B&BC Botanical Society Newsletter - Issue 1 (2014)

8/20/2019 B&BC Botanical Society Newsletter - Issue 1 (2014)

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FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to the first Newsletter of the Birmingham and Black

Country Botanical Society! The idea for a newsletter to keep

everyone in touch, advertise future events, report on what isgoing on etc. was proposed at the AGM on June 7th and

everyone agreed that it would be a good idea. Sara asked if

anyone would be willing to edit and produce such a

newsletter……and there was much shuffling of feet, lowering of

eyes, inspection of fingernails, slumping down in chairs in a bid

for invisibility and a silence of ear-piercing intensity. Who

would crack first? Who could - as one colleague once put it – do

guilt for England? Who could clearly never hold out under

torture? Yes, it was me. ‘I’ll do it, if no -one else comes

forward’, I heard myself saying to Sara afterwards.

This first newsletter is fairly thin, but I hope it will set the ballrolling for future editions. It is intended to be a forum for

everyone to share their finds of individual species or whole sites

worth visiting and to share expertise. There are some

suggestions for regular features in the box on the right, but

please suggest any others you would like to see or to contribute.

I would also be delighted to hear from anyone willing to share

the editing.

If the somewhat bald title ‘Newsletter’ seems a little

unimaginative, then please let me know if you have any more

creative suggestions. I’m afraid that I have sat through too

many meetings in my professional career which have spent an

inordinate amount of time arguing over names for newsletters,

departments and even the entire institution for me to be

trusted to take the process seriously. If pushed, I would make

a plodding suggestion such as The Handlens before placing my

tongue firmly in cheek by going through the glossary at the back

of Stace: The Endosperm, The Fascicle, The Polyploid , The

Vicariant…… you try it, it’s actually quite fun! Serious

suggestions also welcome!

I hope you enjoy this first newsletter and that you can help to

make future ones useful and interesting for all our members.

Best wishes

Eleanor Cohn

Newsletter Issue 1 Summer/Autumn 2014

REGULAR FEATURES

These are some

suggestions - pleasecontribute if you can:

Reports on field

survey days and

other events.

Future events

Members’

recommendations for

good botanical sitesto visit.

Focus on species or

groups – for new and

more experienced

botanists

Flora update – new

records

Member profile

Notifications of

events which might

be of interest to

members.

Reviews of botanical

resources which you

have found useful

and/or interesting –

e.g. books, websites,


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IN THIS ISSUE

Plant identification challenge 2

Ian Trueman falls on his sword (maybe it should be sward) and reports on a new

record. 3

Mike Poulton takes us back on the walk round the Sandwell Valley which he led on

7th June following the AGM. 4

Eleanor Cohn reports on the field visit to Kenfig NNR on June 28th 5

Forthcoming field visits. 9

Contact details. 9

Appendix with species lists from field visits. 10

PLANT IDENTIFICATION CHALLENGE

What did Mike find in the former car park at the RSPB reserve in the Sandwell Valley?

Leaflets are all unstalked; eggy-yellow flowers are very small, 2-3mm, stalked and in c.4mm

fairly loose clusters of 1-6 flowers. See Mike’s report to confirm your answer!

Photo: Mike Poulton


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NEW RECORD

Ian Trueman

One of the unforeseen consequences of this

year’s field meetings was the discovery of a

population of Saxifraga granulata Meadow

Saxifrage just within the B&BC survey area in

the churchyard at Saint Bartholomew’s, Penn,

Wolverhampton in March at SO894952. I first

spotted the leaves on a recce for the 1st ofMarch meeting. If you take the left-hand path

by the church door, the path which follows the

main road upward, there is an patch between

the second and third tree on the left, just

after the memorial to Mr Scott on the

right. There are more patches higher up on

both sides of the path.

The vicar was contacted and although he said

it was ‘the strangest request he had ever

had’ he agreed to keep off the mowers, with

the result that the population proved to be

quite extensive and flowered beautifully,

allowing a definite identification..

The Flora states that there are only old records

in B&BC, and those are from StourbridgeJunction. The new record is doubly

embarrassing for me since the site is less than

a mile from where I live!

Saxifraga granulata seems to like graveyards:

there is a huge population in the municipal

cemetery at Bridgnorth and another in the

churchyard at Trysull, fairly near to

Wolverhampton in Staffordshire. Its less

anthropogenic habitats are usually in rather

moist, old, base-rich grasslands.

