mailto:[email protected]





https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wiltshire-Botanical-Society/146460415451041


Summer 2014 Wiltshire Botanical Society Page 2

Website and Social Media: an updateFirst things first: we have a new website. It can be found atwww.wiltsbotsoc.co.uk and although it is not of the standard of othercounty flora groups it does the basics. Firstly the main page explains whowe are and has a contact list if you wish to join. There is a plant of themonth and a list of options on the left hand side. There is currently amembers only log on which does not work and will be removed shortly.The meetings page lists all the events happening both indoor and out.There is also a downloads page where old copies of Newsletters can befound. If anyone has an article or anything you think could be useful formembers to download please get in touch. Similarly photos are alwaysappreciated – thanks Sharon and Pat already for your lovely images thathave helped brighten it up! Have a look and let me know if you need any

changes, if youdon’t I willprobably do thebare minimum!Also I don’t wantthe website to bemy website butthat of the WBS.Contact me [email protected]

Now ontoanother subjectwhich puts fearinto the heart of

some, that of social media. I will admit that I use social media sparingly, asthere is evidence that people who use it constantly can develop poorphysical and mental health (as well as being boring). However the WBS Facebook account is worth looking at for photos ofpast trips. In fact if you have any photos of trips past please send them to me to post. I also try to advertise upcomingevents. We currently have 55 likes which isn’t a lot so if you are on Facebook please like us and if you aren’t get others to!We also have a Twitter account with 127 followers – as you can see it can be a useful tool to pick up on things that aregoing on. Again if you find an interesting plant in the county or want anything Tweeted please let me know. Or if you stillsee no point in it that’s fine – just keep recording and enjoying plants. The internet should be a tool to educate and

promote understanding and shouldn’t be just for bullying,boasting, harassing and posting videos of cats falling offtables.

Tim Kaye

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wiltshire-Botanical-Society/146460415451041









woods, such as Moschatel Adoxamoschatellina, Opposite-leavedGolden-saxifrage Chrysospleniumoppositifolium, Wood AnemoneAnemone nemorosa and the RamsonsAllium ursinum were alreadyshowing. A rose, on inspection, wasRosa arvensis. Startling in theirbrightness were the frequent ScarletElf Cups, Sarcoscypha coccineagrowing in dark spots on very wetdead hazel branches. The duckweedin the pond, after thorough lens work,was deemed Lemna minuta. A verypersistent Chiffchaff gave us thebenefit of his voice the whole time wewere in the wood

The main point and the main glory ofthis walk was the sight of thedaffodils. They were in magnificentfettle – the best for years the wardensaid – and in profusion. We werelooking at many of the clumps frombelow, with the sunlight shiningthrough their delicate yellowtrumpets. Their slightly twistedtepals had them fluttering anddancing in the breeze, just as they hadfor Wordsworth near Grasmere. Awonderful sight and the cameras wereall a-clicking

Afterwards we stumped down the hillat a good pace, past the plague stone,and some of us stayed for a warminglunch in the pub on the Green.

David must be especially thanked fororganising this walk for us, twice.

Rosemary Duckett

Our Wiltshire Outings

Sarcoscypha coccineaSaturday 22 March 2014

Oyster’s Coppice andGutch CommonLeader: - David Pickering.

This was a repeated outing from lastyear when only a small clutch ofpeople managed to wade through thesnow. This time David wasshepherding a bigger flock of elevenof us, in bright sunshine. Underfootthe ground was sodden and gateways

were quite a challenge of deep quaggymud.

In the fields before we reached thewood the botanical interests weremostly rushes such as Hard RushJuncus inflexus and several Carexesthough there were some Cuckooflowers Cardamine pratensis. Whenwe lifted our eyes there were views ofPyt House, smart and white in thedistance.

Once in the wood we found severalspecies to be expected in damp old


Saturday 3 May 2014

Everleigh AshesLeaders: Jane Brown andJenny Amor

This was a joint meeting with theBulford Salisbury Plain Training Area(SPTA) Group to survey thisextensive patchwork of woods ofvaried ages. Eileen Rollo was anactive member of the Bulford Groupand Everleigh Ashes was a favouriteplace for her; we felt she would havebeen pleased for us to gather here andupdate the plant records.

We met at the helicopter pad, aclearing in the southerly part of thewood. The name would meansomething to people familiar with thearea, but there was neither a pad norhelicopters. However, it made a nicesunny spot for lunch and had somegrassy banks for us to explore. These

had chalk downland flowers as acontrast to the woodland.

As this was a large area, we split intogroups and explored different parts ofthe woodland. So far, only JohnMoon’s records from The Scrubs/HogDown/Cow Down area have reachedme; others are in the pipeline. Johnfound evidence of ancient woodland:Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis,Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis,Wild Strawberry Fragaria vesca,Wood-sedge Carex sylvatica andBluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta.Other nice finds were YellowPimpernel Lysimachia nemorum,Early-purple Orchid Orchis masculaand Meadow Saffron Colchicumautumnale (also found close to thehelipad) and a variety of ferns, SoftShield-fern Polystichum setiferum,Lady-fern Athyrium filix-femina,Broad Buckler-fern Dryopterisdilatata and Male-fern Dryopterisfilix-mas. Other finds showedevidence of chalk grassland:

Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris,Lady's Bedstraw Galium verum,Common Rock-rose Helianthemumnummularium and Salad BurnetPoterium sanguisorba. HeathSpotted-orchid Dactylorhizamaculata and Gorse Ulex europaeusgave hints of the area’s past (shownon old maps) as heathland.

A lovely day and a pleasant start tothe summer season.

Richard Aisbitt

--------------

Fonthill Abbey illustration: fromViews of the Seats of Noblemen andGentlemen, in England, Wales,Scotland, and Ireland. J.P. Neale,Second Series. Vol. I. SherwoodJones and Co., London (1824), p. 244- see next page for visit report


Wednesday 14 May 2014

Fonthill AbbeyWoodsLeader: David Pickering

We were delighted to be given accessby the owners Mr and Mrs S. P.Morant to this extensive, privateestate. Fonthill was developed in theearly 19th century by the famous, andindeed infamous, William Beckford.In reaction against Palladianarchitecture, on inheriting hedemolished his father's house FonthillSplendens and built an enormousGothic folly on a commanding hill,which was not only the height ofSalisbury Cathedral, but looked muchlike it. He was reportedly the richestman in England and filled the interiorwith the most amazing paintings,furniture and of objets d'art. He alsodeveloped an extensive estate,enclosing part of it within a twentymile twelve foot high wall. Thisfuelled unfounded gossip originatedby his substantial fall from grace inhis early twenties. He eventually soldup and moved to Bath whereupon thepartly jerry-built house promptlycollapsed.

What about the plants? I thought wefound about 150 species. These wereundramatic but made up for by thewoods and views around BythamLake and enabled recording for theAtlas Updating Project. The fern

flora was of muchinterest includingHard Fern Blechnumspicant and Borrer’sScaly Male-fernDryopteris borreri.Although someancient woodlandmarker species werenoted, they weren'tall present and thisperhaps reinforcesthe view that inbotanical terms ofwoodland isrelatively young. Itwas unfortunate thatwe didn't have abryophyte expertwith us becausemuch looked verypromising.

The leader wasthanked profusely atthe end of the dayand the party offifteen graciously overlooked severaltimes that he got lost and was leadingfrustrating circles through almostimpenetrable vegetation.

The host owners provided us withcoffee and biscuits at the start of themorning and a water dispenser at theend of the day by which time we hadarrived at the romantic fragment,which is all that is left of FonthillAbbey.

We managed to view only a fractionof the huge state and there is hopethat another visit can be arranged.

