tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68375523361785254942024-03-14T14:48:17.969+00:00Banstead Botany BlogJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-230366635002562542019-06-28T18:11:00.001+01:002019-06-29T10:37:31.018+01:00Arable extension<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCfUAPP568wdwXJ386XLYD9TaWFt5GkExc3eLrXpuZT0Eyg6tjun70ONku33yjXtCxSIYiiBN8HnusBQlfoTYgzqknQOO3bm-VQyzOOt67vOuDVdreuCUP3BF-g83vjjrvcHVqAFFGe8/s1600/IMG_20190528_172213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCfUAPP568wdwXJ386XLYD9TaWFt5GkExc3eLrXpuZT0Eyg6tjun70ONku33yjXtCxSIYiiBN8HnusBQlfoTYgzqknQOO3bm-VQyzOOt67vOuDVdreuCUP3BF-g83vjjrvcHVqAFFGe8/s200/IMG_20190528_172213.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past Canons Farm has been the subject of this infrequent blog on a number of occasions, I have a particular aversion to the agricutural concrete as on the left, that results from the farming techniques used most of the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the past two years, two fields close to Banstead have not been cultivated (in previous years
they seemed to have a problem eliminating Hogweed in crops) and last
year saw an explosion of mostly common arable weeds (see<a href="https://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.com/2018/08/arable-awakening.html" target="_blank"> Steve Gales post</a>). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuIk8FfNWxEsK-r-0ki-uSdLCOlC72QPVRyYyxPR48EfSEAHGI4Sr6jfl3h4nK7AoWyfkCem9bqTRVnT8u2qrhFqE8FvI8hY_41ubd31FGqne12o0OkeW1xjGGzzI4dR_Ff5nkV8GNG8/s1600/P1080216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuIk8FfNWxEsK-r-0ki-uSdLCOlC72QPVRyYyxPR48EfSEAHGI4Sr6jfl3h4nK7AoWyfkCem9bqTRVnT8u2qrhFqE8FvI8hY_41ubd31FGqne12o0OkeW1xjGGzzI4dR_Ff5nkV8GNG8/s400/P1080216.JPG" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was expecting all through the year for it to be sprayed but no, everything was allowed to seed and growth of wild flowers has continued into this year! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unlike last year when the hot weather tended to slow growth, this years rain has changed all that with Hogweed, Burdock, Weld, Poppies and many other species growing en masse making a spectacular picture at the moment, see left.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, for me the star that has dragged out this post is at the
eastern end of the field standing proudly on its own, is a plant of
Cotton Thistle, <i>Onopordum acanthium</i>, 2m high and not even flowering yet, impressive. It is not particularly rare but I have not seen it the area for a long time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgC1Ctb7HlHtGybnF7e6PFCp_isG5zE6_dnmfV1l_vUEDBpeF9RtRDZdQ-W8xSLuS-HCHRN0hI70fmUsUqrf6CO7SLb_MwU1kf0-7_w47JFIKWoJHxePDyDx6pelkl0LMT_1gN1BIUwE/s1600/P1080200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgC1Ctb7HlHtGybnF7e6PFCp_isG5zE6_dnmfV1l_vUEDBpeF9RtRDZdQ-W8xSLuS-HCHRN0hI70fmUsUqrf6CO7SLb_MwU1kf0-7_w47JFIKWoJHxePDyDx6pelkl0LMT_1gN1BIUwE/s640/P1080200.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
have no idea what is going to happen to these fields but it is worth
having a look in case the dreaded spray comes out. Whatever happens
hopefully the seed bank will be replenished!</span></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-69727683497252377462018-06-26T21:21:00.000+01:002018-06-26T22:18:45.644+01:00Exmoor visit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTBdSzEtJ_A1X53MbqePNY6kvPd9dpV9IS0qf-OyN5OV0dwWUVJZ4S7L_djWGtv8bs5lw9EI6YP19oZZG1i-SYa_MFuZvZ0Q7-u16EzeX2NdAxXiv4TJbMSolFdvxfMAHhtp-MfldNVA/s1600/Jasione+montana+18-06-09+Devon+%2528101%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1137" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTBdSzEtJ_A1X53MbqePNY6kvPd9dpV9IS0qf-OyN5OV0dwWUVJZ4S7L_djWGtv8bs5lw9EI6YP19oZZG1i-SYa_MFuZvZ0Q7-u16EzeX2NdAxXiv4TJbMSolFdvxfMAHhtp-MfldNVA/s320/Jasione+montana+18-06-09+Devon+%2528101%2529.JPG" width="225" /></a><br />
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Just back from a few
days on Exmoor, somewhere I have regularly visited for over fifty
years and always feel content. <br />
<br />
Exmoor habitats could not be more different from those on the North Downs, with few plant species in common, they range from open
upland heather moorland with associated bog to steep-sided wooded valleys.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBi3fwFyvzkN_WJ75-wrOsLG0CM8qy09p-lKwBQQ0MsE7zUL-569R8mS0lF0-qTQyQG7eh_eXE2KoididYgUzRasxp4tahlmcgL4YWy6yIi7E7D5aoqkTINh7lv0-3SVBEXyucN1Umg8/s1600/dactylorhiza+maculata+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBi3fwFyvzkN_WJ75-wrOsLG0CM8qy09p-lKwBQQ0MsE7zUL-569R8mS0lF0-qTQyQG7eh_eXE2KoididYgUzRasxp4tahlmcgL4YWy6yIi7E7D5aoqkTINh7lv0-3SVBEXyucN1Umg8/s320/dactylorhiza+maculata+.jpg" width="213" /></a>The moors have a rather
limited flora partly because of grazing but the carpets of Tormentil
and Heath Bedstraw were spectacular but just starting to flower was that
harbinger of high summer, Sheepsbit <i>Jasione montana that </i><span style="font-style: normal;">has
always been a favourite of mine if only because you do not find it on
the North Downs!</span><i>. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Bell
Heather was just starting to flower but it will be another month or
so before that and Ling turn the moors purple. </span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-style: normal;"> One of our objectives
was to try and refind Lesser Twayblade, </span><i>Neottia cordata</i> at one of its most southerly sites in the British Isles. Sadly the area was not
only more overgrown than it used to be but also very dry and heavily
trampled by sheep and ponies. No success there but we did manage to
find a few Heath Spotted Orchids that hadn't been eaten (right)! the level of grazing varies enormously from year to year, this year, perhaps because it has been dry for a while it was very noticeable. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcNUENBBr4AE43tOsdo9D1o3O5WjKKDp3Gei3a77W0MMNuK8SbWaeLhVG0l24eMmYpqy2fAFLCIvJn5GocJCkKi12eRJdYnnz462xJtwYtNmlvte8XnccFRAiTypYR2EBTmo3hZn9ZuE/s1600/Meconopsis+cambrica+18-06-09+Devon+%2528134%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcNUENBBr4AE43tOsdo9D1o3O5WjKKDp3Gei3a77W0MMNuK8SbWaeLhVG0l24eMmYpqy2fAFLCIvJn5GocJCkKi12eRJdYnnz462xJtwYtNmlvte8XnccFRAiTypYR2EBTmo3hZn9ZuE/s320/Meconopsis+cambrica+18-06-09+Devon+%2528134%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qDkKgLceWZ8velPXbRw98nAOlcaLtnSyO5ZXpq5Rnfo4iumX9UESFU4jksNkSHN4L0NW79m0crUq15p3wDAF-tHAsKzkELSaEfIcgWvU0Wiy8bFYxMfloPc9kFa7uLWaNW7AISyVank/s1600/Euphorbia+hyberna+18-06-09+Devon+%252829%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qDkKgLceWZ8velPXbRw98nAOlcaLtnSyO5ZXpq5Rnfo4iumX9UESFU4jksNkSHN4L0NW79m0crUq15p3wDAF-tHAsKzkELSaEfIcgWvU0Wiy8bFYxMfloPc9kFa7uLWaNW7AISyVank/s320/Euphorbia+hyberna+18-06-09+Devon+%252829%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-style: normal;">The
river valleys are a different proposition, protected, always damp and
shaded with a profusion of ferns and mosses as well as flowering
plants especially Cow-wheat. A few walks along the Easy Lyn valley
produced some of its specialities. Irish Spurge </span><i>Euphorbia
hyberna (left)</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is common and had almost
finished flowering, this valley is one of the few places in England
that it grows. Another fine plant Welsh Poppy </span><i>Meconopsis
cambrica</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (right) </span>also grows here deep in
the woods, a common escape just about everywhere, here it is
considered native. I must admit it looks right if nothing else.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXgj-dKc-5q2S1AuS8AMLnghF_J9I_1KnLUs3BHboENqaH5EEdmAwS8vrAHn2qL0JCQmliZ79HBcJdSGY73s66h2-WqhYpcIzNG1KmgAaFMukAAUhzGLRAnGfvFby3AeN8fb1uDVpz_c/s1600/Melittis+melissophyllum+18-06-09+Devon+%2528151%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1392" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXgj-dKc-5q2S1AuS8AMLnghF_J9I_1KnLUs3BHboENqaH5EEdmAwS8vrAHn2qL0JCQmliZ79HBcJdSGY73s66h2-WqhYpcIzNG1KmgAaFMukAAUhzGLRAnGfvFby3AeN8fb1uDVpz_c/s200/Melittis+melissophyllum+18-06-09+Devon+%2528151%2529.JPG" width="173" /></a><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />The
