Herbaria buzzing with activity all month.

I hope Peter Sell would have approved of all the activity in British & Irish herbaria this past month. You've already heard about what Chris and Susanne have been doing, and I know that both Waheed (BSBI Blogger) and Phoebe (member of the new Clare group) have been hard at work in herbaria this month - at Kew and in Galway. And Clive Stace was in the Herbarium at Leicester earlier this month to look at a specimen he collected in 1953.

Martin and the Staffordshire Hoard exhibition
Image: M. Godfrey

But Martin Godfrey has also been in touch about another way of using herbarium sheets. At the Potteries Museum in Stoke, they have been using specimens "to illustrate the plant material found in local Saxon excavations as part of the current Staffordshire Hoard exhibition.  The idea is to put the Hoard into a cultural context". 

Botanical collections really are a valuable resource and many are under threat, so it's great to see yet another example of herbarium sheets being used to inform, inspire and engage people.

Martin (right) in the field with Ian Denholm.
Beaumaris 2013
Image: L. Marsh

Martin says "Although the primary plants I selected were "economic" - things like hazel for the nuts, birch for charcoal and madder as a dyestuff, I did also include some "medicinal" items like woundwort and if you look just to my right in the photo (above), you will see greater plantain - the Waybread of the Anglo Saxons which was one of their nine sacred herbs and has a wonderful spell associated with it".

Martin concludes "It is great to see the value of plant collections being recognised and used to illuminate broader exhibitions - in this case, in recognition of the fact that in the past, plants meant a great deal more to people than they do today."

NB I've asked Martin for the "wonderful spell" and will publish it here when it arrives - maybe it will help us conjure up a botanical genie offering us 3 planty wishes for 2014? What would yours be?

STOP PRESS RBGE Curator Elspeth Haston was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland and the interview is available as an Audiobook here. She talks about the oldest specimen in the Herbarium (collected 1697), and the new species (around one each week) being described thanks to work carried out at RBGE.

A new BSBI group in the west of Ireland: part one.

Some of the BSBI Clare members
Image: P. O'Brien

A great start to the botanical recording year: news of the formation of the Clare BSBI Group, which held its first field meeting on 18th January 2014. Stephen Ward has been in touch to let us all know how it went; he is joint VC Recorder (with Sharon Parr) for H09 Clare, which comprises the administrative County of Clare and the Aran Islands (part of the administrative County of Galway). Stephen said "We had a successful first day, botanising at Carrownaclogh, R1588 and The Glen, Ennistymon, R1288, with smiley pictures and two substantial monad lists to prove it". 

I asked Phoebe O'Brien, one of the members of the new County Clare group, what made her want to get involved. She told me "County Clare is known for the Burren, an area of limestone pavement famous for its flora of arctic alpines and Mediterranean plants. It’s an area I have visited quite often during my Bachelor Degree at the National University of Ireland in Galway. My home is also in County Clare but inland, away from the Burren and the coast, with quite different plant communities. 

Clare recorders and doggie friends
Image: P. O'Brien

"Now that I am a qualified Botanist I want to explore as much as I can and learn as many plants as possible, starting with Irish native plants. To this purpose I joined the BSBI, and when I heard about the starting of a local group of recorders I jumped at the chance. The County Clare Group is organised by Stephen Ward and by Sharon Parr, who works on the Burren Farming for Conservation Programme which has been such a success. 

"It was a little intimidating at first (since my knowledge is so limited!) to join the group, but since everyone was so friendly and helpful I need not have worried. Stephen had chosen an area near Ennistimon to start the year's recording. It was next to a river and waterfall, and we followed a path into a hidden gorge. I was amazed at just how much I could identify in January when so few flowers were present and the plants looked not at their best. 

"It has been a mild winter here, though fairly wet. We were lucky on the day, the rain held off and after lunch we walked up a country lane toward an area of cut-over bog. The things which mostly caught my eye were the ferns and seed heads of last year’s plants. In the winter it’s easy to get distracted by lichens and mosses too, as my photos showed when I got home. I’m looking forward to the next meeting in February in East Clare."

Stephen & Co step out, recording card at the ready
Image: P. O'Brien

The Clare BSBI group are hoping to set up their own page on the BSBI website, so they can set out their group's aims and aspirations, including any recording targets they might want to set themselves towards the next Atlas. They will also be able to share resources, information about their meetings and give contact details for those wishing to attend.

Website Officer Alex Lockton is happy to set up a webpage for any local BSBI group who would like one. You just need to send him some text and a few nice images. 