David Pickering

A lesson in Speedwells

Germander Speedwell Veronicachamaedrys and Wood SpeedwellVeronica montana both grow inwoods and look very similar. JohnPresland took pictures at Fontwell tohelp us see the differences. The hairson the stems of Germander Speedwellform two opposite rows (left in thephoto), while the hairs on Woodspeedwell are spread all round thestem (the right-hand stem in thephoto).

Germander Speedwell flowers areusually a brilliant sky blue, but Woodspeedwell has pale flowers withdarker veins.

Then there is the soil: WoodSpeedwell prefersslightly acid conditions,with Germanderspeedwell usually onalkaline soil.

John also included aphoto showing thesurprising flowers ofBox Buxussempervirens.

Germander Speedwell

Wood Speedwell

Germander (left) andWood (right) Speedwells

Box in flower


Thursday 22 May 2014

Stock Wood,HullavingtonLeaders: Jane Brown and PaulDarby

This was a follow-up visit to thewood after the one Paul and Janeorganised in November 2013. Duringthat meeting they managed to record ahealthy total of 80 plant species andwere told of others that tempted us tomake a return visit.

Paul described the wood and itsunderlying geology in the WinterNewsletter so I will not repeat thosedetails here. For me, the day will bememorable for the number of veryuseful identification tips that werediscussed. John Poland and EricClements’ book ‘The Vegetative Keyto the British Flora’ has done much topromote not only identification whenflowers and fruits are absent but alsoto allow confirmation using additionalcharacteristics which are rarelymentioned in the more widely usedbooks. For example, Sue was able toshow us how to distinguish Rubusfruticosus agg. from R. caesius bylooking at the shape of the petiole. Inthe former it is rounded but in R.caesius there is a clear channelrunning along the upper surface.

Have you ever been stuck with a tareand not known whether it wasSmooth Tare V. tetrasperma or HairyTare V. hirsuta? Two very cleardiagrams in ‘Poland’ will make thisrelatively easy to do when the fruitsare not present.

Richard was also able to give a usefultip to help distinguish Common DogViolet Viola riviniana from EarlyDog Violet V. reichenbachiana, this

time using the sepals ofthe fruits. In V. rivinianatheir appendages persistand continue to growwhilst in V.reichenbachiana theywither quickly afterflowering.

Now will I be able toremember thesecharacters the next time Ineed them or, irritatingly,will I know that there issomething useful that I haveforgotten?

Back to the bigger picture – we wereshown by the owner, NormanMatthews, an extensive patch of HerbParis Paris quadrifolia and an evenlarger patch of Orpine Sedumtelephium. Sedum is something that Irarely see more than a few plants of inany one place, so this was quiteremarkable although it is unlikely thatmany will flower well under thecanopy. Both Wood Avens Geumurbanum and Water Avens G. rivale

were present in the wood, the latter incopious amounts, as well as hybridsof varying form.

What an interesting day; a lovelywood to explore and a lot ofinteresting details to absorb and use,plus, of course, excellent company.Our thanks to Jane and Paul forarranging the visit and to the owners,Norman and Diane Matthews forpermitting our access.

Pat Woodruffe

Herb Paris

Orpine

Water Avens Wood Avens and their hybrid


Saturday 14 June 2014

Silk Hill, SalisburyPlainLeaders: Jenny Amor and JaneBrown

Sixteen of us enjoyed a joint meetingwith the Conservation Group on areally glorious June day which wassunny with a light breeze which madethe temperature pleasant. Our highexpectations of a day on SalisburyPlain were fully met and we had anabundance of flowers and butterflies.

Even as we drove from the meeting pointto Silk Hill we enjoyed drifts of sainfoin(Onobrychis viciifolia) and dropwort(Filipendula vulgaris). As usual it wasdifficult to get the group moving from thecar park. Jenny had planned a walk for usand knew what further treats were in storeso encouraged us along the route. Soonwe were seeing purple milk-vetch(Astragalus danicus) and this continuedfor most of the walk. We saw largegroups of pyramidal orchids (Anacamptispyramidalis). One of the group pointed

out to me that they are wrongly calledpyramidal and should be called conical!The fairy flax (Linum catharticum) wasabundant making the ground look starspeckled. Other plants included basilthyme (Clinopodium acinos), milkwort –both common and chalk (Polygalavulgaris and calcarea), parsley-piert(Aphanes arvensis).

After lunch we walked to the barrowcemetery where there had been hugenumbers of burnt-tip orchids (Orchisustulata). They were going over and alsohad been severely grazed. However downslope there were huge numbers offragrant orchids (Gymnadenia conopsea)with common-spotted orchids(Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and more burnt-tips in better condition.

Butterflies included common blue,adonis, brown argus, dingy skipper, redadmiral and a clouded yellow.

Sonia Heywood

Botanical excitement - Paul Darby


18 June 2014

Blakehill WWTReserveJust a few of us joined Ellie Jones andRob large of the Wildlife Trust tosurvey this huge grassland site nearCricklade. Blakehill is an old WorldWar II airfield that has had theconcrete runways removed and is nowreverting to species-rich grassland.The track sides were quite rich inspecies, indeed we were shown twospikes of Wasp Orchid Ophrys trolliistraight off and saw several fine BeeOrchids Ophrys apifera later.

Also in the dry track edges wereThyme-leaved Sandwort Arenariaserpyllifolia, Annual PearlwortSagina apetala subspecies erecta,Hoary Ragwort Senecio erucifoliusand lots of Creeping CinquefoilPotentilla erecta. Next, we went intoa huge meadow - not a big range ofspecies but thick with Meadow Oat-grass Hordeum secalinus and withwhite patches of Oxeye DaisyLeucanthemum vulgare. The wetterareas had Compact Rush Juncus

conglomeratus,occasional Ragged RobinSilene flos-cuculi and lotsof Oval Sedge Carexleporina. The old runwayran across field, itsthinner soil supportingless vigorous growth -more suitable forskylarks. There wassome Yellow RattleRhinanthus minor but notenough to keep thegrasses in check. Laterwe found some GrassVetchling Lathyrusnissolia with its dazzlingpink flowers: a bonus.

We visited two ponds, recentlyestablished, finding Bulrush Typhalatifolia, Common Spike-rushEleocharis palustris Common Club-rush Schoenoplectus lacustris, WaterPlantain Alisma plantago-aquaticaand Broadleaved PondweedPotamogeton natans. There were twoyellow sedges Carex lepidocarpa: theCommon Yellow Sedge (subspeciesoedocarpa) and Long-stalked YellowSedge (subspecies brachyrrhyncha).

We had explored a small part of thesite leaving Rob to complete the taskover the next few days.

Richard Aisbitt

Botanist at work - photo MartinBuckland

Bee Orchid - Richard

Wasp Orchid - Richard


Friday 27 June 2014

Ballard’s AshBallard’s Ash is a long verge on theB4042, running from just outsideRoyal Wootton Bassett up to the M4.There are a number of protectedareas, and for a short distance vergeson both sides of the road areprotected. The verge is protected forSoapwort, Saponaria officinalis, firstrecorded in 1885 by the botanist G CDruce and Crown Vetch, Securigeravaria, known on the verge for at least40 years. The verge also hasrecordings for Tall Broomrape,Orobanche elatior, which althoughreasonably common in Wiltshire thissite is believed to be the only area inWiltshire where it grows off chalk.However in 2007 the site was foundto have chalk outcrops, where theOrobanche grows, which wereprobably deposited from excavationsfrom the M4 motorway.

Jane Brown, Paul Darby, RichardAisbitt and Alison Robinson metFiona Elphick and Jane Cole fromWiltshire Council in the sports groundcar park. The morning had starteddry, but heavy rain was forecast,which did not disappoint and at timesit was very wet. The verges had not

been surveyed for some time andAlison has volunteered to monitor theverge from this year. Fiona explainedthat Wiltshire Council need a baselinefor the area, as a number of roadchanges may be needed, around thesports ground, to improve safety forthe developing sports hub, and somecables also need to be laid along theverge. We decided to split into twogroups, with Paul and Richardsurveying the two sides of the roadclosest to the town and Fiona, Jane,Alison and Jane, concentrating on theother areas.