biggest surprise for me this visit was however finding a plant I have never seen there or anywhere else in Britain, Bastard Balm
</span><i>Melittis melissophyllum</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (left)growing in the same woods, where again it is considered native.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">It wasn't just plants, the Horner Valley a few miles east rewarded us birdwise with Pied Flycatcher and Redstarts. No pictures but did manage to get one of a very hungry Greater Spotted Woodpecker screaming for food!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoy9jykT-5V4dWVB6Wrr0pAImkq-Ak-tLBpjE12zDVlz9SaSdPugOvCDQJkWp3A8vr71pnohRlSN3xrnCS0jjd0MY3B57AybnH-Xs41NoQsk8qMC9TJHxnc70tt5GcKivVH1zRM0eMoE/s1600/gsw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoy9jykT-5V4dWVB6Wrr0pAImkq-Ak-tLBpjE12zDVlz9SaSdPugOvCDQJkWp3A8vr71pnohRlSN3xrnCS0jjd0MY3B57AybnH-Xs41NoQsk8qMC9TJHxnc70tt5GcKivVH1zRM0eMoE/s320/gsw.jpg" width="252" /></a><span style="font-style: normal;">The only thing we missed on from previous years were butterflies, we were just too early for the Fritillaries of various species including Silver-washed, High Brown and Heath that cruise some of the valleys like small birds in late June and July. </span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-style: normal;">Exmoor has changed very little in the time I have known it long may it go on.</span></div>
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Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-43554310249125770072016-04-15T16:55:00.001+01:002016-04-15T16:55:04.404+01:00Of Primulas (and a Violet)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a1pJRJDxeW1dvSTn9_eibkwUNOWcgPtK-aa7KN1-C-xTYe-XBLLd7YzkSk2d1KhKdNS008SJedP0UfkY7ALPYHtyqsqhG5-JpyUrH5w3eHvcPiBbEe-B-xppALd5w4XW1gJo7u9nMzE/s1600/viola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a1pJRJDxeW1dvSTn9_eibkwUNOWcgPtK-aa7KN1-C-xTYe-XBLLd7YzkSk2d1KhKdNS008SJedP0UfkY7ALPYHtyqsqhG5-JpyUrH5w3eHvcPiBbEe-B-xppALd5w4XW1gJo7u9nMzE/s320/viola.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The past few days of
warmth and sun has really kick-started spring on Park Downs. The
annual blue carpet of Hairy Violet (<i>Viola hirta</i>) has returned
and is better than ever, partially as a response to the shee<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">p-</span>grazing this
winter but mostly thanks to the Rabbits grazing!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span> Hopefully this is also good news for the Dark Green
Fritillary butterfly (<i>Argynnis aglaja</i>) that seems to be increasing at this site and for
which the Violet a larval food plant.
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P_NlQbhVMVoG4ywu1Beu7eDYBv8-up_3fuD3N-gGu3eNGU_VrNVf0TDDSuz3PABUn-IAWCgWMyaTNVxNcUutO8knNhCaKpC_rp-Nys_Ka9Rr9OxRPOia_LsvnGg9j-gO72a1kxkKHpw/s1600/cowslip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P_NlQbhVMVoG4ywu1Beu7eDYBv8-up_3fuD3N-gGu3eNGU_VrNVf0TDDSuz3PABUn-IAWCgWMyaTNVxNcUutO8knNhCaKpC_rp-Nys_Ka9Rr9OxRPOia_LsvnGg9j-gO72a1kxkKHpw/s320/cowslip.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also increasing
are the Cowslips (<i>Primula veris</i>), right, that are just
starting to flower and as long as the rabbits do not start nibbling
the flower stems they should be spectacular over the next few weeks.
In some areas there are so many plants it is impossible not to tread on them if w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a</span>lking through the grass. Again they benefit from rabbits grazing the sward and increase prolifically from seed<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4bPMqdYAKxLtBhVc7nBN7opOvJStu_U5dgsumjOwIcAdOHU1CNAiHcP6q04D2hg3KoOfl8DQgS1sllouCyUzx9YxUPNtQRMFlQ7NBy4IFBTDuAXqtZaAuLRxHWPnUSjs3snqNVrJkpY/s1600/primrose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4bPMqdYAKxLtBhVc7nBN7opOvJStu_U5dgsumjOwIcAdOHU1CNAiHcP6q04D2hg3KoOfl8DQgS1sllouCyUzx9YxUPNtQRMFlQ7NBy4IFBTDuAXqtZaAuLRxHWPnUSjs3snqNVrJkpY/s320/primrose.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Cowslips are early this year and this means their flowering is
overlapping with that of the Primroses (<i>P. vulgaris</i>),left, on
the slopes of Park Downs. These are a recent addition to Park Downs flora presumably from seed <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">originating with plants in Banstead Woods where they are increasing nicely.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsb_mr5BRh_oeoBtFE2QZXu4nPyYiKCIGu7VGEFfkNGg7dTwCQj3am4xqnxlWUhyphenhyphenukc2yCAE2OQ1ogIrYrsPXxyAcvuQ0Q3Ws6BzDHUhUH8Y-bEIWSrtboQSH9ST3g1elf8bjkBtKrXg/s1600/False+Oxlip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsb_mr5BRh_oeoBtFE2QZXu4nPyYiKCIGu7VGEFfkNGg7dTwCQj3am4xqnxlWUhyphenhyphenukc2yCAE2OQ1ogIrYrsPXxyAcvuQ0Q3Ws6BzDHUhUH8Y-bEIWSrtboQSH9ST3g1elf8bjkBtKrXg/s320/False+Oxlip.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This coincidence of flower which does not happen every year, holds out the hope
that over the next few years we may be lucky enough to get some
plants of the hybrid between the two, the False Oxlip (<i>P.x polyantha</i>)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, right, </span>the flowers of which are usually similar to those of Primrose but held in an a multi-flowered umbel similar to Cowslip. This picture was taken yesterday in <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The Hazels" coppice<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, in Norbury Park, where there is currently the most spectacular display of Primroses as well as a few plants of False Oxlip<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkxZeRImlVyd6IPEyoCiCCPUQ5t9eZLBkX4RdJv8j-Xhk_-eZlIT6bs6ILJW8SSmd6z41Yf4mJejOXEZefljHzI8qReiusVb_IG2uR-kiUz0KevT_6tysGd4J8G3tuJspSKVM1dDtw3E/s1600/Oxlip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkxZeRImlVyd6IPEyoCiCCPUQ5t9eZLBkX4RdJv8j-Xhk_-eZlIT6bs6ILJW8SSmd6z41Yf4mJejOXEZefljHzI8qReiusVb_IG2uR-kiUz0KevT_6tysGd4J8G3tuJspSKVM1dDtw3E/s320/Oxlip.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For completion it should be pointed out that <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">F</span>alse Oxlip is so-named baca<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">u</span>se of it's resemblence to Oxlip, a much rarer species of Primula (<i>P.elatior</i>), found mostly in the woods of East Anglia<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. I took the picture on the left in March 2014 in Bradfield Woo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ds, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Suffolk.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-71669753907464120262016-03-12T21:09:00.002+00:002016-03-12T21:11:53.499+00:00Depressing place!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It is the time of year
when IF the sun comes out it is warm and the faint green shoots of
spring are beginning to break and birds singing. A time to feel
good.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C9UQytK5WsO63skquaKse79MXEZJqIaiQI5PbrvzKeJ7hyhxGhiijS1O-bsKy1icAbKWuIZHFj2HAlu16U1w4HjM7VEGBn0xkp1j5PI_CedULnA_ofnyf2EOQRxAvESthwu4hIKnkpE/s1600/P2240361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C9UQytK5WsO63skquaKse79MXEZJqIaiQI5PbrvzKeJ7hyhxGhiijS1O-bsKy1icAbKWuIZHFj2HAlu16U1w4HjM7VEGBn0xkp1j5PI_CedULnA_ofnyf2EOQRxAvESthwu4hIKnkpE/s320/P2240361.JPG" width="320" /></a>However most days I
walk across Park Downs and in doing so walk along the side of the
adjacent field to the west of the Downs. What a depressing place, it
seems to me to symbolise all that is wrong with agriculture and the
causes of the decline in wildlife. At the moment the rotten stubble is waiting for
this years crop to be sown. </div>
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Last year it had a cereal crop and as is
usual was bombarded with insecticide and herbicide through the
season. Following harvest there was an explosion of seed
germination, mostly spilt wheat and rape but a few wild flowers including
Fumitory, Speedwell and Black Bindweed. This is obviously an
anathema to the farming fraternity and so out came the herbicide in
October/November to destroy the vegetation. Presumably, a total weedkiller was used and it must be effective because since then nothing (below), I mean
nothing, has germinated, even the moss is looking very unhealthy.