Saxifraga granulata (Photo: Ian Trueman)


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the RSPB reserve we stopped briefly to

examine sedges growing in the grassland just

inside the entrances into two of the meadows.

The first meadow contained Carex leporina

and Carex flacca and in the second the

rhizomatous Carex disticha formed a large

colony interspersed with spikes of

Dactylorhiza praetermissa. Other large

colonies of this orchid were also noted further

into the meadow. Returning to the path

several rather robust St John’s-worts on a

raised bank were confirmed as the hybrid

Hypericum × desetangsii.

Once into the RSPB reserve we looked at the

many plants of Poterium sanguisorba subsp.

balearicum which had been originally

introduced in a grassland mix when the reserve

first opened back in the early 1980s. AChimney Sweeper moth flew by at this point.

In grassland near the old visitors centre

another long-naturalised introduction from

the early days of the reserve, Securigera varia

was abundant, but still a few weeks away from

flowering. A search of the area which once

was the visitor centre car park provided us

with four clovers, three of them relatively

uncommon in B&BC, Trif olium striatum,

Trifolium arvense and Trifolium micranthum,

the latter easily overlooked amongst the

abundant Trifolium dubium. From here we

headed over the railway bridge towards the

temporary RSPB building to look at an example

of a fungus gall called pocket plum Taphrina

pruni which galls the immature fruit of Prunus

domestica, passing on the way two patches of

Arum italicum subsp. italicum growing at the

foot of the approach road hedge. Returning

through the RSPB gardens the many shoots of

Hippuris vulgaris were emerging from the

wildlife pond.

Our route back to the car park took us through

Park Farm Wood where examples of the easily

overlooked Epipactis helleborine were

detected in bare ground along the edge of the

path. A little further on we briefly stopped to

look at the Lemna minuta covered duck pond

which only a few years ago had been infested

with Hydrocotyle ranunculoides but now

appears to have gone. Many rapidly growing

sterile shoots of Equisetum telmateia were

prominent in the vegetation nearby. As we

headed up the drive towards the car park the

dried remains of the previous year’s fruiting

bodies of Geastrum simplex were noted from

the wooded roadside bank.

FIELD VISIT TO KENFIG DUNES NNR

Eleanor Cohn

Were you doingsomething really specialon Saturday 28th June,because if not, you aregoing to kick yourselves.Mike organised a trip tothe fabulous andextensive dune system ofKenfig NNR on theGlamorgan coast, nearPorthcawl. It was a longdrive – a little over 2.5hours (it would havebeen exactly 2.5 hoursbut for the roadworks onthe M5) – but well worthit. It was actually a verypleasant journey on good roadsthrough lovely countryside. Wegathered in the car park just after 10.00 am in glorious sunshine – all four of us, Mike, Ian, Lucas andme! Mike led us through the dune system, not following any set route, but sniffing out interesting

habitats.

Photo: Mike Poulton


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The species list at the end of the Newsletter is the one Mike actually made on the day, not the officialsite list, and is a testament to the variety of habitats we found and the extent to whichwe enjoyed exploring them. The list shows a few mobile dune species, Ammophila arenaria, Elytrigia

atherica, Carex arenaria and Cakile maritima, but mainly the dune system comprises fixed grassland

and dune slacks. The dunes are the result of large incursions of sand blown from the Bristol Channel

in the 13th and 14th centuries, but are now relatively stable. This stability, combined with the lack

of rabbit grazing, means that active management is now needed to maintain diversity by keeping thegrass short, stopping the slacks scrubbing over and creating bare areas.

The grasslands are quite variable depending on management, water regime, nutrient status etc., but

even the most stable areas nearest the visitor centre still have coastal elements, such as Carexarenaria, and a few surprises such as Ceratochloa carinata. Amongst the most visually and botanicallystunning of the dry grasslands we saw, were those on the coastal side of the dunes with carpets of

Anacamptis pyramidalis – more than you could put your foot between in places – within a flowerymosaic of Ononis repens, Eryngium maritimum, Thymus polytrichus ssp. britannicus, Leontondonhispidus, Calystegia soldanella, Orobanche minor and occasional bushes of Rosa pimpinellifolia withits lovely white flowers. We were also able to distinguish Agrimonia procera from A.eupatoria.Interest amongst the grasses included Helictotrichon pubescens and Catapodium marinum.

We enjoyed the summer-damp/wet dune slacks with Baldellia ranunculoides, Dactylorhiza praetermissa and D. incarnata, but the vegetation of some of the winter-damp/summer-surface drydune slacks was particularly striking.