Phoebe has also been telling me more about some of the exciting projects in Clare and on the Aran Islands, so I'm encouraging the Clare group to set up their own Blog and tell us more about farming for conservation on the Burren. 

But for now, Stephen says "If anyone (especially residents in Clare / Aran Islands) wishes to join the Clare BSBI Group on a field outing, please will they send their email address to me (Stephen Ward) at burrensward@gmail.com. I will send out further details of the next meeting as soon as possible, but it will be on 22nd February in the vicinity of Feakle in East Clare (Hectad R58). 

BSBI News 125 and Yearbook 2014 now out. 

Gwynn Ellis and Trevor James have finished the latest issue of BSBI News and the Big Mail-out has started! Members: your copy should be dropping through your letterbox in the next few days, but Gwynn and Trevor allowed me a quick peek at the Contents list, so here's a sneak preview for you:

• A note on new sites for the gorgeous Allium on the front cover. I won't spoil the surprise by telling you which sub-species or variety it is!
• A note on 'Dorset's last Wild Asparagus: back from the brink of extinction?' by Simon Leach et al. Simon's recent co-authored paper in New Journal of Botany 'Botanical records and their role in shaping nature conservation priorities and actions' has proved incredibly popular, so it's great to see him in News too.
• Report on incidence of Polypogon viridis on British & Irish streets. Have you spotted it?
• An extra ID character for Veronica agrestis/polita - now what on earth can that be...?
• Kevin Walker and David Roy (CEH) on a new plant surveillance and monitoring scheme for semi-natural habitats. Work on this new scheme was already underway when Ash Dieback arrived on our shores, so we can also announce that...
• BSBI is about to make a very big SPLASH as one of the key players in a major new project to survey, quantify and monitor the long-term impacts of Ash Dieback on the ground flora and epiphytes associated with ash trees in woodlands. 

Woodland, Hackfall
Image: K. Walker

Kevin Walker has been working closely with colleagues across the botanical and recording communities on both these projects, and SPLASH brings together the British Bryological Society, the British Lichen Society, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and, of course, BSBI. Read all about SPLASH, and find out how you can get involved, in BSBI News 125.

Apologies to non-members but you can only receive the latest BSBI News and the Yearbook once you have joined the society. News brings you all the latest plant sightings, ID tips and Big Botanical Ideas from BSBI members across Britain and Ireland, and the Yearbook has all our BSBI contacts, including the list of our expert referees and how to get in touch with them. 

Yes, if you are a BSBI member you can call on the services of international botanical experts like Prof Richard Bateman and Dr Donald Pigott, as well as our dedicated Beginners' Referees, to help you ID that plant. And it's absolutely free... but only once you have joined, so what are you waiting for? 

Which herbarium is Susanne in this month? 

Apart from a short break hanging off a rope in Madagascar (to get a better look at an orchid), Susanne Masters has been hard at work researching the effects of collection and habitat loss on edible orchids in Turkey. This involves visiting a lot of herbaria; easily as much fun as hanging off a rope - try both and compare them, if you don't believe me!

Susanne emailed "I was at the Natural History Museum earlier this week, and while going through specimens for my research came across quite a few that really brought to life either the plants or the different stories attached to each specimen. 

"APG3's rearrangement of plants has led to some changes in species names, and in the cataloguing of plant specimens. Using DNA was a significant component of APG3 and, as DNA techniques become more sophisticated, herbarium specimens are not only a record of morphology but also a resource from which DNA can be extracted and used to address current research questions. 

"Before digital photography provided a cheap and accessible tool, painted illustrations were the way to capture the colours of flowers and leaves to accompany pressed specimens. In some ways careful painting reproduces the impression of a white-flowered Serapias more vividly than even the best photograph. 

"A specimen that initially looked a bit insect-eaten and underwhelming was revealed to be somewhat more exciting on reading the accompanying text; the type specimen for Orchis fusca named by Jacquin in 1776 is currently officially known as Orchis purpurea Hudson (1762). I have seen sites where Anacamptis coriophora has been collected for salep in Turkey, so seeing an old specimen named 'Orchis exqua Salep' collected in Persia is an interesting image to pass on to an Iranian scientist based in Sweden who is working on the collection of orchids for salep in Iran. 

"Perhaps my favourite specimen was the type specimen of Orchis heroica collected by Reverend Edward Daniel Clarke. This plant is now known as Anacamptis papilonacea. 

"Undoubtedly the Reverend's choice of name was inspired by the site of collection, the tomb of Hector in Troy.  200 years ago, the Reverend picked an orchid on a UNESCO World Heritage site that is believed to be the site of first contact between Mediterranean and Anatolian civilisations. Even without GPS equipment, the Reverend has left a message that exceeds human lifetimes - orchids used to grow around the ruins of Hector's tomb. My question is: do they still grow there?"