We certainly found a good stand ofSecurigera varia, but disappointed inonly finding a few plants of theOrobanche elatior and Saponariaofficinalis. We also spotted one Beeorchid, Ophrys apifera.

Alison Robinson

27 June 2014

and Notton ProtectedRoad VergesLeaders: Paul Darby and JaneBrown

Paul and I set off along the narrowsections of the Ballards Ash verge

near Royal WoottonBassett, in rain withtraffic thundering by.The verges were ratherrank with scrubencroaching. Paulspotted one spike ofKnapweed BroomrapeOrobanche elatior –there used to be many(there was also Greater

Knapweed the host plant). A 30 mstretch of Crown Vetch Securigeravaria opposite the rugby ground wasin full flower and ramping over othervegetation. There were also clumpsof Soapwort Saponaria officinalis,but not in flower. These are the threeplants in the verge designation. Thelast two are not native so perhaps notgood reasons for protecting the roadverge.

Jane Brown, Alison Robinson (thenew verge monitor), Fiona Elphick,and Jane Cole from Wiltshire Councilset off in the other direction to thewider verges nearer the motorwayunderpass. They found more species-rich verges but no broomrape.

A lunch break and a half-hour drivetook us to a sunny afternoon atNotton verge near Lacock. GillCardy the verge monitor joined usand we found a good variety ofplants, adding to the existing list.Species included Ploughman’sSpikenard Inula conyzae, CommonSpotted Orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsiiand Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera, WildStrawberry Fragaria vesca, RibbedMelilot Melilotus officinalis and,along the kerbside benefitting fromroad salt, remains of DanishScurvygrass Cochlearia Danica. Aless than pleasant smelling mintturned out to be Whorled MintMentha x verticillata.

An interesting day but it was good toleave the traffic fumes and noise.

Richard Aisbitt

Verge surveyors at work -Alison Robinson

Crown Vetch at Ballards Ash - Alison

Marsh Woundwortat Notton - Richard


Sunday, 6th July 2014

Southlake Moor,Somerset LevelsA group of seventeen, including SteveParker, the Natural England officerresponsible for the Somerset Levelsand Helena Crouch, BSBI Recorderfor VC 6, assembled for this meeting.Steve gave us a brief introduction tothe site, three-quarters of which is aNational Nature Reserve and all SSSI.It is also a Special Protection Area forwintering birds, with large numbersof lapwing, teal, golden plover andother species. The site frequentlyfloods, but the four months offlooding in winter 2013/2014 wasexceptional and 120 houses locallywere under water. The substrate isdeep alluvium over peat underlain byestuarine clay. The area we were tolook at consisted of permanentpasture criss-crossed by rhynes(ditches), cleared on a five to ten yearcycle to maintain a diversity ofaquatic plant communities. The aimis to have approximately one third ina mature condition at any one time.As we set off, six cranes, a formernative bird being reintroduced to thelevels, flew overhead, a wonderfulsight.

Mistletoe (Viscum album) wasabundant in a hedgerow andapparently supports the MistletoeMarble, a micromoth that is aBiodiversity Action Plan species.Reaching our first rhyne, variousduckweeds were fished out into a trayso that we could take a close look atthem. Lemna minor (CommonDuckweed) and L. trisulca (Ivy-leaved) are both common in thelevels, with the latter indicative ofgood water quality. Less familiar tomany was Spirodela polyrhiza(Greater Duckweed), easy todistinguish because of its many roots(hence polyrhiza) and its usually redunderside. We looked out for Wolffiaarrhiza (Rootless Duckweed), oursmallest flowering plant, throughoutour visit, but failed to spot it, althoughit does occur on the Levels. Thedifferences between Apiumnodiflorum (Fool’s-water-cress),

which hasflowers in itsaxils, andBerula erecta(Lesser Water-parsnip) withterminalflowers anddistinctivebracts, werediscussed. Thelatter has awhite ring onits petiolebelow thelowest pair ofleaflets and thiscan distinguish it when onlyvegetative material is available. Iknow what characters to look for, butalways struggle to remember which iswhich!

Moving on, we saw Oenanthefistulosa (Tubular Water-dropwort) ingreater abundance than I have everseen before, together with WaterHorsetail (Equisetum fluviatile), FalseFox-Sedge (Carex otrubae) andTufted Sedge (Carex elata), a specieson the Rare Plant Register forSomerset. The three-petalled whiteflowers of Frogbit (Hydrocharismorsus-ranae) stood out near thewater surface. In more open water,Hairlike Pondweed (Potamogetontrichoides) occurred and we looked indetail at its prominent midrib thatmakes its leaves stiff, so they do notcollapse when out of water. Othersubmerged aquatics more familiar tous from Wiltshire, included RigidHornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)and both Canadian and Nuttall’sWaterweeds (Elodea canadensis andE. nuttallii). We were walking alonga drove between two rhynes andfound a few non-aquatic plants tointerest us, including Marsh-mallow(Althaea officinalis) just coming intobloom and Strawberry Clover(Trifolium fragiferum). Emergentaquatics soon caught our attentionagain with the distinctive leaves ofArrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia)and the attractive pink umbels ofButomus umbellatus, the so-calledFlowering-rush (not a rush as weknow them!). Helena told us that theBolboschoenus we found was not B.

maritimus (Sea Club-rush), but anewly separated species B. laticarpus,so new that it does not even feature inthe latest edition of Stace! Our finalfinds of the morning includedCommon Meadow- rue (Thalictrumflavum) and Fine-leaved Water –dropwort (Oenanthe aquatica),whereupon the heavens opened andwe retreated to our cars for lunch.

Venturing out again after thedownpour, we were pleased to see yetmore different species, includingWater Violet (Hottonia palustris),Mare’s-tail (Hippuris vulgaris), not tobe confused with Horsetails(Equisetum spp.), and CurledPondweed (Potamogeton crispus).Nuttall’s Waterweed was in flower ina recently cleared section. Thehighlight of the afternoon was,however, the abundant GreaterWater-parsnip (Sium latifolium), avery impressive and rare umbellifer.It was putting on a magnificent show,better than Helena had ever seenbefore, so perhaps the prolongedflooding suited it. There wascertainly no sign that the flora of therhynes had been adversely affected,although the agricultural land had notfared so well.

Thanks very much to Sharon andHelena for sharing their expertisewith us and to Steve for hisintroduction to the site. Despite theweather, we all enjoyed a wonderfulvisit.

Anne Appleyard

Botanists, a rhyne, cattle and Barrow Mump - Paul Darby


20th July 2014

Porton RangesA sizeable group was met by StuartCorbett in the Conservation Room.Stuart is the range ConservationOfficer and, after taking us throughthe health and safety matters, hedescribed how he believed the flora ofthe ranges went through cycles. Inhis view, the flowering plants havebecome more prolific over the lastfew years and, alongside this, therehas been an improvement in insectlife.

Our first stop of the morning was tosee vast numbers of Frog OrchidsCoeloglossum viride. This populationhas been known for only a few yearsand it will be interesting to see how itchanges. Whilst the camera shuttersworked overtime, others spottedbastard toadflax Thesium humifusum,Yellow-wort Blackstonia perfoliata,Lesser Hawkbit Leontodon saxatileand many other ‘nice’ plants. Afterthis great start to the day we packedour rucksacks with lunch and began awalk of several hours. The flora onthe tracks was the first point ofinterest. Knotted Pearlwort Saginanodosa grows along the centre andsides of vehicle tracks; a small plantwhich can be readily checked byfeeling the ‘knots’ on the stems. Thisplant is regarded as scarce in VC8,Bulford Ranges forming its core.Anne and Sue have only recentlyfound it in VC8 on Porton Rangeswhere it occurs in both Wiltshire andHampshire (VC11). Our next plant ofinterest was Round-headed RampionPhyteuma orbiculare. A smallpopulation of perhaps 75 floweringspikes is guarded by a fence to protectit from rabbit grazing.