For all the value to wildlife it has, this field may as well be
concrete. You also have to ask if it's effects have last through the winter, what happens to the run-off? Not much better, the green in the background is a field of winter cereal that is no doubt due it's first dose of chemicals very soon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wSqHdil2P7men139zN8jt_7mrmiTssGAKE4AQcom-sRbWn4cIJeC66AJCwwo84ICAafFR_ldcnnBDhtxDYYpyVI_PAP5Aj7-0EY8U1Bwx70JTJvgv-T9qoD6OppG83nxQprRZwla2NA/s1600/P2240364.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wSqHdil2P7men139zN8jt_7mrmiTssGAKE4AQcom-sRbWn4cIJeC66AJCwwo84ICAafFR_ldcnnBDhtxDYYpyVI_PAP5Aj7-0EY8U1Bwx70JTJvgv-T9qoD6OppG83nxQprRZwla2NA/s320/P2240364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As if poison is not enough, this field has not been ploughed for some years. Prior to planting the soil is lightly tilled (no soil turning) and then the seed drilled. Without ploughing it means the surface seed bank is not replenished and with time the diversity of the seed bank will decrease until even the longest-lived seeds are dead, then the field will be able to be ploughed and nothing germinate at all. Now that would save on herbicide!! No weeds, no insects (no bees), no birds! </div>
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Elsewhere in the blogosphere <a href="http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/local-round-up.html" target="_blank">Canon's Farm</a> regularly features for its birds, perhaps it is not surprrising that it is usually migrants that provide the interest, after all they have to stop somewhere for a rest! The only saving grace for the breeding birds is that there are a numbers of copses scattered about the farm (used for shooting) and Banstead Woods is next door that can support some birds.</div>
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What is sad is that if you do a little research, all this is common knowledge but such is the power of the agricultural and agrichemical industry nothing gets done about it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCREeCosvR_J3bXDB4Tt9q6oU9bZgfpgcfPryw_r5FPFrnEaRwGLttq4uwAr5AI3ycM0EuHebeHNuCnLT_dYFm2T3d5OhytItUzF8KbMw6dcBy5Upv4C7e0mze4AdH1k24IwMZUe7v1w/s1600/Viola+arvensis+-+flower+Banstead+15_07_07+151.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCREeCosvR_J3bXDB4Tt9q6oU9bZgfpgcfPryw_r5FPFrnEaRwGLttq4uwAr5AI3ycM0EuHebeHNuCnLT_dYFm2T3d5OhytItUzF8KbMw6dcBy5Upv4C7e0mze4AdH1k24IwMZUe7v1w/s320/Viola+arvensis+-+flower+Banstead+15_07_07+151.jpg" width="295" /></a>Just to provide a little bit of cheer, cornfield weeds are by a lot of people usually taken to mean the obvious Poppies, Cornflowers etc. but to me most are much less obvious plants typified by one of my favourites, Field Pansy (<i>Viola arvensis</i>), with flowers less than an inch high you have to get down to see them but the effort is worth it!. This picture was taken along the side of this field a few years ago when it was abundant. Last summer, with improved spray coverage right up to the edge of the fields there were only a few plants scattered along the field.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaUIThbVpWVJUOMqnAdbZ_XGfDuejIGhK6DDklWLc4T-Vc_KhoYpoEi220XvAGS00a5vlq_b7RuSYNnyD0Z9ldKS0eMMN4NfDlB3qtZfDU11w4Bclt2APePhSod_kDyHuguKTVQ4pyKI/s1600/P2240361.JPG" imageanchor="1"> </a> </div>
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Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-55209687813330602582015-07-03T19:31:00.000+01:002015-07-03T19:31:18.306+01:00Corncockle!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0b8msDA8XXccpssv7YIuXOMRsmuHyMuUhvQHy3BP0rJLzICiNVOMPx2PexfUht3hpiITvXZjUIiVXtpI2x7vol1QOeoB_psZbbl3P4uVjyzwDtcZ1PcDkf9rcoHwMpgaE8Husxr9WkY/s1600/Corncockle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0b8msDA8XXccpssv7YIuXOMRsmuHyMuUhvQHy3BP0rJLzICiNVOMPx2PexfUht3hpiITvXZjUIiVXtpI2x7vol1QOeoB_psZbbl3P4uVjyzwDtcZ1PcDkf9rcoHwMpgaE8Husxr9WkY/s320/Corncockle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While taking the pictures of Kidney Vetch I thought I would also take a
few of the "extinct" species that has appeared on Banstead Downs this
summer. About a month ago, I found a couple of plants of Corncockle (<i>Agrostemma githago</i>) growing on a patch of bare chalk. exposed where bonfire ash had been buried. Corncockle is one of those species, including Poppies and Cornflower, referred to as cornfield weeds, annuals that do not compete well with other species and hence tend to grow on disturbed soil. Modern agricultural practivce has virtually eradicated them. It would be nice to think that these plants germinated from seed buried since the Downs were cultivated during WW2 and is a genuine wild plant. Unfortunately the fact that it was growing very vigorously and associated with equally vigorous Poppy plants suggests that someone may have scattered some "wildflower" seed. It is a beautiful flower nevertheless.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlIdtOckGsqeUN9kRl-RUUUCnWFoufPLxx47rVZgQW385bSkeG4ZvFwWW9IWH7Zkg7zxqVjn0kQBRtEStfjaxhyphenhyphen_rsoXOqvQjo-jaHWrFOrQzCb6cWI1RRExjtDZce8cdjM2_gef0g4U/s1600/poppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlIdtOckGsqeUN9kRl-RUUUCnWFoufPLxx47rVZgQW385bSkeG4ZvFwWW9IWH7Zkg7zxqVjn0kQBRtEStfjaxhyphenhyphen_rsoXOqvQjo-jaHWrFOrQzCb6cWI1RRExjtDZce8cdjM2_gef0g4U/s320/poppies.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Amusingly, when I Googled the status of the species on the web, the first pages to come up included<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2693783/Deadly-British-plant-thought-extinct-discovered-lighthouse-Public-warned-not-touch-corn-cockle-kill.html" target="_blank"> this example of newspaper nonsense</a> from last summer. Equally apparently the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2014/aug/26/corncockle-countryfile-bbc-packets-seeds-poisonous" target="_blank">BBC Countryfile programme </a>caused a bit of a stir as well! So sad.</span><br />
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Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-33061316722062593702015-07-02T20:51:00.001+01:002015-07-02T20:51:31.971+01:00White Kidney Vetch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM9UWTNQc8s9Weuj9w6u0vQkHP-w9CEutP9TMCnCHSH05yge4DtC7K7xiwR49jXH3Rz2C2crpl6gURMDWfhJv1i7Y4koNQPqJUOnsJSVh8ZhUIx9BwiNI87mIrUg094DXYvxBSkAmyiw/s1600/white+vetch+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM9UWTNQc8s9Weuj9w6u0vQkHP-w9CEutP9TMCnCHSH05yge4DtC7K7xiwR49jXH3Rz2C2crpl6gURMDWfhJv1i7Y4koNQPqJUOnsJSVh8ZhUIx9BwiNI87mIrUg094DXYvxBSkAmyiw/s320/white+vetch+1.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A couple of days ago Steve Gale wrote about the remarkable amount of <a href="http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/a-great-flowering.html" target="_blank">Kidney Vetch on Banstead Downs</a>, it is one of the best years for this seasonal plant for a long time. However what was all yellow a couple of weeks ago is now pinky-brown, flowering over for the year.... except: whilst walking round the Downs yesterday I noticed a patch that didn't look quite right, it was white-flowered Kidney Vetch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZwdz_T4RWL6hbTWSE3lrBWD_nV94QN0ufPuWHPrd5UPFtOMQq2LvcxmJGBe6iYpsbjvPHwWeSHG_enoX62uelk1pb8U_EhgeNQadlbxQkKcTZVkOhnJPNvqOOE7DCSEi58QbLZ9Nifw/s1600/white+vetch+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZwdz_T4RWL6hbTWSE3lrBWD_nV94QN0ufPuWHPrd5UPFtOMQq2LvcxmJGBe6iYpsbjvPHwWeSHG_enoX62uelk1pb8U_EhgeNQadlbxQkKcTZVkOhnJPNvqOOE7DCSEi58QbLZ9Nifw/s200/white+vetch+12.jpg" width="193" /></a>I have seen Kidney Vetch in many shades of yellow and on sea cliffs you can find pink and red forms but I have never seen white before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yesterday when I didn't have a camera the flowers were out but by this morning when I was able to get over there with a camera, they had already started to shrivel, hence the poor pictures, the second shows the comparison with the more normal yellow.. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In all I found two plants!! But enough for me to get back to blogging... perhaps! </span></div>
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Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-83776739711251537512014-06-26T20:22:00.002+01:002014-06-27T15:11:05.321+01:00Gladdon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A break from rants for a picture of one of my favourite British wildflowers, Gladdon (<i>Iris foetidissima, </i>also known as Wild Iris or Stinking Iris). Unlike may of its garden cousins the flowers have such subtle colours, a real beauty.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzeTkdRSFipmVYQKyR8JPCx3aH0FwjjmFWQFjPYQh_SradJvz3MSQh3iXazKsCjq5MYUD_1Hf58XcgZ4bRX_Tc4Dk_MBGjU0y4goXb0wSDPuq3xlSXVLMmf48uLvDDnAbOy9UT1heMB0/s1600/Gladdon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzeTkdRSFipmVYQKyR8JPCx3aH0FwjjmFWQFjPYQh_SradJvz3MSQh3iXazKsCjq5MYUD_1Hf58XcgZ4bRX_Tc4Dk_MBGjU0y4goXb0wSDPuq3xlSXVLMmf48uLvDDnAbOy9UT1heMB0/s1600/Gladdon.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plant itself is common and easily found along the North Downs but seeing it in flower is more difficult. It usually has three or four flowers on a stem but usually each only opens for a day especially in hot weather. I noticed this particular plant growing in dense scrub on Park Downs on Monday with the first bud just opening, by today all but one flower was going over. </span></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-57650991101762151112014-06-25T15:07:00.000+01:002014-06-25T15:10:00.780+01:00What makes me angry, I - Beans!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not beans as in food but their cultivation, at least in the Banstead area which I suspect is pretty representative of most farms elsewhere.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kBCpfyYP-FJOTjVGPG1yFbNyMe_YxnoHNpmgWWPUaFJBPqHnKv2tMsZgqjnC1uX2VHZ5r6L7Wvfl1CiOPSrDkN5Og999hyFvSiT3OrnCmLDftcpoAtcTVzk9i5WQOSUmv07QYbLvxCU/s1600/beans+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kBCpfyYP-FJOTjVGPG1yFbNyMe_YxnoHNpmgWWPUaFJBPqHnKv2tMsZgqjnC1uX2VHZ5r6L7Wvfl1CiOPSrDkN5Og999hyFvSiT3OrnCmLDftcpoAtcTVzk9i5WQOSUmv07QYbLvxCU/s1600/beans+1.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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The picture above shows a growing crop of Broad Beans. The average gardener would be doing well to have such weed- (and insect-) free rows of plants. These are however not in a garden or allotment but are part of a large field of the crop in Banstead. I have been walking the edge of this field for years and this is the culmination of many years application of herbicides to the field until they have successfully eliminated the vast majority of weeds, the second picture show what is probably the weediest area with just a few plants of a Fumaria sp.<br />