Dry grassland with Pyramidal Orchids Anacamptis pyramidalis, Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor and Rest

Harrow Ononis repens (Photo: Mike Poulton)


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Although some were somewhat overgrown with Salix repens and patches of tall herbs, many others,

particularly where a cutting regime has been implemented to keep the vegetation low, were a

botanical and visual feast. Frequently, they were densely carpeted with Epipactis palustris (including

the almost white var. ochroleuca), richly dotted with Dactylorhiza species and hybrids, and Listera

ovata (which I see we must now call Neottia ovata). Other forbs included Blackstonia perfoliata,

Pulicaria dysenterica and Anagallis tenella, while amongst the grasses, Briza media added further

beauty to the vegetation. It was nice to see Equisetum variegatum too, though this can apparently

pave the way for a take-over by Salix repens (Rodwell 2000, British Plant Communities Vol. 5).

We had lunch sitting on the edge of thedunes overlooking the large, inviting andalmost empty beach with a view across thesea to the north-west to the Gower, theindustrial area being out of sight to theeast. We added more species to our listafter lunch, not least around the pools andpool margins where we added, amongstmany others, Eleocharis palustris, E.

quinqueflora, Equisetum palustre, Juncusacutus and Bolboschoenus maritimus.

The weather was kind to us – warm sunshineand a gentle cooling breeze almost all day. Wefound plenty of plants to feast our eyes on andsatisfy our botanical twitching, but we didn’tquite have things all our own way. As the daywore on and the addition of new species to ourlist slowed down, we still hadn’t found Pyrolarotundifolia, nor yet the rare speciality of the site, Liparis loeselii. We wouldhave been fortunate indeed to see this orchid gem. Its numbers have declinedperilously as the creation of open areas and fresh inputs of sand which it

needs, have all but ceased as the dunes have become increasingly stable.However, we were unwilling to leave without at least finding P. rotundifolia,

The search for Round-leaved

Wintergreen Pyrola rotundifolia

amid the Marsh Helleborine

Epipactis palustris slacks.

(Photos: Eleanor Cohn)

Lesser Water-plantain Baldellia ranunculoides

(Photo: Mike Poulton)

Early Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza incarnata

Photo: Mike Poulton


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Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja

(Photo: Mike Poulton)

so we consulted at the visitor centre and headed off in a different direction as the sun cooled andthe sky clouded over. On and on we went, searching for likely slacks.The clouds darkened andgathered over the Cirsiumdissectum and Epipactis

palustris-filled slacks where we

searched, and finally the raincame. Still we searched – it wasno hardship in such a rich andbeautiful habitat. We consultedother botanists we met, buteventually we had to admitdefeat and go back to the carpark.

However, we did not come wayfrom this last desperate searchcompletely empty-handed – wefound one of the Dark Green

Fritillaries, Argynnis aglaja, we had seen darting swiftly about earlier in the day, resting beneath theovercast sky long enough for us to observe it and for Mike to get a photograph.

It was a really great day. Very many thanks to Mike for organising and leading it.

The clouds gathering! (Photo: Mike Poulton)


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APPENDIX 1 – Species list from Sandwell Valley walk 7th June 2014

Mike Poulton

Arum italicum subsp. Italicum Italian Lords-and-ladies

Carex disticha Brown Sedge

Carex flacca Glaucous Sedge

Carex leporine Oval Sedge

Dactylorhiza praetermissa Southern Marsh-orchid

Epipactis helleborine Broad-leaved Helleborine (not yet in flower)

Equisetum telmateia Giant Horsetail

Geastrum simplex Common Earth-star

Hippuris vulgaris Mare’s-tail

Hypericum × desetangsii Des Etangs’ St John’s-wort Iris pseudacorus Yellow Iris

Lupinus × regalis Garden Lupin

Odezia atrata Chimney Sweeper Moth

Poterium sanguisorba subsp. balearicum Fodder Burnet

Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane (not yet in flower)

Schedonorus arundinacea Tall Fescue

Securigera varia Crown Vetch (not yet in flower)