Walking along the southern perimeterof the SSSI we stopped to look at asingle plant of Field PennycressThlaspi arvense growing close to afield of wheat. Further investigationof the field margins led to thediscovery of several ‘good’ weedsincluding Venus’s Looking-glassLegousia hybrida, Small NettleUrtica urens and Prickly PoppyPapaver argemone. Further along

this track we came to the largepopulation of Dodder Cuscutaepithymum, first noted two years ago.Last year the population was muchmore extensive in late July and theplants were even parasitizing RagwortSenecio jacobea, of which little couldbe seen this year. (See NewsletterIssue 41 for details).

By this time the word ‘lunch’ wascreeping, quite loudly, into theconversations. We headed backnorthwards to seek the shade of a fewlarge pines, visiting en route threecages, part of a Plantlife project toinvestigate whether juniper seedswere viable and able to survive ifgrazing pressure from small mammalswas removed. Each cage had severaltwo-year old seedlings which appearto be doing well. They will beprotected for several more years, untilthey reach the top of the cage, whichwill then be removed. Since there isonly a very small amount of naturalregeneration taking place in just onelocation, and many over-mature treesdying off, the results of this type ofwork are important if juniper is tosurvive on the ranges in the longerterm.

After lunch, the group was amazed todiscover that it had been sitting onlyyards away from many tiny plants oflesser centaury Centauriumpulchellum. Like the KnottedPearlwort, these plantsgrow in tracks on theranges. During our walkback to the cars we musthave passed manyhundreds of them, somegrowing with their larger relativeCommon Centaury Centauriumerythraea; an ideal way to spot thedifferences. Other plants of interestwere deadly nightshade Atropa

belladonna, of which there is aconsiderable amount on the edges ofwoodland and scrub, especially wheredisturbed by rabbits, Ploughman’sSpikenard Inula conyzae andHawkweed Oxtongue Picrishieracioides. Quite a few butterfliesincluding Chalkhill Blue, MarbledWhite and Dark Green Fritillary weretaking advantage of the flowers alongour route.

Back at the cars the group learnt, witha sense of relief on this hot afternoon,that we would drive to our final stopand that rucksacks could be left incars. And so to the Candytuft Iberisamara a nationally scarce plant foundonly here in Wiltshire. Its Britishrange is centred on the Chiltern Hills.It was good to see the population of afew large and very many small plantsthriving in a ditch with very littleother vegetation.

One other delight of the day was thatBarbara Last was able to join us.Thanks to Stuart and his helperSimon, she could be transported byLandrover, was able to see most ofthe plants of interest and join us forlunch. For Barbara it was indeed atreat and her evident pleasure a joy tosee.

Our thanks to Anne whose carefulplanning allowed us to see some ofthe rare plants of this special place –and all in Wiltshire!

Pat Woodruffe

Hawkweed Oxtongue - note thesticking out phyllaries

Deadly nightshade

Wild Candytuft


Sunday 3rd August 2014

Cranborne ChaseAtlas UpdatingSurveyTaking an under-recorded map squareand throwing a bunch of enthusiasticbotanists at it in one intensive bursthas proven to be a very effective andfun way of generating plant records.Until recently, the Tisbury 10kmsquare (ST92) in south-west Wiltshirehad received little attention fromrecorders, so it was an ideal candidatefor this kind of treatment.

The day dawned dry and bright and12 enthusiastic recorders gathered atWin Green, a National Trust hill nearBerwick St. John. We split into fourrecording groups, each armed withrecording forms, maps and GPS andheaded off to record differentlocalities within ST92.

Pat Woodruffe, Ailsa McKee, PhilReed and Brenda Davis walked outinto two 1km squares around WinGreen, collecting 170 records ofspecies of chalk grassland, woodlandand wayside. These includednotables such as Frog OrchidCoeloglossum viride as well asnaturalised garden throw-outs e.g.Montbretia Crocosmia xcrocosmiiflora and Apple-mintMentha x villosa. Rather gratifyingly(for me, anyway) their list alsoincluded a rather eclectic set of newtetrad ‘ticks’, among which wereRussian Comfrey Symphytum xuplandicum, Heath-grass Danthoniadecumbens and Giant FescueSchedonorus giganteus.

Sonia Heywood and Nigel Cope alsostayed at Win Green, surveying theNational Trust-owned part of the site.They too produced a long list ofgrassland species, supplemented byrecords made from the same area in2013. They also produced some newtetrad ticks, including Nettle-leavedBellflower Campanula tracheliumand Lucerne Medicago sativa.

Richard Aisbitt’s group drove off toDonhead St. Andrew where they

roamed across three1km squares,generating nearly300 records. This isis what Richard hadto say:

“Martin Buckland,Jane Brown, PaulDarby and I splitfrom the downlandgroups and headedfor Donhead StAndrew, parking bythe church. Theproblem is usually toget out of the car-park, but today itwas the churchyard. We spent half anhour working the mown and roughgrass, stone walls and waste groundfor a longish, but unremarkable list ofplants.

We then took a circular route thatincluded fields, streams, by-roads andwoodland. The millpond at Rickett’sMill provided less usual plants:Celery-leaved Buttercup Ranunculussceleratus, Water-plantain Alismaplantago-aquatica and Blue Water-speedwell Veronica anagallis-aquatica, but only in small numbersand in a rather cultivated setting. Asunken by-road gave both shieldferns: Soft – Polystichum setiferumand Hard – P. aculeatum, and WoodMelick Melica uniflora. Ten AcreCopse had prolific Hart’s-tongueAsplenium scolopendrium and alsoOpposite-leaved Golden-saxifrageChrysosplenium oppositifolium andone bush of Tutsan Hypericumandrosaemum. A nearby road vergehad both subspecies of Carex divulsa:Grey sedge (subsp. divulsa) andMany-leaved Sedge (subsp. leersii).That was almost it but for one last“treat”, the pervasive invasive IndianBalsam Impatiens glandulifera on theedge of the stream.”

A fourth group of Rosemary Duckett,David Pickering and I headed off tosurvey Winkelbury Hill, a localbeauty spot with a prominent hill forton its summit. We parked at thebottom, following a dramaticholloway up through woodland ontothe hill, where rich chalk grasslandwas enjoyed at its best. The most

diverse grassland was, as it often is,on the fort ramparts and other ancientarchaeological features and there wecame across more Frog Orchids andnumerous rosettes of other earlierorchids, now gone over. One bush ofSmall-flowered Sweet-briar Rosamicrantha was also seen. At the topof the hill a bit of illicit climbing oversavage barbed-wire fences took usinto a flint-strewn arable field. Thisproved to be rich in arable plants andbetween us we found Corn MarigoldGlebionis segetum, Rough PoppyPapaver hybridum and Dense-flowered Fumitory Fumariadensiflora. A quick additional stop inanother field corner on the way backto Win Green also yielded GreyField-speedwell Veronica polita. Wenotched up nearly 200 records fromtwo 1 km squares.

Altogether the groups generated morethan 700 records, which represent afantastic collaborative effort. I amvery grateful to everyone who cameand gave freely of their time andknowledge and I will be hoping tolead at least one similar eventelsewhere in the county in 2015.