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I have addressed this subject before in this blog and expressed my sadness that agricultural success is associated with the loss of all ground cover and my anger that the associated pollution is largely uncontrolled. Such conditions obviously has an impact on the insect population and for those that survive, the recent insecticide application has probably done for them. It is noticeable that there are few bees pollinating the flowers in this field today. <br />
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Of course the response is that we need our farmers to be as efficient as possible in order to produce cheap food for the supermarket or for cattle feed. I suspect that the majority of the population would agree, again something that saddens me but then I am biased.<br />
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BUT this is not enough for farmers and politicians. <br />
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A couple of weeks ago the BBC ran<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27764658"> this story</a>, it beggars belief!!! Giving them wildlife conservation grants to allow them to kill plant and insect life destabilize the soil all because the unwitting plants provide a bit of nitrogen into the ground that will save the farmers money on fertilizer.<br />
To requote from the BBC: "We think including this measure is very positive for the environment" Andrew Clark, NFU. Well they would wouldn't they?<br />
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The whole thing is made worse when you read <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27719414">this sort of report</a>. Angry, moi?</div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-26568162551403470222014-06-10T17:03:00.000+01:002014-06-10T17:03:01.558+01:00What we have lost, I - House Martins <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 10pt;">I live in a bog-standard semi-detached
house in the middle of a long row of similar houses in the centre of Banstead,
when we moved in thirty years ago I was chuffed to find that our house was
blessed with several House Martin nests. Not only that but most houses in
the street had nests and although a few misguided homeowners seemed to enjoy
knocking down the nests as the birds were building (they make such a mess you
know) most appreciated their presence. One of the highlights of the
year was the anticipation of their reappearance in the spring and summer
evenings sitting in the garden were enhanced by watching these birds together
with Swifts hawking insects overhead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 10pt;">Alas no more, the number of nests dwindled over our
first ten years here until one spring none appeared, a sad year (around 1992).
I also witnessed a similar pattern around my parents home in south
London. Apparently this was a reflection of a much
wider decline across much of northern and central Europe
since the 70s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">Obviously one wondered why! To quote from the
RSPB page devoted to the species and addressing the decline: "They require rain to produce wet mud for nest building and for encouraging the abundance of insect prey, but cold weather prevents them feeding Large-scale mortality is regularly recorded during and after periods of bad weather, during both breeding and migration. On the other hand, hot and dry weather can result in mortality though dehydration and heat stress." This seems to suggest that climate change may be the important factor</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; line-height: 15.333332061767578px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 10pt;">I had always wondered where they found mud for
their nests locally because there was/is precious little surface water or muddy
ponds locally but I am not aware that anything has changed there. In
addition, at spring and autumn migration there are still plenty of birds
passing through, just not stopping!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 10pt;">My opinion (of course I have to have one) is that
their food source (flying insects) has dried up. Bats, Swifts and Spotted
Flycatchers have all shown a similar decline in this area, is it just
coincidence that they all have the same diet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 10pt;">Of course you have to then address
the disappearance of insects: climate change or farming
practice? Watch this space!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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come out yet?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 10pt;">I had to include a picture of a nest, unfortunately not taken locally but in the Mediterranean where thankfully,
there are still large numbers of House Martin and their presence on buildings
are more than tolerated and there are still a lot of insects (although that is
changing year by year in many places). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-39350097856378005682014-06-10T16:09:00.000+01:002014-06-10T16:09:53.114+01:00A long time in anger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is two and a half years since I posted anything here (should remove blog from title). This is not because I have not been out and about, not because I have had nothing to say but because each time I sat down to write a new entry I became angry! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I know I have </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have reached the age where grumpy is an apt if inadequate description</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> of my state of mind (I find that I can hardly pick up a newspaper without wanting to scream) and so I felt my anger was perhaps a little unjustified and my entries did little to help my condition or anyone who read them and I therefore stopped.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the intervening period my condition has not changed and my "therapist" tells me that the best way to treat my condition is by expressing the anger and its cause. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have lived in Banstead for over thirty years and in that time much has changed regarding the local wildlife, some things for the better but mostly for the worst. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In addition certain news items recently have really made my blood boil and are so relevant to the title of my blog. Therefore I have decided to use the blog to try and explain my anger and highlight what I think is wrong with the world (especially around Banstead) in the context of natural history!!! I know there are people out there much more capable than me to do this but who cares. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I apologise in advance to anyone fed up with rants especially since what follows is likely to be full of ill-informed, poorly-researched personal opinion and hypocrisy. However it may help my anger and enable me to die a happy man!! </span></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-78720354812296140972011-12-01T08:54:00.002+00:002011-12-01T08:57:38.261+00:00Farmland birds in decline!<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/30/turtle-doves-wild-birds-britain?newsfeed=true">Shock, horror, can't think why! </a>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-63427948276586018842011-10-08T22:33:00.009+01:002011-10-12T09:23:40.203+01:00Clathrus ruber - science fiction?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihixzh_2fd6q1O6SVCraMPM3dV0tipQWAecTP28S1TKLP8iJ5tbACp1JL7pP0b1LzoDA72SAVOPeGVD61yBbX1LFQC7ibScOLcJco5oKv9NBpbjn23xI2TNGTu81AUbt8bYsm_6GLUagM/s1600/Clathrus+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihixzh_2fd6q1O6SVCraMPM3dV0tipQWAecTP28S1TKLP8iJ5tbACp1JL7pP0b1LzoDA72SAVOPeGVD61yBbX1LFQC7ibScOLcJco5oKv9NBpbjn23xI2TNGTu81AUbt8bYsm_6GLUagM/s400/Clathrus+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662516758152628706" border="0" /></a>Sometimes the natural world throws up sometime totally off the wall and I think that this is the case with<span style="font-style: italic;"> Clathrus ruber</span>, a fungus related to the more "normal" Stinkhorns although it bears no similarity in appearance to them. <br /><br />More like a mockup of a brightly-coloured geodesic dome for use in Dr Who!<br /><br />My photos were taken this week, in of all places Banstead High Street where it has been appearing roughly at this time each year for at least the past three years on what was originally a pile of wood chippings. I never seem able to capture a perfect mature specimen, the one in the upper picture is starting to autodigest and the other has only just burst out of its"eggskin". <br /><br />Like Stinkhorns it has a fetid smell and attracts flies as confirmed by the second picture.