Taphrina pruni Pocket plum

Trifolium arvense Hare’s-foot Clover

Trifolium micranthum Slender Trefoil

Trifolium striatum Knotted CloverVerbascum virgatum Twiggy Mullein

Vicia tenuifolium Fine-leaved Vetch

APPENDIX 2 – Species list from Kenfig NNR visit 28th June 2014

Mike Poulton

Agrimonia eupatorium Agrimony

Agrimonia procera Fragrant Agrimony

Agrostis stolonifera Creeping Bent Agrostis tenuis Common Bent

Ajuga reptans Bugle

Alisma lanceolatum Narrow-leaved Water-plantain

Alisma plantago-aquatica Water-plantain

Allium vineale Wild Onion

Alnus glutinosa Alder

Ammophila arenaria Marram-grass

Anacamptis pyramidalis Pyramidal Orchid

Anagallis tenella Bog Pimpernel

Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica

Anisantha sterilis Barren Brome Anthoxanthum odoratum Sweet Vernal-grass


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Anthyllis vulneraria Kidney Vetch

Arenaria serpyllifolia subsp. serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Sandwort

Arrhenatherum elatius False Oat-grass

Atriplex prostrata Spear-leaved Orache

Baldellia ranunculoides Lesser Water-plantain

Bellis perennis DaisyBetula pendula Silver Birch

Blackstonia perfoliata Yellow-wort

Bolboschoenus maritimus Sea Club-rush

Briza media Quaking-grass

Bromus hordeaceus Soft-brome

Cakile maritima Sea Rocket

Calystegia soldanella Sea Bindweed

Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd’s-purse

Cardamine pratensis Cuckooflower

Carex arenaria Sand Sedge

Carex flacca Glaucous Sedge

Carex nigra Common Sedge

Carex panicea Carnation Sedge

Catapodium marinum Sea Fern-grass

Centaurium erythraea Common Centaury

Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse-ear

Ceratochloa carinata California Brome

Chaerophyllum temulentum Rough Chervil

Chamerion angustifolium Rosebay Willowherb

Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle

Cirsium dissectum Meadow Thistle

Cirsium palustre Marsh Thistle

Cirsium vulgare Spear ThistleClematis vitalba Traveller’s-joy

Clinopodium vulgare Wild Basil

Coincya monensis subsp. cheiranthos Wallflower cabbage

Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed

Cornus sanguinea Dogwood

Crataegus monogyna Hawthorn

Crepis capillaris Smooth Hawk’s-beard

Crithmum maritimum Rock Samphire

Dactylis glomerata Cock’s-foot

Dactylorhiza fuchsii Common Spotted-orchid

Dactylorhiza incarnata Early Marsh-orchidDactylorhiza praetermissa Southern Marsh-orchid

Daucus carota Wild Carrot

Echium vulgare Viper’s-bugloss

Eleocharis palustris Common Spike-rush

Eleocharis quinqueflora Few-flowered Spike-rush

Elytrigia atherica Sea Couch

Epilobium hirsutum Greater Willowherb

Epilobium montanum Broad-leaved Willowherb

Epipactis palustris Marsh Helleborine

Equisetum arvense Field Horsetail

Equisetum palustre Marsh HorsetailEquisetum variegatum Variegated Horsetail


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Eriophorum angustifolium Common Cottongrass

Erodium cicutarium Common Stork’s-bill

Eryngium maritimum Sea Holly

Eupatorium canabinum Hemp-agrimony

Euphrasia sp. Eyebright sp.

Festuca rubra Red FescueFilipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet

Foeniculum vulgare Fennel

Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry

Galium aparine Cleavers

Galium palustre Marsh Bedstraw

Galium verum Lady’s Bedstraw

Geranium dissectum Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill

Geranium pratense Meadow Crane’s-bill

Geranium pyrenaicum Hedgerow Crane’s-bill

Geranium robertianum Herb-Robert

Glyceria declinata Small Sweet-grass

Gnaphalium uliginosum Marsh Cudweed

Helichtotrichon pubescens Hairy Oat-grass

Hemerocallis fulva Orange Day-lily

Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed

Hirschfeldia incana Hoary Mustard

Holcus lanatus Yorkshire-fog

Holcus mollis Creeping Soft-grass

Hordeum murinum Wall Barley

Hydrocotyle vulgaris Marsh Pennywort

Hypericum perforatum Perforate St John’s-wort

Hypochaeris radicata Cat’s-ear

Iris foetidissima Stinking IrisIris pseudacorus Yellow Iris

Isolepes setacea Bristle Club-rush

Juncus acutiflorus Sharp-flowered Rush

Juncus acutus Sharp Rush

Juncus bufonius Toad Rush

Juncus conglomeratus Compact Rush

Juncus inflexus Hard Rush

Juncus tenuis Slender Rush

Lathyrus pratensis Meadow Vetchling

Lemna minuta Least Duckweed

Leontodon hispidus Rough HawkbitLeontodon saxatilis Lesser Hawkbit

Lepidium didymus Lesser Swinecress

Leucanthemum vulgare Oxeye Daisy

Ligustrum vulgare Wild Privet

Linum catharticum Fairy-flax

Listera ovata Twayblade

Lolium perenne Perennial Rye-grass

Lonicera peryclymenum Honeysuckle

Lotus corniculatus Common Bird’s-foot trefoil

Lotus pedunculatus Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil

Lychnis flos-cuculi Ragged-robinLycopus europaeus Gipsywort


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Lysimachia vulgaris Yellow Loosetrife

Matricaria matricarioides pineappleweed

Mentha aquatica Water-mint

Molinia caerulea Purple Moor-grass

Myosotis arvensis Field Forget-me-not

Myosotis scorpiodes Water Forget-me-notMyriophyllum spicatum Spiked Water-milfoil

Nasturtium officinale agg. Water-cress

Odontites verna Red Bartsia

Oenanthe crocata Hemlock Water-dropwort

Oenothera glazioviana Large-flowered Evening-primrose

Ononis repens Common Restharrow

Orobanche minor Common Broomrape

Papaver rhoeas Common Poppy

Persicaria amphibia Amphibious Bistort

Phleum arenarium Sand Cat’s-tail

Phragmites australis Reed

Pilosella officinarum Mouse-ear-hawkweed

Plantago coronopus Buck’s-horn Plantain

Plantago lanceolatum Ribwort Plantain

Plantago major Greater Plantain

Poa annua Annual Meadow-grass

Poa humilis Spreading Meadow-grass

Polygonum aviculare Knot-grass

Polypodium vulgare Common Polypody

Potentilla anserina Silverweed

Potentilla reptans Tormentil

Poterium sanguisorba Salad Burnet

Primula veris CowslipPrunella vulgaris Self-heal

Prunus spinosa Blackthorn

Pteridium aquilinum Bracken

Pulicaria dysenterica Common Fleabane

Quercus robur Pedunculate Oak

Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup

Ranunculus aquatilis/peltatus A Water-crowfoot

Ranunculus flammula Lesser Spearwort

Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup

Rhinanthus minor Yellow-rattle

Rosa pimpinellifolia Burnet RoseRubus caesius dewberry

Rubus fruticosus agg. Bramble

Rumex acetosa Common Sorrel

Rumex crispus Curled Dock

Rumex hydrolapathum Water-dock

Salix cinerea Grey Willow

Salix repens Creeping Willow

Sambucus nigra Elder

Scutellaria galericulata Skullcap

Senecio erucifolius Hoary Ragwort

Senecio jacobaea Common RagwortSilene dioica Red Campion


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Sonchus arvensis Perennial Sow-thistle

Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle

Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow-thistle

Sparganium erectum Branched Bur-reed

Stachys palustris Marsh Woundwort

Stellaria graminea Lesser StitchwortStellaria media Common Chickweed

Succisa pratensis Devil’s-bit Scabious

Taraxacum officinale agg. Dandelion

Teucrium scorodonia Wood Sage

Thymus polytrichus subsp. britannicus Wild Thyme

Torilis japonica Upright Hedge-parsley

Tragopogon pratensis Goat’s-beard

Trifolium pratense Red Clover

Trifolium campestre Hop Trefoil

Trifolium dubium Lesser Trefoil

Trifolium repens White Clover

Trisetum flavescens Yellow Oat-grass

Tussilago farfara Colt’s-foot

Ulex europaeus Gorse

Urtica dioica Common Nettle

Verbascum thapsus Great Mullein

Veronica chamaedrys Germander Speedwell

Vicia cracca Tufted Vetch

Vicia sativa subsp. segetalis Common Vetch

Vulpia fasciculata Dune Fescue

Fauna

Aphantopus hyperantus Ringlet

Argynnis aglaja Dark Green Fritillary

Ischnura elegans Blue-tailed Damselfly

Libellula depressa Broad-bodied Chaser

Pararge aegeria Speckled Wood

Polyommatus icarus Common Blue

Thymelicus sylvestris Small Skipper

Vanellus vanellus Lapwing

Zygaena filipendulae Six-spot Burnet

B&BC Botanical Society Newsletter - Issue 1 (2014)

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