Sharon Pilkington

Rickett’s Mill


16th August 2014

Abberd Brook, CalneLeaders: Paul Darby and JaneBrown

The WBS was invited by the Friendsof Abberd Brook, via Jan Freeborn, tocarry out a botanical survey of thesemi-urban section of thiswatercourse. It lies on the easternside of Calne, and we concentrated onthe 500 metres or so upstream fromthe confluence of the Brook with theriver Marden, a tributary of theBristol Avon.

The course of the Brook has beenaltered when the nearby housingdevelopment took place within thepast 15 years. A keen interest in theBrook and its wildlife lead to theformation of the local communitygroup, Friends of the Abberd Brook,who have erected a number of smallwildlife information boards along thepaths which run alongside the Brook,which is on average 2 metres wide

A small bridge under the road hassome colourful and inspired wildlifemosaics on the walls.

A number of common plantsassociated with wet/damp habitatswas noted such as reed sweet-grass(Glyceria maxima), reed canary-grass(Phalaris arundinacea), fool’swatercress (Apium nodiflorum) andwild angelica (Angelica sylvestris).The first uncommon plant to beencountered was, sadly, a hybridknotweed (Fallopia x bohemica)growing on the opposite bank and

apparently its presence is not takenseriously by the owners of this bank.More encouraging was finding smallamounts of wood club-rush (Scirpussylvatica), a relatively uncommonspecies.

The Brook is noted for its populationof water voles, and one was sightedduring our visit. There is a large pondvery near the brook which isundoubtedly of value to wildlife withgood marginal emergent vegetation.

Other species of interest werea male ruddy darter(Sympetrum sanguineum) anda female parent bug(Elasmucha grisea) withyoung.

A community hall (nearhouses and the brook) wasopen and Friends of AbberdBrook had publicised the dayto encourage locals to getinvolved. Jan collectedspecimens of a variety ofplants and made a display,

with allplants havingtheir Englishnamesattached. Wewerewelcomed atthe hall withcups of teaand coffee,and chattedwithmembers ofthe Friends.

Returning to the riverside car park, avariety of interesting annuals wasnoted, including shaggy soldier(Galinsoga quadriradiata) andcockspur (Echinochloa crus-galli)

An interesting day and good to seepeople interested in their localwildlife. The Friends of AbberdBrook will put our records and photoson their website.

Paul Darby

Ruddy Darter - Paul Darby

Parent Bug parenting - Paul Darby

From Syme, English Botany, 1875


Thursday 28 August 2014

Lowland Farm, WestLavingtonA good number of us gathered atWest Lavington churchyard, wherewe found the tiny Slender SpeedwellVeronica filiformis nestling in theclose-mown grass. We split into threegroups and headed off in differentdirections to explore the extensivelands of Lowland Farm. We hadexpected to look for arable weeds, butinstead found woodland, water andwetland, tracks and byways, andchalk grassland.

The group exploring nearest to WestLavington accumulated seven ancientwoodland indicators, Hairy-bromeBromopsis ramosa, Thin-spikedWood-sedge Carex strigosa, Wood-sedge Carex sylvatica, Spurge-laurelDaphne laureola, Bluebell

Hyacinthoides non-scripta, SoftShield-fern Polystichum setiferum,Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilisand Red Currant Ribes rubrum, alongwith various other chalky and wetlandspecies.

The second group explored thedownland area between Lavingtonand the White Horse Trail, which runsalong the boundary of the Westdownmilitary training area. They found agood selection of downlandspecialists: Pyramidal OrchidAnacamptis pyramidalis, HarebellCampanula rotundifolia, DwarfThistle Cirsium acaule, Wild BasilClinopodium vulgare, Ploughman's-spikenard Inula conyzae, Fairy FlaxLinum catharticum, SainfoinOnobrychis viciifolia, KnapweedBroomrape Orobanche elatior,Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinellasaxifraga, Salad Burnet Poteriumsanguisorba subsp. sanguisorba,Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor,

Small Scabious Scabiosa columbaria,and Devil's-bit Scabious Succisapratensis. This was enough toencourage them to make another visitnext year.

I joined the third group. We foundcarpets of Thin-spiked Wood-sedgeCarex strigosa; we normally see thejust the occasional plant in similarmoderately acid woodlands. Wefollowed a chain of ponds withassociated marshland through thewoods of “The Warren”. Water-starwort Callitriche grew abundantlyin one of the ponds. It is difficult totie Callitriche down to species, buthere we did have the tiny fruits in theleaf axils and they had thecharacteristic wings of CommonWater-starwort C. stagnalis.

Richard Aisbitt

West Lavington with the Group 3 route


Saturday 6th September 2014

Cotswold WaterPark, Aquatic PlantsWorkshopBotanists are well known for notstraying from or taking too long toleave a car park, well this meetingwas nearly held within one! Theboundary of the Gateway Centre CarPark is a section of the disusedThames & Severn Canal where ourmeeting began.

To start us off easy Sharoncommenced with a couple of commonspecies. Reed Sweet Grass Glyceriamaxima is one of the commonest tallwaterside grasses. The leaves havehooded ends and the ligules are fairlylong, rounded with a sharp pointraised in the middle. Our next plantneeded no introduction however itsname has changed a bit from BulrushTypha latifolia to Common Reedmaceand then back to Bulrush!

The serious side of the workshop thenstarted with the first grapnel swinginto the water to drag in some truepond plants. Broad-leaved PondweedPotamogeton natans has opaqueleaves when held to the light withtranslucent veins running in parallelto the midrib. Some of the leavesdisplayed a kink or hinge in the stemjust below the leaf blade.Furthermore there were submergedgrass-like structures called phyllodeswhich are actually modified stems.

Watersides generally have willowsand our first was the Grey WillowSalix cinerea. There are two sub-species, the commonest in the west isS. cinerea subsp. oleifolia thatdevelops rusty hairs on the back onthe leaf after mid-summer howeverthis plant was quite plain and wasaccorded the sub-species S. cinereasubsp. cinerea.

On the bank of the canal WaterChickweed was spotted. Like a giantCommon Chickweed Stellaria media,this species is not a chickweed at allbut Myosoton aquaticum. It featuresanthers that are bluey-grey and sticky

hairs that are all round the stem. InCommon Chickweed the hairs are in asingle line on the stems.

A plant next that often gets confusedon sight with Redshank Persicariamaculosa when it grows on land.Amphibious Bistort Persicariaamphibia has two forms. The one onland has leaves superficially likeRedshank because it will often haveblack spots on them. However theland based one is hairy and Redshankis hairless. The water borne Bistortthough is hairless. However if a leafis held up to the light one can just seeimpressions of lines along its length.

I suppose one of the next itemsbelongs to a family one would not callpretty. However you have to admireWater Dock Rumex hydrolapathum.It’s massive! Plants can grow to acouple of metres tall and though oursweren’t that tall some of the leavescannot have been far off a metre long.Everything about it was big includingthe seed-pods or tepals at aroundeight mm long with a few teeth at thebase and long warts.

Our next plant was not in flower butits family could be determined by itsstrongly keeled leaves. In our samplethe leaves were up to 25 mm wideacross the flat with the reversestrongly keeled and around 75-80 cmlong. The tips of the leaves at thispoint in the year were wearing andblack. This was a Branched Bur-reedor Sparganium erectum.

Following the Bur-reed we wereshown two plants that I havedifficulty with, particularly when onefinds great swathes of the stuff withno flowers. What makes GreaterPond Sedge Carex riparia greater andLesser Pond Sedge Carex acutiformislesser? Sharon showed us a cutetrick. In grasses we often have to pulla leaf blade back to reveal a ligule fordiagnosis. Well, in Pond Sedge wecan do something similar. When theleaves of these sedges are divided onecan see the impression of a ligule-likestructure. If it is long and pointed it isLesser but if it is long but rounded orblunt it is Greater.