<br /><br />Looking it up I find it is a native of the Meditteranean but has been spreading northwards in Europe!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpP2uhyphenhyphenW-qi4-JUqjVekf9QDDLR_cTHi2Z5BciDv_hxH3m1rM9P7DcgsicbVKWhJfXkRiYPiYtzpRATcJFecpRt1CE3haCDePIsyfFan4u0MFRJ3cELBf825llr_A1m9Hyxz1jHq5vee4/s1600/Clathrus+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 367px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpP2uhyphenhyphenW-qi4-JUqjVekf9QDDLR_cTHi2Z5BciDv_hxH3m1rM9P7DcgsicbVKWhJfXkRiYPiYtzpRATcJFecpRt1CE3haCDePIsyfFan4u0MFRJ3cELBf825llr_A1m9Hyxz1jHq5vee4/s400/Clathrus+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662516846245500642" border="0" /></a>Definitely an oddball!Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-83303055277399117402011-09-20T23:15:00.011+01:002011-09-21T16:18:54.047+01:00Harvest time in Banstead<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWT2W-Grn1baCDkVioKw7NlD8gfF6aJghscXyDMRUHtLme4ES2xU5f-LNO8e1QUOxRZ5eu_KQdybTdM9SEBaM-r0XwIfW5JI1ZFdowxLQp3t53d1Ue3izytZ6Nlcv0Q2954bAxDf2E2SU/s1600/P9142492.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWT2W-Grn1baCDkVioKw7NlD8gfF6aJghscXyDMRUHtLme4ES2xU5f-LNO8e1QUOxRZ5eu_KQdybTdM9SEBaM-r0XwIfW5JI1ZFdowxLQp3t53d1Ue3izytZ6Nlcv0Q2954bAxDf2E2SU/s320/P9142492.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654824810461122322" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:arial;" >Tis the "season of mellow fruitfulness" * in north Surrey</span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:arial;" >(and time for my irregular farming rant!) a season we associate with the golden browns of sun-ripened crops!</span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">On Canon’s Farm, to the south of Banstead, the cereal crop was harvested quite a while ago but now it is the turn of the largest crop this year, Flax.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">Back in April the fields were prepared for sowing in the traditional way (!), wipe out by spraying with systemic weed killer followed by light cultivation rather than ploughing and then seed drilling.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sadly this included the fields that had been under set aside for many years, these were not even cultivated but the seed drilled directly into the blasted soil.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">With our unusually dry early summer, there was considerable variation in germination across the fields and in places the crop is rather sparse compared to some years.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">A stroll over the fields two weeks ago showed the tell-tale tractor tracks that indicated that soon it would be harvest time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The fields had again been sprayed with total weed killer, presumably to enable uniform ripening of the seed by ensuring all plants were dead!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Within 48h green had disappeared now all is a uniform brown no doubt the crop will be cut in the next few days.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">As a townie I know little of good agricultural practice and no doubt those readers with a more rural bent and knowledge will tell me this is the way it is always done.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Furthermore that agriculture is a business and this makes it most profitable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However that does not stop my blood from boiling when I see this going on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">Canon’s Farm has been put on the blogging map by <a href="http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.com/">Steve Gale</a> and <a href="http://devilbirder.blogspot.com/">David Campbell</a> as an area that provides excellent birding.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However over the past twenty years I have walked the area and seen the demise of most common farmland birds as breeding species in the area, surely at least in part the result of intensive farming causing a lack of a consistent supply of food, seed and insect.</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">Even without the usual applications of insecticide, fungicide, fertilizer and selective weed killer that cereals get, the use of two applications of total weed killer just five months apart virtually guarantees a reduction in floral diversity that is frightening. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Of course this is inevitably followed by a collateral reduction in invertebrates, birds, etc., etc.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZJHSIxLmZNDv0MlIpIgZeyh-DR7GrQeAq6BICv2eTZYehjSGZvV9RxOYnsq9clmk9Jgx1vynM9fUV4mBkhNrRl4DU_5IPknRj-OIoh3xUAzBM7C3SM5FELQRpQysKtya3g6JDclMLbg/s1600/P9142493.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZJHSIxLmZNDv0MlIpIgZeyh-DR7GrQeAq6BICv2eTZYehjSGZvV9RxOYnsq9clmk9Jgx1vynM9fUV4mBkhNrRl4DU_5IPknRj-OIoh3xUAzBM7C3SM5FELQRpQysKtya3g6JDclMLbg/s320/P9142493.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654826741037577458" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">I would be less disturbed if the use of chemicals was carried out in a careful manner calculated to minimize the impact, e.g. by the use of buffer zones around the edges of fields etc.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Certainly in Banstead this doesn’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The picture on the right shows how much care was taken during the recent attack to ensure spray does not reach the adjacent hedgerow!</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal">I accept that farmers must use the most efficient means possible because they are in business but agriculture as an industry is the only one for which there is little or no policing of pollution from the processes used.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A massive amount of chemicals ranging from fertilizers to insecticides are applied to our countryside, the only control being financial. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not only do they casue damage at the point of application but many if not most drain into water courses etc. This is should surely be unacceptable!</p><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </div><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIW0ikw_oA1Wk07kvQ9odRMTlzZkOhP_IT4x-NxGtZelAC6nhqWjCEJf18NRHP_Wi_XE0ECKem3RUOFolICMjdtFCSYTfhmGCh7L1pZ72mVujblOuwjt0eK-skbH4-Cv0Bsu39_RlBf-w/s1600/P1130310.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIW0ikw_oA1Wk07kvQ9odRMTlzZkOhP_IT4x-NxGtZelAC6nhqWjCEJf18NRHP_Wi_XE0ECKem3RUOFolICMjdtFCSYTfhmGCh7L1pZ72mVujblOuwjt0eK-skbH4-Cv0Bsu39_RlBf-w/s320/P1130310.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654824337667596834" border="0" /></a>Just to add insult to injury and show how much they care, what do they do with the empty containers?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Throw them into Banstead woods of course (a SSSI)! The picture on the left shows one they did last year!</p><p style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style=" text-align: justify;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">* Apologies to Keats</span><br /></p>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-67803510946658805042011-09-06T19:14:00.008+01:002011-09-06T19:36:53.652+01:00Banstead Countryside Day 2011!!!This year has passed me by! Few posts on the blog, few trips out and not even the chance to follow many blogs or forums! Hopefully however that is about to change and I shall have more time to catch up and indulge.<br /><br />First job however is to prepare our (<a href="http://www.bansteadcommonsconservators.org.uk/">BCC</a>) presentation for the Banstead Countryside Day to be held this coming Sunday 11th September and starting at 11.00. This event is organised by the inexhaustible staff and volunteers of the DCMP (Downland and Countryside Management Project) and it truly celebrates the countryside with special focus on the local area.<br /><br />The Conservators have had a stall since it started, it has got better and better each year and I can guarantee a great day out for everyone. Over the years it has grown but not been commercialised and it remains a local event. It truly celebrates Banstead Countryside.<br /><br />It costs nothing for entry although I think programmes are for sale (which of course you should buy), for a whole days entertainment that has to be great value.<br /><br />See you there. Even better come up and have a chat at the Conservators stall!Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-32196286439878680432011-06-02T10:48:00.008+01:002011-06-02T19:34:50.905+01:00Butterfly (Lesser) bonanza<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9b2XOCs-QV7B4YaEqQyOlhB10XkgGIiMbci0VemG4SwKXMkmqWTrhzA7-H-DZWKcGnXzWsggzt_-vPzokVfYdoHtS8hc9oKJpL1mZ35ja2o2mBa_J6qd5uctAWLhelNTkEa4H9mzaAfA/s1600/White+incarnata.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9b2XOCs-QV7B4YaEqQyOlhB10XkgGIiMbci0VemG4SwKXMkmqWTrhzA7-H-DZWKcGnXzWsggzt_-vPzokVfYdoHtS8hc9oKJpL1mZ35ja2o2mBa_J6qd5uctAWLhelNTkEa4H9mzaAfA/s320/White+incarnata.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613664177467532066" border="0" /></a> <div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A day out with friends in the New Forest yesterday turned into an unexpected orchidfest. The supposed reason for the visit was to see if, in this early season Wild Gladiolus was out, it wasn't! However at the same time we managed to get some pictures of the white variant of the purple form of Early Marsh Orchid, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:arial;" >Dactylorhiza pulchella,</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> although I must admit because of the the problem of photographing white flowers in bright sunshine they were not exactly brilliant. It seemed then that the job was done and socialising was called for!