All images of herbarium sheets on this post are reproduced by permission of the Natural History Museum. Click on the images to enlarge them and read those all-important herbarium labels..

Re-joining the BSBI. 

BSBI field meeting, Rutland water, 2012
Image: M. Crittenden

Good to hear from lapsed BSBI member Alan, who has just re-joined the society "because I wanted to learn more about plants but also because it seems to be a more accessible organisation than it was before. I think online presence plays an important part in this, with all the old newsletters and other resources such as the Plant Crib being available to download."

Alan has an excellent Blog called 'Learning About Plants' and now that he has re-joined, I have been able to add him to the list of Blogs by BSBI members (on the right). Do take a look at our 28th BSBI members' Blog for fascinating posts about plant ID with some great illustrations, from pressed specimens to pages from Alan's sketch-book. His drawings are really very good!

BSBI field meeting, Donegal 2013
Image: M. Long

Only one thing that worried me on Alan's Blog. He is obviously an accomplished botanist keen to improve his skills further, but refers to having "plucked up the courage" to book himself onto a few BSBI field meetings this year. I'm sure that after the first one, he will see for himself how friendly BSBI botanists are, and how much they want to help him learn. 

But here's a plea to any old hands attending meetings this year: think back to your first ever BSBI field meeting. I bet you were a bit daunted as you headed for the assembly point, not sure what would be expected of you. Would you be laughed at for not knowing your petiole from your peduncle? You've probably forgotten that brief nervousness, because as soon as you started botanising with your fellow members, you had a whale of a time and have never looked back! But this year, if you spot any new recruits at a field meeting, please remember to put them at ease straight away, so they can relax and enjoy every moment of their first BSBI field meeting. And then we can all get on with sharing field ID tips and honing our botanical skills together.

Snowdrops: ID is as important as phenology! 

Galanthus nivalis at Welford
Image: M. Crawley

Lots of interest recently - in print and social media  - about whether snowdrops are in flower early this year. But far less being written about how to identify which species or cultivar is under observation! 

So, may I point you all in the direction of Prof Mick Crawley's excellent Snowdrop ID key? It's one of many useful training resources here on our identification page.

If you've used the Snowdrop Key before, you'll know how helpful it is, especially if you are just getting started with identifying plants. So this is a reminder to try it again this spring. 

If you haven't tried the Snowdrop Key yet - it's free, easy to download and easy to use. You are welcome to try it out, whether for personal interest or as a teaching aid (but no commercial use, please). Have a go - it's fun and a great excuse to get outdoors for a while! 

Which herbarium is Chris in this month?

Chris Metherell in the Herbarium, University of Leicester
Image: L. Marsh

Another year, another herbarium! Eyebright expert Chris Metherell started the New Year with a visit to the Herbarium at University of Leicester LTR so he could look at yet more specimens of Eyebright Euphrasia. 

Once Chris's BSBI Handbook on Eyebrights is published, you will all be able to see just how exhaustive his research has been. But for now, these regular reports will have to do. So, these are Chris's comments, reproduced verbatim for reasons which will become clear:

"Great day at the University of Leicester Herbarium, viewing some of Peter Yeo's early specimens, including some unusual hybrids I've not been able to track down elsewhere. I concentrated on the N. Scottish material and hybrids of E. arctica but spotted some really interesting material to have a look at next time I come - E. arctica x salisburgensis - wow! And lots of material collected by Tom Tutin in Ireland. 

Richard Gornall (left), Chris Metherell & Eyebright specimens
Image: L. Marsh

"A really good start to the New Year, resulting in some slightly tweaked hybrid descriptions. A really well-organised and curated herbarium."

Thanks Chris and (declaration of personal involvement) glad you enjoyed visiting LTR where I have the pleasure and privilege of being part-time Herbarium Assistant under Curator Richard Gornall. 

Chris nears the end of a full day of Eyebright research
Image: L. Marsh

So I could hear all Chris's little squeals of delight as he worked through our Eyebright specimens. When they escalated into a full-blown "wow!"  I quickly checked in Stace 3 and on the BSBI Database to see if Euphrasia arctica x salisburgensis really deserved that wow. Click on those links to see if you agree that it does. 

Similar sounds emanated from the tea room shortly after, when Chris produced a chocolate cake for the Herbarium Team. 

So, if you want to visit your local herbarium and see things that make you go "wow!" then try following Chris's example: when you phone the curators to arrange your visit, check what kind of cake they like best!