A sweet looking plant next bearingtiny white flowers; I thought it lookedsuperficially like a Forget-me-not, mybook says that the leaf rosetteresembles a Daisy but this Primrosefamily plant was in fact BrookweedSamolus valerandi. Valerandibecause it looks like MarshValerian!!!

We’ve probably all heard of CanadianWaterweed (Pondweed) ElodeaCanadensis that can normally befound widespread in lakes and pondshowever it is now being rapidlysuperseded by Nuttall’s WaterweedElodea nuttallii. Canadian has leavesin whorls of 3 and are not reflexedwhereas Nuttall’s are in whorls ofthree to four, strongly reflexed withacuminate (sharp pointed) tips.

A change of scene now and wemoved to Wiltshire Trust’s LowerMoor Farm complex. At a dippingpond we found two types of Club-rush growing together. Our first wasGrey Club-rush Schoenoplectustabernaemontani a bluish, grey-greenindividual that has on close inspectionof the glumes, tiny red dots (papillae).The other was Common Club-rushSchoenoplectus lacustris a taller andyellow green plant that has smoothglumes.

We were surrounded by many youngwillows including the ‘other’ GreyWillow, this time the ‘rusty’ version.Here we also found Goat WillowSalix caprea. Often confused withGrey Willow however Goat is quite‘apple-leaved’ and tomentoseunderneath. In addition weencountered Osier Salix viminalisplus many hybrids of Osier andpossibly Grey or Goat. A redstemmed White Willow sapling maywell have been the selection used inthe horticultural trade and known asSalix alba Britzensis.

Sharon also introduced us toStoneworts potentially Charavulgaris or Common Stonewort,Chara virgata or Delicate Stonewortand Chara curta or Lesser-beardedStonewort. These are a very difficultgroup to ID and I would be unable toproduce a description here but justthank Sharon for showing us.


Sharon also brought in specimenscollected elsewhere for interest andcomparison. These were RootlessDuckweed Wolffia arrhiza, GreaterDuckweed Spirodela polyrhiza,Canadian Waterweed Elodeacanadensis, Water Fern Azollafiliculoides, Rigid HornwortCeratophyllum demersum and Fan-leaved Water-Crowfoot Ranunculuscircinatus.

Other plants seen on the dayHimalayan Balsam, Water Mint, WildAngelica, Yellow Water-Lily, PurpleLoosestrife, Creeping Jenny, GiantFescue, False Fox-sedge, LesserWater-parsnip,Greater Water-Moss, WaterForget-me-not,Marsh Woundwort,Common Valerianand CommonStarwort.

On behalf of allthose who attended Ithank Sharon forusing up her sparetime to provide uswith such anenjoyable day andexcellent workshop.

Martin Buckland


14th September 2014

Clatford Arboretum,Marlborough

A group of 12 of us gathered to meet JackOliver on a fine, if chilly, Septembermorning. Jack’s arboretum is now over20 years old and some of his earliestplantings are becoming trees of good sizeand distinction but it is the range ofexotics and unusual hybrids which makeshis arboretum so fascinating.

Even before you get through the gatethere are interesting things to see, inparticular Prunus cerasifera, the CherryPlum, which has much larger fruits thanPrunus spinosa Blackthorn, has green,not black, twigs and flowers earlier in theyear. After that gentle start weprogressed quickly to a mutant form ofPterocarya stenoptera the ChineseWingnut, in the same family as Walnut.This unique tree has fern-like foliage andmay well become more widely availableas material taken from this specimen isbeing propagated by Hillier’s Nursery.

Jack has a large collection of Sorbusabout which he did a workshop for thesociety some years ago. Today westopped at just three – the much plantedSorbus intermedia Swedish Whitebeamwhich originated as a triple hybridbetween S. aria, aucuparia andtorminalis; S. anglica; and the very rareS. wilmottiana which is endemic to theAvon Gorge. It is the isolated cliffs onwhich these plants grow that allow themso readily to become new variants andspecies.

Few trees in the arboretum prove to bewhat the untrained eye is likely to firstcall them. The ash under which we stoodwas Fraxinus angustifolia the narrow-leaved ash. As is usually the case thesedays, discussions turned to Ash Diebackdisease which Jack thinks might not havethe major impact which some authoritiessuggest. The reason for this might lie inthe huge genetic diversity of ash and thusthe increased potential for resistance todevelop.

Specimens of Salix wereeverywhere, especially as theRiver Kennet forms oneboundary of the arboretum andhas some old Salix albagrowing on its banks. Welooked at the leaves of therather common S. x smithiana(the hybrid between S. capreaand S. viminalis) which aremuch broader than those of Sviminalis. Their shape isdifferent to the leaves of S.cinerea and they lack the rustyhairs on the veins. This hybrid is unusual

in that it can tolerate bothpermanently floodedsituations and also thedryness of the chalk. We alsosaw the primrose yellowinside to the bark of S.purpurea and learnt thatpurple willows have thisdistinguishing feature whilstother willows have a creamor white colour. Jackexplained how S. viminalisOsier, has a tendency to

collapse outwards and its branches rootwhere they touch the ground, evenallowing colonisation over fences!

We were kept enthralled not only byuseful tips for identification but also byJack’s knowledge of interactions betweenthe trees and some of the creatures theysupport. For example, the sugaryhoneydew of aphids (which can be sonumerous on Tilia x europaea CommonLime) drips to the ground to support thegrowth of nitrogen-fixing blue-greenalgae (now considered to be bacteria)which themselves supply the lime tree

with nutrients. In addition, within thecells of the lime aphids other bacteriamanufacture amino acids, so creating afour-way set of symbioses.

There were so many trees that we couldhave spent a lot longer in the arboretumbut there is a limit to how much we canabsorb at one sitting! As we turned tothank Jack for a stimulating morning wecouldn’t help but comment on a strangeyoung oak. He told us that it was aSavernake Cluster Oak – a variant ofQuercus robur in which the shoots arecontracted, there is no leaf stalk and theauricles extend around the twigs.

Pat Woodruffe – with quite a lot ofhelp from Jack!

Jack demonstrating - Tom Cairns

The test for Dogwood - Tom Cairns

The group - Tom Cairns

Collage by Titania, 26 months - Becky Morris

Arboretum leaves

- Tom Cairns


Visit to the Peak DistrictWe stayed three days at The Nightingale Centre, once a hospital run by Florence Nightingale, but now a comfortableconference centre forming quite a large part of the tiny village of Great Hucklow. All our meals were providedincluding packed lunches and we had spacious areas to gather and relax in, both inside and out. The only shortagewas tables to spread our specimens on, but there was always the dining room … We can thank Pat Woodruffe forarranging our visit and Ali Green for finding the centre. She has found us an even better one in Sussex for nextyear.

Dave Green organised and led our days out. He had researched the possibilities with local botanists and wildlifetrusts and gave us three great days with varied habitats, special plants and stunning landscapes. Read on to learn thedetails from our worthy authors.

Tom


Saturday 21 June 2014

Monsal HeadThis year’s botanical treat took us tothe Peak District with a grand start atMonsal Head. The normal rules of‘heads down’ in a car park wereignored and surpassed bybreathtaking views of the local hillsinstead however the plants were inneed of spotting and we commencedat the top of steps where the perfumeof Sweet Cicely, Myrrhis odoratagreeted us. Down some steps and thefirst of many sitings of a Hawkweedof the Hieracium grandidensaggregation. At the bottom of the hillwe came out onto a footway/cyclewayknown as the Monsal Trail. Thisbeing part of a former MidlandRailway route linking Derby toManchester and here we were greetedby Greater Burnet-saxifrage,Pimpinella major. We continuedalong the old Midland route pausingfor more than a while at a beautifulrose, Soft Downy-rose or Rosa mollisattracting more than a fewphotographs from many of us. Stopswere not limited to plants and fromthe old railway we were given manystunning views further down thevalley to the river below.