<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: left; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7rlI2Pyjl55ZOuhIbdAc8YcAuh1Rr1y_dXZMzB-OC5v4O6qZph0ajpu2XamTiCheSnHXkFfOFSd16dogIRQ3tFOlL3jWdHzyuoSNGSI9oRNeF9m_mZzyz_0-F5Wml8aWlmCD2phHUig/s1600/but+flower.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7rlI2Pyjl55ZOuhIbdAc8YcAuh1Rr1y_dXZMzB-OC5v4O6qZph0ajpu2XamTiCheSnHXkFfOFSd16dogIRQ3tFOlL3jWdHzyuoSNGSI9oRNeF9m_mZzyz_0-F5Wml8aWlmCD2phHUig/s320/but+flower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613692265833604498" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLifLc4GLvpP3YCWn4XZgt3yrI5Fg9XPvC4ehm09dpOUj5Ut9Hc44eTAfSead3DZsNS1EB-gyTJ9E-tGXoTQVr5h0QPILQvCLY7D2Y2RLqGWRDqStXQHhM6_RQUZDk2AJu6Cq46f1nKg/s1600/but+flower.jpg"><br /></a>However on the way to the pub we decided to drop in at a site for Lesser Butterfly Orchid, <span style="font-style: italic;">Platanthera bifolia</span>, just in case there were a few in flower. <br /><br />There weren't, there were thousands! Scattered over a large area heath growing amongst Ling and Bracken, they were a spectacular sight especially where in places they were also with Heath Spotted Orchid, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dactylorhiza maculata.</span> Lesser Butterfly is not a species I see very often and so for this year when our local orchids have taken such a hammering it was especially satisfying to see.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYF84w-QZ_0prUEeu9X5mzNOOuTosH9S08XUUS-SBwv2zFCG-RGq6QEZfDXueR5t36XKTBl0dP2MtQFjlpzR2Sl5xsG2_Qvbzz5slqiG8ywJKOr_aDPiHmQD0qeadBDtor0CU7ruE8PM/s1600/Lesser+but+group.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYF84w-QZ_0prUEeu9X5mzNOOuTosH9S08XUUS-SBwv2zFCG-RGq6QEZfDXueR5t36XKTBl0dP2MtQFjlpzR2Sl5xsG2_Qvbzz5slqiG8ywJKOr_aDPiHmQD0qeadBDtor0CU7ruE8PM/s320/Lesser+but+group.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613664182942731682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLifLc4GLvpP3YCWn4XZgt3yrI5Fg9XPvC4ehm09dpOUj5Ut9Hc44eTAfSead3DZsNS1EB-gyTJ9E-tGXoTQVr5h0QPILQvCLY7D2Y2RLqGWRDqStXQHhM6_RQUZDk2AJu6Cq46f1nKg/s1600/but+flower.jpg"><br /></a></div></div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-65941156378005085402011-05-31T19:09:00.006+01:002011-06-02T20:27:48.000+01:00Powder-blue alien!<span style="font-family:arial;">Work and holidays means I have not had much time to get out and about locally recently and so not had anything to write about. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">However that changed yesterday whilst gardening when I happened to spot this little aphid on a leaf! I think it is the craziest thing I have seen in years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At first I thought it was dead and had been infected with a fungal parasite but once I had got the camera, it naturally started walking away and it took me a while to get a picture. Apparently one of the wings is damaged and I still suspect it has some disease. A quick Google for woolly aphids did not come up with any of this colour and believe me the colour is right.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So: is there anyone out there who knows what it is? If not I will have to post it on the Natural History site, perhaps I'll do that anyway.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">I did and it is </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Phyllaphis fagii </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">(Beech Aphid). Apparently quite common, I shall have to look more closely at the aphids!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPx0oIp3hb2HVnhFWr5r4H2vmvZLv6o1NK2TROHW14kII4M3p7qhakoHFEJNaejJ28lom0B8OvKA2KPffeY2xIGdBgBcXMtHZKbz-aB6AgrA6KXar1aBTLsPmqp0rjdY_TnNN7tsL2hs/s1600/Blue+aphid.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPx0oIp3hb2HVnhFWr5r4H2vmvZLv6o1NK2TROHW14kII4M3p7qhakoHFEJNaejJ28lom0B8OvKA2KPffeY2xIGdBgBcXMtHZKbz-aB6AgrA6KXar1aBTLsPmqp0rjdY_TnNN7tsL2hs/s400/Blue+aphid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612946709610628658" border="0" /></a>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-22345624343546752202011-03-04T19:32:00.004+00:002011-03-10T17:19:02.531+00:00Barberry blog<span style="font-family:arial;">Back to Botany!<br /><br />The picture below is of the inflorescence from a plant of Common Barberry (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Berberis vulgaris</span><span style="font-family:arial;">) growing on Park Downs, Banstead. It is a species I had never seen before and is regarded as an archaeophyte in Britain, a long-established alien. It is not particulary common.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Although the individual flowers are small (~1cm diameter) they are rather attractive with the large club-shaped stigma.</span><br /><img style="font-family: arial;" src="file:///C:/Users/JOHNPE%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png" alt="" /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ9iQwQKHr8PkIfBBcc6m-87793MNKRJBNZvSxRoZn3qlSMR7OQS3MFy9D-CGVASYiv5KbfgJgKozScDeaHjkgKgMoJZHQTywTYV5JclL_CFwHp8VMZhttKOWFAACDuaM6kpkU3WYAAg/s1600/barberry.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZ9iQwQKHr8PkIfBBcc6m-87793MNKRJBNZvSxRoZn3qlSMR7OQS3MFy9D-CGVASYiv5KbfgJgKozScDeaHjkgKgMoJZHQTywTYV5JclL_CFwHp8VMZhttKOWFAACDuaM6kpkU3WYAAg/s320/barberry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582499294793256482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">On Park Downs it has an interesting/amusing history. A number of plants had been known to be present over many years and it is said that when voluntary conservation work started about 20 years ago they were given the task of clearing scrub to give these plants a bit more space because they were being shaded out. The only trouble was that they didn't appear to be able to separate this species from more common chalk scrub plants and when they finished work they had cleared the lot, Barberry and all. This story is apparently true and it was assumed that the plant was lost from the site.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">However last year Roger Hawkins found this individual growing in deep shade that, despite being about 2m tall and having plenty of flower, would be diffcult to find unless you knew where it was. Nice to know at least one survives!</span>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-15218569928395817352011-03-02T19:26:00.006+00:002011-03-02T19:42:32.950+00:00Success!!<a href="http://www.waterplc.com/default.asp?pageid=100&newsid=102"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I am happy to be able to say that the massive campaign I ran on this blog (NOT!!!!) has been successful! (click here)</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Seriously, it is great news that the SESWC have decided not to attempt to cross the Heath. It is rather appropriate that the BBC used a Skylark to illustrate their </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-12596681">coverage</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> . A walk over the Heath the other day showed a considerable number of this iconic species taking up territories in areas that would have been reduced to a building site for a year and permanently scarred therefter.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A victory for common sense and a defeat for short-term thinking!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have learnt a lot over the past few months including some new things about the Heath and its inhabitants. Perhaps I will now have a bit of time to blog about them! </span>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-17889633596202313372010-12-08T20:31:00.001+00:002010-12-08T20:33:16.115+00:00Pipeline - the Heath's tale<span style="font-family:arial;">At present the preferred route (preferred by the water company and local council) for the pipeline would have greatest effect on Banstead Heath, in fact, among other things, cutting it in two for the duration of the work and effectively for a long time after.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Banstead Heath is one of four areas of common land that make up Banstead Commons (the others are Banstead and Park Downs and Burgh Heath), it has an area of approximately 300 hectares (750 acres). The Heath lies on the North Downs between Tadworth roundabout and Walton Heath (also common land but with associated golf course) and just reaches the M25.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The area is heavily used by the local populace for walking with and without dogs and horse riding but surprisingly not many naturalists appear to use it as their local patch, which is a pity. There is a dearth of records for both flora and fauna and the Heath has some real surprises for those bothered to look.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Heath has existed as common land within its current boundaries (give or take a little) for over five hundred years. At the end of the nineteenth century there was some gravel extraction (which was one of the contributing factors that led to the formation of the Banstead Commons Conservators) but otherwise, until WWII, traditional commoners' practices, cutting wood, grazing etc, meant that it was an open area probably mainly of heather and probably gorse. During WWII a large part was used as a military encampment and some was ploughed. After that the whole area began to scrub up and birch colonisation started. It was not until about twenty years ago that significant management began, aimed at improving the Heath both as an amenity and as wildlife habitat. Since then some dramatic improvements have occurred.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Heath cannot be described as a place of silence, the proximity of the M25 ensures that, but even in the height of summer, it is possible to find a peaceful spot away from the madding crowd just to enjoy your surroundings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A number of roads fragment the Heath but apart from a gas pipeline on the south-eastern edge, the main body of the Heath (over 200 hectares) has been untouched by construction, cables and pipes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">JUST the place then to carve up with a pipeline, no thought to history, no thought to users, no thought to wildlife and most important, no guarantee that the pipeline will not cause significant long-term damage to the Heath. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Why? For the water company it will save them a lot of money (mainly because they put no value on the Heath), for the council it seems that they wish to avoid the short-term disruption on the A217 and the associated reaction from the public. Interestingly in the only published test of public opinion (Surrey Mirror online poll in July, not scientific) that I know of, a considerable majority supported the route along the A217 rather than crossing the Heath.</span>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-7924714492298072032010-12-02T19:08:00.003+00:002010-12-02T19:09:52.734+00:00Pipeline across the Heaths - what value do we put on the countryside?Following on from the potential damage to Box Hill, another tale of local problems regarding habitat destruction is potentially more serious<br /><br />Sutton and East Surrey Water Company (SESWC) have declared their intention to install a water main from a reservoir at Mogador, Kingswood to Burgh Heath. They have a fairly simple choice between routing it across 4km of common land mostly on Banstead Heath and Burgh Heath or going down the A217, either in the road or alongside. If they cross the commons they will clear a 20m (yes, ~60ft) swathe along the length of the route to enable the work to take place. Both the water company and the local Council prefer the route across the commons, I wonder why!!<br /><br />Both Banstead Heath and Burgh Heath are well-used amenity areas for local people but more importantly (as far as I am concerned) are important habitats for both flora and fauna. Construction of the pipeline would cause massive short-term damage and the long-term effects could change the areas irrevocably.<br /><br />At this point I must declare my interest, as I have been a Banstead Commons Conservator (BCC, I am currently Chairman) for the past 15 years. The BCC manage this area of Commons although most is owned by the local authority and the SESWC require BCC permission to carry out this work. So far this has not been granted!<br /><br />The whole situation is quite complex, the nature of the Heath, the role of the Conservators, etc. and I aim to address and explain individual aspects over the next few weeks.<br /><br />I would stress that this blog will be my personal views that may or may not be shared by other conservators.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-76685519192380906152010-11-07T22:07:00.001+00:002010-11-07T22:07:58.757+00:00Let's trash Box Hill<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNGjrxK8YkpIR7jAzQHNvR9ozWMFvYJ6K6SVRmo2gRTL5Iy8r7tHzoUcqH2JmDXjh3oX3q4MqxMKlAlaL3kGjBSQ6mjC3mDf446bNedwE8pDbSM-_0I2At11rrpsYjyukOT253CRJJxk/s1600/zigzag1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNGjrxK8YkpIR7jAzQHNvR9ozWMFvYJ6K6SVRmo2gRTL5Iy8r7tHzoUcqH2JmDXjh3oX3q4MqxMKlAlaL3kGjBSQ6mjC3mDf446bNedwE8pDbSM-_0I2At11rrpsYjyukOT253CRJJxk/s320/zigzag1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536929640420583842" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >When I started this blog almost two years ago I saw it, like most blogs as a self-indulgence to publish anything that took my fancy plant-wise especially with local relevance. My posts have been more infrequent than I intended and having been busy with other things this summer, I haven't posted anything since June.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >In that period a number of things have happened highlighting the lack of real value put on countryside that have caused me varying degrees of anger, and so for the short-term at least the nature of this blog will change. It might not be campaigning but it will feel like it. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >I am going to start with Box Hill.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >I have known the area around Box Hill for many years both as an area of outstanding beauty and as a bit of a botanical paradise. However, as the result of a passing conversation a while back I suddenly had a brilliant idea, why not turn it into a race-track. There is an area of Box Hill, known by the locals as the Zig Zag, a steep-sided valley in which a road enters at the bottom and then through a couple of hairpin bends traverses one side of the valley to eventually reach the summit of the Hill. Motor cyclists (and others) love racing up it and the valley sides make a perfect ampitheatre for spectators. Couple this with the route either to the south or north of Box H</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >ill and we could set up a nice lap for a competitive race. The fact that the National Trust own it and I believe it is an SSSI should not really prove a barrier. Great idea!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >For those of you who know the area you might think I have gone mad, however this is exactly what is being proposed for 2012 although not for motorcyclists but cyclists. It is proposed that the Olympic road races for both men and women would incorporate this area in a lap that would involve the riders ascending the zigzag perhaps up to seven times.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >Obviously there has been much public consultation and discussion about this!! Well apparently no, at least not in the natural history world, it seems to have been kept quiet, with no posters advertising it even though the National Trust are apparently proud that the route has been chose for the race. Funny that the cycling press has been carrying the </span><a style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/470178/exclusive-2012-olympics-road-race-route.html">story for a long while</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >. One wonders why it has not been broadcast more widely in the local area, or perhaps it has and I have missed </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" >I love cycle road racing, the Zig-Zag would be a great place to watch a race and I know it will only be for a few days but is it really acceptable that such a special place as Box Hill is subject to the intense trampling there is likely to be (have you watched the Tour de France) even for the Olympics? I don't think so but of course the Olympics mean money!.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" > The provisional schedule for all Olympic events is due to be submitted to the International Olympic Committee this November and the final schedule will be approved early in 2011. There is still time to make changes, write to the National Trust!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />Overall, I can't help thinking that it illustrates the real problem that is associated with habitat protection in general, in that if money or other high profile influences come to bear, then for most it is nothing more than lip service!! Sad or not?</span><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9St8UtEHQFomEpZJRlR-BEreMWTvxogUeL6Wk52ueJqLgBSR8cRpxG5XiQ4BY3XKdYnXj7IbXH9ZHsCY5EEm5-CrgAxp3-qzXokLS1KFaBawPNA7VIGYpDgWetd940N0uADmhO1L_o3k/s1600/zigzag2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9St8UtEHQFomEpZJRlR-BEreMWTvxogUeL6Wk52ueJqLgBSR8cRpxG5XiQ4BY3XKdYnXj7IbXH9ZHsCY5EEm5-CrgAxp3-qzXokLS1KFaBawPNA7VIGYpDgWetd940N0uADmhO1L_o3k/s320/zigzag2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536929790787738306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">A lone brave cyclist sets out to take on the terror of Britains' answer to Mt Ventoux </span><br /><br /></div><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9St8UtEHQFomEpZJRlR-BEreMWTvxogUeL6Wk52ueJqLgBSR8cRpxG5XiQ4BY3XKdYnXj7IbXH9ZHsCY5EEm5-CrgAxp3-qzXokLS1KFaBawPNA7VIGYpDgWetd940N0uADmhO1L_o3k/s1600/zigzag2.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" >Next : Pipeline across the countryside!!! Watch this space</span></a>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-71061687716720795152010-06-23T18:14:00.001+01:002010-06-23T18:15:59.438+01:00Pollinators, or rather the lack of.<span style="font-family:arial;">Earlier this week, the funding of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10371300.stm">new research</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> into the disappearance of pollinating species was announced.<br /><br />Great, but isn't it amazing that almost fifty years since the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring we still don't seem to have scientific evidence that the wholesale use of pesticides/herbicides/fungicides/rodenticides/anyothercide are in some way deleterious to all forms of wildlife especially when mixed together!<br /></span>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-24219445509307467362010-06-22T10:37:00.013+01:002010-06-22T21:02:03.108+01:00Yellow is the colour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpRc7IgpsewNcim-NOfCwp9DHaEGG2Pzm642etYpTq5w_rOfqxBJ7qTypPtlsllh3rhVTAxqX_-p2i4dZ7GCmCGjvBLbS7Xv0Z6lyNJvPI9HG4BcJC59EJGlG1RY8uhn6umNO8MkGFgY/s1600/Helianthemum+nummularium.