At a former Halt we found SouthernMarsh-orchid Dactylorhizapraeterissima and in cracks at theedge of the old platform FlattenedMeadow-grass, Poa compressa.Behind in cracks of a wall a prettylittle Pale Toadflax, Linaris repenswas admired. Meanwhile, Sharondisappeared into the bushes anddiscovered a colony of 100 or moreCommon Wintergreen Pyrola minorthat was actually the start of aprocession of many more along theride edge. A little further alongSharon stopped again to show us‘Heil Hitler’ grass, (no really!)otherwise known as Poa nemorosa orWood Meadow-grass one of itsidentifying features is a top leaf thatpoints out at an appropriate angle!

A little further along we were againstopped in our tracks or should that beon the track (?) for another brilliantview; this time Sir Richard

Arkwright’s Cressbrook Mill. A turnoff the cycle route took us downtoward this Mill where WildMarjoram, Origanum vulgare made anice start and we admired LimestoneBedstraw, Galium sterneri on theway. Down some steps within a dampshady area we saw Brittle Bladder-fern, Cystopteris fragilis, beforeturning over a small waterfall bridgeto rest for late elevenses by a largepool to the rear of the Mill. Sharondisappeared again, this time into thewaterfall mire doubtless to look atsome water sludge or somethinggelatinous.

Circumventing the pool we walkedalong the river and under some steeplimestone cliffs. An Arabis plantcaught everyone’s attention lookingvery like a garden version but nothere surely. To save time a samplewas taken for the evening get togetherwhere much determination tookplace. Richard’s book sealed it withthe comment Arabis caucasica,Garden Arabis introduced and locallyabundant i.e. Limestone Derbyshire!

Our walk took us to another millcalled Litton Mill where we had lunchbefore our route took us back to therailway path. At a tunnel in thehillside named Litton Tunnel weclimbed a steep path immediately toits edge where at the top we foundHairy Rock Cress, Arabis hirsuta.Stopping at some rock scree we sawLimestone Fern, Gymnocarpiumrobertianum and Lesser Meadow-rue,

Thalictrum minus. An apparent violetlooking plant was sussed by Dave asGrass-of-Parnassus, Parnassiapalustris just coming up to flower butsadly none found in flower. A littlefurther up we came to a lead –hole(sic) or a shallow chasm in the rockjust large enough to stand in. Thelocal area was mined for lead and thecold air flowing from the chasmprobably connected it to othersnearby was a very welcome relief onthis warm day. Sharon found thechasm interesting, again looking atsome slime I guess. The spoil nearbynaturally gave us Spring Sandwort orLeadwort, Minuartia verna and tomuch excitement nearby was foundBirds-foot Sedge, Carex ornithopodawhich is quite scarce and verylocalised in the UK. Dave then‘forced’ us to climb just a few metersup a very steep slippery stony slope,swearing as we went but all wasforgiven when Nottingham Catchfly,Silene nutans was the prize.

On our way back to the car park wepassed a Rock Whitebeam (Sorbusrupicola). I asked Dave why hewasn’t immediately shinning up it tocheck it out but he just said ‘he’ddone all that’ Humph I thought, he’llbe telling me next he’s found a Greenone!

Thanks Dave, a very fulfilling day;the plants were great and as I told himthe ‘views ain’t rubbish either’.

Martin Buckland

Viewpoint, Monsal - Tom Cairns


Sunday 22 June

The RoachesIt was another fine day and we headedwest for the Roaches, on the millstonegrit geology. Our first ‘goodie’ was(where else!) at the edge of the carpark – pink purslane Claytoniasibirica in full flower. As we walkedalong the entrance road, it was clearwe were in a very different area, withmore acid soils: heather Callunavulgaris, heath bedstraw Galiumsaxatile, bilberry Vaccinium myrtillusand hard ferns Blechnum spicant lined

the roadside. On a grassy slope therewas lots of a lady’s mantle, which weeventually decided (after muchdiscussion in the evening) wasAlchemilla glabra. Further on was abird cherry Prunus padus, and wemoved into damper conditions, with alady fern- lined well (Athyrium filix-femina), yellow pimpernelLysimachia nemoralis, and a meadowwith frequent great burnetSanguisorba officinalis and mat grassNardus stricta. A bank with lots ofbitter-vetch Lathyrus linifolius madeus pause, as the leaflets seemedunusually broad. Crossing the riverby a bridge under a fine oak – whichturned out to be a hybrid Quercusrobur x petraea with hairs on theunderside of its leaves - and noting agolden saxifrage Chrysospleniumoppositifolium beside the river, westarted up the steep path to Ludd’sChurch. The shady banks of the pathhad an abundant mossy flora –Plagiothecium undulatum,Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Sphagnumsubnitens, keeping Sharon busy. Weemerged from this wooded slope to animpressive rocky outcrop known asThe Curlew, where we paused forcoffee and admired the view.

Duly refreshed, we continued on toLudd’s Church, a name that confusedsome members who were expecting aman-made structure instead of thespectacular narrow cleft or chasm innatural rock that we entered in singlefile. It was noticeably cool in there,and the walls had a sparse flora on thesmall ledges – some great wood-rushLuzula sylvatica, more hard ferns, andwood sorrel Oxalis acetosa.However, the highlight for Sharonwas a special moss Tetrodontiumbrownianum, a lifetime ‘tick’ for her.We returned to the area near the riverfor lunch.

In the afternoon we took a paththrough woods along the river,finding an alien New Zealandwillowherb Epilobium brunnescens(which looks bafflingly unlike ournative willowherbs); climbingcorydalis Ceratocapnos claviculatawas by the path, and we held ournoses while inspecting Phallusimpudicus! Eventually we emergedout of the woodland on to a boggyslope and found a host of challengingplants – sedges Carex binervis, C.pilulifera, C. echinata, C. panacea,C. nigra and their relatives deergrass,Trichophorum germanicum, and thecottongrasses Eriophorum vaginatumand E. angustifolium, as well as twowood-rushes Luzula multiflora andL. campestris, and heath rush Juncussquarrosus. All these demandedcareful consideration of their IDfeatures – fortunately there were somedrier areas for us to sit on! Therewere also other bog plants present –sundew Drosera rotundifolia and bogasphodel Narthecium ossifragum justcoming into flower, the round leavesof marsh violets Viola palustris, andlesser skullcap Scutellaria minor.

Exhausted by this richness of less-familiar plants we returned along the

path, finding the liverwort Nowelliacurvifolia on a log, and made our wayback to the cars. Altogether it was asuccessful trip with something toplease everyone.

Sue Fitzpatrick and Pat Woodruffe

Sharon in Ludd’s Church - Tom

Pink Purslane - Pat

Bog Asphodel - Pat

Ludd’s Church - Pat

Climbing Corydalis - Pat


Monday, June 23rd, 2014

Miller’s Dale QuarryWe reached the Car Park at Miller’sDale. We parked in front of a wallwith a bank on top and not unusualfor our Group, we were ensnared bythe Car Park Delights. Packed withspecial plants and all at eye level!Rest-harrow, Perforate St. Johns-wort, Marjoram, Bird’s-foot Trefoil,Lady’s Bedstraw, QuakingGrass....how many banks worthy ofthe name Bellamy’s must there bearound here!