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpRc7IgpsewNcim-NOfCwp9DHaEGG2Pzm642etYpTq5w_rOfqxBJ7qTypPtlsllh3rhVTAxqX_-p2i4dZ7GCmCGjvBLbS7Xv0Z6lyNJvPI9HG4BcJC59EJGlG1RY8uhn6umNO8MkGFgY/s320/Helianthemum+nummularium.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485687956924299730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Locally, south-facing chalk downland has turned yellow over the past couple of weeks. It seems to be a great year for Bird's-foot Trefoil (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Lotus corniculatus</span><span style="font-family:arial;">), Horseshoe Vetch (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Hippocrepis comosa</span><span style="font-family:arial;">), Common Rockrose (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Helianthemum nummularium</span><span style="font-family:arial;">) and in some places Kidney Vetch (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Anthyllis vulneraria</span><span style="font-family:arial;">), these coupled with the odd buttercup all have similarly coloured flowers and are in full bloom at the moment. Good news indeed for many invertebrates especially the different species of blue butterflies that variously utilize these as food plants.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />An evening stroll over the North Downs scarp at Denbies, nr Dorking last week proved extremely yellow but also provided a variation of one of the</span><span style="font-family:arial;">se that transformed a beautiful plant into a real stunner.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlZrMCiRZvbgIJ-qbZSlZAiRG8qepN6BjCdlmQ1j3oww4F3aN3jIbLSeRsRSAUWKxE62-5kJVmc4TX8Dj5JAo6Ttd7CmRKw0FM2GqUrX7YMVGRe8PyTXjkSzz3pfaW9bE4TnyoNnPeK8/s1600/Helianthemum+nummularium+-+pale+form+square.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIlZrMCiRZvbgIJ-qbZSlZAiRG8qepN6BjCdlmQ1j3oww4F3aN3jIbLSeRsRSAUWKxE62-5kJVmc4TX8Dj5JAo6Ttd7CmRKw0FM2GqUrX7YMVGRe8PyTXjkSzz3pfaW9bE4TnyoNnPeK8/s320/Helianthemum+nummularium+-+pale+form+square.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485688078597711906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Common Rockrose normally has bright yellow flowers (above) with papery petals that benefit from close inspection. However, on this occasion I was lucky enough to find a much lighter variant (left), that seem to enhance the ephemeral appearance of the normal flower, almost poppy-like. Although this variant is not uncommon, on this occasion I only found one amongst literally thousands of the normal form, I have seen it before and it is well worth looking out for.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Absolute magic.</span>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-31838015083331871122010-06-15T21:51:00.007+01:002010-06-16T22:12:08.740+01:00Southern Marsh Orchid<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjdWWxPgc1FmC_Xx6YKSFoXIaf9_xOVeLNzZJMrZb4y52nDFoXMaSrdQk63YW1f4K4C5k7udYOP1NIn7gyQLBxu9o9tb5mtHGwO_5kg-9oItFmdfYV3V3llyKTkJnLpc47VQPAb_YOMg/s1600/D+praetrmissa.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjdWWxPgc1FmC_Xx6YKSFoXIaf9_xOVeLNzZJMrZb4y52nDFoXMaSrdQk63YW1f4K4C5k7udYOP1NIn7gyQLBxu9o9tb5mtHGwO_5kg-9oItFmdfYV3V3llyKTkJnLpc47VQPAb_YOMg/s320/D+praetrmissa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483108874802972738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This time last year we made a visit to the Sussex coast to see a veritable confusion of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://bansteadbotanyblog.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html">Dactylorhiza species and hybrids</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.<br /><br />This year we decided to simplify matters and so ventured to a site closer to home but still in Sussex where Southern Marsh Orchid (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Dactylorhiza praetermissa, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">right</span><span style="font-family:arial;">) grows alone. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">In a fairly small, boggy area surrounding a feeder stream to a pond there was a good show of several hundred plants. <br /><br />It is an imposing species that unfortunately all too readily hybridises with other members </span><span style="font-family:arial;">of the genus (especially Common and Heath Spotted) usually resulting in enormous variation in flower pattern and even difficulty in finding any "typical" examples of the parent species. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"> The remarkable thing about the plants at this site was that uniformity of flower colour and lip pattern was very similar as the picture below of flowers from three plants covering the width of the population. Made identification rather easy, not often the case.<br /><br />Incidentally and sadly, not so long ago there was a large population of this species on the southern side of Reigate Heath. Unfortunately now extinct because of the habitat drying out, apparently caused by water abstraction!!</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1Q80hyphenhyphensEwp89pbRRq24RNKrR_nRRCBoGksW3eozYJWk7ieIFL0Le4uWGI3glrucZblAGhoiKuf75IevUzRyp4s5VjqUSHqQ5hdXZKSk8vlm1l1tHMSnw1MM7-ldrS096vm3Vn_2TbRA/s1600/Three+Dac+flowers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1Q80hyphenhyphensEwp89pbRRq24RNKrR_nRRCBoGksW3eozYJWk7ieIFL0Le4uWGI3glrucZblAGhoiKuf75IevUzRyp4s5VjqUSHqQ5hdXZKSk8vlm1l1tHMSnw1MM7-ldrS096vm3Vn_2TbRA/s400/Three+Dac+flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483479018280315154" border="0" /></a></span></span>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6837552336178525494.post-52384431596838729422010-05-19T22:17:00.002+01:002010-05-19T22:21:15.712+01:00Conservation grazing???Chalk grassland is very much an artificial habitat around here, requiring management to prevent natural scrub progression occurring rapidly. The usual way to deal with this is by winter grazing with sheep or goats and on Banstead Downs there are a number of areas that have been grazed for over twenty years on a three/four yearly rotation. This year a small flock of Herdwicks did the sterling work through all the snow and cold weather (below). Their grazing opens up the sward and helps to maintain a low soil fertility level, in addition they do tend to nibble at some of the scrub. The important thing is they are removed in the early spring so that they do not eat the hopefully burgeoning flora!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9pshtZ9BPlxM6yzdTieWtRNrdHTM5OBULq-3Qlm9LQpB1ED1SPGXKntg1_NvQ7xcyqdeOarC5bdGqOXdTzkp0wJjcGLOI7QQw84noTIJHAYSEEl-vL7onIMWFkIyS9RqBUxGZKr0gDA/s1600/Herdwicks.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9pshtZ9BPlxM6yzdTieWtRNrdHTM5OBULq-3Qlm9LQpB1ED1SPGXKntg1_NvQ7xcyqdeOarC5bdGqOXdTzkp0wJjcGLOI7QQw84noTIJHAYSEEl-vL7onIMWFkIyS9RqBUxGZKr0gDA/s320/Herdwicks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473092091351568306" border="0" /></a>A similar pattern of management on Park Downs to the south of Banstead has been interrupted following a dog attack a few years ago that resulted in the death of a number of goats. One of the the dogs is still around and forage harvesting has been used to keep the herbage down. Not ideal.<br /><br />Recently however, nature has decided to help in the form of the local rabbits. Park Downs has had a rabbit population that for the past ten years at least has varied over a fairly regular two to three year cycle. Once they reach a certain density, myxamatosis appears and the numbers drop down, they then recover and the cycle repeats itself. The past two years have seen a break in that cycle, numbers have increased continuously and have reached very high levels with no sign of myxomatosis yet.<br /><br />Rabbits tend to have "favourite" feeding areas and rather than graze the whole site lightly they create small areas of close-cropped lawns and although the botanical diversity increase in those lawns, they have only a small impact on the site overall. This cold winter and increase in numbers has however seen a dramatic increase in the area grazed and the effects are beginning to be seen.<br /><br />On the good side rabbit grazing tends to favour the growth of less coarse grasses offering an advantage to other chalk grassland species that cannot normally competee hence species diversity increases, It also alters the physical characteristics of existing species, for example Cowslip, the picture below shows this plant growing fairly typically in a non-grazed area (left) and a grazed area (right), the plants are about 1/3 of the size, quite a difference. It doesn't help that in the latter example something nibbles the flowers just as they open, neverthless the species is increasing even in those areas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdFyWSlz9sprWuAa4wTD0AWR9JtQKSmWAq5HcuajXc1GTImbVx0ruizDGigm3akcvrD8FlCKpB7A2sjylHZ2SH78Sm4UqFfX-hSw-fmh4BYUxhY0o5Xv80SrMac5Jbj4JSMHRIAVoDYg/s1600/cowslips.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdFyWSlz9sprWuAa4wTD0AWR9JtQKSmWAq5HcuajXc1GTImbVx0ruizDGigm3akcvrD8FlCKpB7A2sjylHZ2SH78Sm4UqFfX-hSw-fmh4BYUxhY0o5Xv80SrMac5Jbj4JSMHRIAVoDYg/s400/cowslips.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473089237386549682" border="0" /></a>On the bad side, in the short term rabbits do not restrict themselves to grass and many plants fail to flower especially orchids that have there flowering stems renmoved as they elongate. In the long term, the effects can be more serious in that in well-grazed areas rabbits tend to dig for roots etc (I assume) and this can lead to rapid degradation of the sward. This is just beginning to happen in some areas on Parks Downs.<br /><br />It is a great shame that the rabbits can't be removed for the summer, proper conservation grazing!Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10289405027710339067noreply@blogger.com1