We set off down the Monsal Trail forMiller’s Dale Quarry. Quarries areusually exciting but this was likeentering the peaceful, happy, versionof the lost world. The walls enfoldedus and the floor carpeted with themost glorious floral arrangements. Itwas difficult to find any grass inplaces! We wandered about in ahappy daze ticking off each newfound friend. Great BurnetSanguisorba officinalis, Golden RodSolidago virgaurea, Bee OrchidsOphrys apifera, Fragrant OrchidGymnadenia conopsea and CommonTwayblade Listera ovata. We had tobe careful where we walked sonumerous were the orchids. Allaround us, and indeed all day, thewonderful song of the WillowWarblers echoed about the Quarry.Silver Birch Betula pendula andDowny Birch Betula pubescensdotted the floor and Sharon showedus the hybrid which is commoner than

we would think when the two Birchesgrow together. (Silver Birch haslenticels on first year growth but itsyoung twigs are hairless whereasDowny Birch lacks lenticels but itsfirst year twigs (near the buds) aredowny. The Hybrid has some hairsand some lenticels on first yeargrowth.) Ash and Rowan were about,too, but the outstanding beauty wasSoft Downy-rose Rosa mollis. Whenwe had seen one we soon began topick them out quite often in the day.Neville found a very pale form ofClouded Yellow here. It must havebeen happy amongst the FieldScabious Knautia arvensis and ourfriend Bloody Cranesbill Geraniumsanguineum with Meadow CranesbillGeranium pratense. The remains of agreat crop of Cowslips were all aboutus. A Peregrine was seen and heard.Along the track now, out of theQuarry, even more flowers if that waspossible. Limestone BedstrawGalium sterneri, Greater Burnet-saxifragePimpinella major,great swathes ofRosebayWillowherbChamerionangustifolium, I’dbetter stop here!

On the oldPlatform atMiller’s Dale thecarpet was out butof huge patches of

bright blue Milkwort and Thyme,Lady’s Mantle and BloodyCranesbill. Breathtaking. At theedge Dave’s head was noddingamongst the many MelancholyThistle Cirsium heterophyllum andJacob’s-ladder Polemoniumcaeruleum. On the steep sides of theRailway Bridges Sharon braved aprecipitous bank to rescue thesenotes. It was such a relief when shegot back safely. The old Limekilnwalls were like hanging gardens withHairy Rock-cress Arabis hirsute – Oxeye Daisies and Hawkweeds sp. Eachof the steps up to Priestcliff Lees wasmarked by a Common Spotted-orchidDactylorhiza fuchsia and at the topwe found Geum x intermedium, thehybrid of Water Avens Geum rivaleand Wood Avens Geum urbanum.And so ended the morning session!

Marjorie Waters

The quarry

Soft Downy-rose Lunch spot - Tom Cairns


Monday 23 June 2014

Bellamy’s BankAfter lunch sitting on an orchidcovered slope and watching theperegrines we went further along thequarry where we failed to find SpurgeLaurel (Daphne laureola) but foundsome huge Twayblades (Neottiaovata) and a Northern Dog-Rose(Rosa caesia). We also saw the RockWhitebeam (Sorbus rupicola) whichhas 7-10 veins and dark green leaves.

We left the quarry and walked downto the Monsal trail, here John andTom left us to walk back along thetrail. There was a moment's hesitationfrom Tom when told that we wouldpass a pub, but they continued alongthe trail. The rest of us descended tothe river and walked along the road,passing the pub without stopping andalong the river to "Bellamy's bank” onthe way we saw Garden Arabis(Arabis caucasica) and Woodspeedwell (Veronica montana) andthere was Mossy saxifrage (Saxifraga

hypnoides) on the opposite bank. Patalso saw a late orange tip butterfly.Bellamy's bank is the steep bankwhere David Bellamy found a hugerange of species that inspired him atthe start of his career. It wassomewhat rank, although there wasevidence of conservation activity. Ithad Nottingham catch-fly (Silenenutans) and we had a debate about anAgrimony (was it Fragrant Agrimony– Agrimonia procera) which couldnot be resolved as there were no seedsyet. The return was across the river,then our last strep climb up to theMonsal trail where near to Millersdaleviaduct we again saw Commonwintergreen (Pyrola minor). On ourreturn to Millersdale station manyenjoyed an ice-cream as it was veryhot.

Sonia Heywood

This is Bellamy’s Bank!

Common Wintergreen


Next generation ofBotanists?I'm sure many of us rememberchildhoods in wild flower meadows,and taking bunches of flowers hometo put in jam jars, or to school for thenature table. That physical connectionwith plants was what inspired me, andstill does – a small pot of commonwild flowers on the table cheers me,and doesn't add significantly tospecies extinction! I encouragechildren to collect small bunches, anduse all of their senses to enjoy them –feel, smell, and taste (whereappropriate!) add to the learningexperience. I know this can becontroversial with some, but if basicguidance is given, there needn't be aproblem.

It would be interesting to know whatothers feel about this.

There is a lot of discussion these daysabout children not connecting withthe natural world. While I don'tnormally make any link betweenpolitics and botany, I was pleased tolearn that children at primary schoolare now required to learn the namesof some native flowers – part of theScience Curriculum!

Several opportunities arose in Pewseyto spend time with young folk in ourlocal school.

Firstly, our local environmental group(PEAT) had propagated wild flowerseeds (mostly chalk downlandspecies) provided by North WessexDowns AONB as part of theirStepping Stones project - Paul and Iwere part of this team, and thechildren were clearly excited aboutthis activity – teachers commentedthat it was some of the least attentivein class that seemed to benefit most.

The following year, when theseedlings had been potted on andconsidered ready for their final move,we spent an enjoyable morning withthe class, planting them out in a localfarmer's field margin, preceded by abumpy trailer ride!

It occurred to us that the children maylike to explore their own schoolgrounds – nature being on thedoorstep, not in some faraway specialplace.....

Richard Aisbitt, our Chair, hadbumped into Oliver Cripps of theAONB, who asked whether WBSneeded any grant money.Coincidentally, we thought handlenses and ID sheets would take thework with the children a stage further.

So we arranged another session inschool, armed with the equipmentprovided via WBS.

The children were clearly surprised atthe number of different wild flowersaround their school, and the teacher,who admitted she had also learned alot, followed up with sessionsdrawing and labelling what they hadfound. These included CommonMouse-ear, Creeping and MeadowButtercup, Ribwort Plantain, WhiteDead-nettle, Hogweed, CommonSorrel, Common Daisy, and others wecan't remember.

Later that term, we walked round thelocal nature reserve with the class,though time didn't allow much closescrutiny of the flora!

Hopefully, the experiences willremain with some of them. Wecertainly enjoyed it.

Jane Brown 14th Sept 2014

New Whitebeamsfor Dave GreenDave Green has discovered a newspecies of Whitebeam and has evenhad it named after him. It is “Green’sWhitebeam” Sorbus greenii T. G. C.Rich, sp. nov. Dave first found it in2009 and recognised it as a distinctclone in 2011. It grows only on theGreat Doward, Herefordshire, with atleast 59 trees, mainly in twolimestone quarries with a few largertrees scattered between.

He also discovered another species in2010, “Hereford Whitebeam” Sorbusherefordensis D. Green, sp. nov., andis listed as the authority for thespecies.

These and other new Whitebeamspecies are described in a paper byRich et. al. (2014) in the New Journalof Botany, the successor to theBSBI’s “Watsonia”.

Dave was our VC7 plant recorderbefore moving to Wales. He has nowreturned to Bradford-on-Avon and isactively botanising in Wiltshire andbeyond.

Reference

T. G. C. Rich, D. Green, L. Houston,M. Lepši, S. Ludwig, J. Pellicer(2014) British Sorbus (Rosaceae): sixnew species, two hybrids and a newsubgenus. New Journal of BotanyVol. 4 No.1, pp 2-12

Sorbus greenii - Dave G.

Sorbus greenii - Dave G.

Documents

New WILTSHIRE BOTANICAL SOCIETY · 2016. 4. 15. · colour from Wiltshire Botanical Society Committee Richard Aisbitt Chair, Newsletter, Co-Recorder 01793 694680 [email protected]