Countdown to the BSBI Summer Meeting

With one day to go before the BSBI Annual Summer Meeting, Field Meetings Secretary Jonathan Shanklin is feeling the strain!  

 

Valerianella carinata
Image courtesy of J. Crellin
http://www.floralimages.co.uk/page.php?
taxon=valerianella_carinata,1

He says: "The venue is expecting us (checked), the coaches are booked (checked), and everyone is due to arrive in time for dinner at 18:30 (e-mailed all). The weather will do what it will (probably rain). The hard part has proven to be matching up the requests on the booking tick sheet with the recording parties over the weekend. The initial matching up tried to include a recorder, a driver and a passenger in each group, matched according to the ticks, and made sure that everyone was in a different group each day. Whilst the theory worked fine, time had passed since the forms were sent in and for several people their plans had changed, so there have been quite a few revisions. I somehow suspect that there will be more when we all assemble.

"In the meantime Jon has been quite busy recording: he spent a week in north Oxfordshire at the beginning of May (nicest find probably Lithospermum arvense on a disturbed road verge), but still has a lot (maybe 2000) of records to type in, lead a party for an evening walk round part of Wandlebury Country Park near Cambridge, which required cycling up one of the biggest hills in Cambridgeshire (so not very big), spent a day with the local Environmental Records Centre surveying Cheveley (nicest find Trifolium subterraneum on a rather upmarket housing estate verge), had a joint excursion with the Essex local group (nicest plant Cerastium arvense in flower), and stopped off for an afternoon recording near Chester (Valerianella carinata probably the scarcest find) on the way to Blencathra. Much of today has been spent scything nettles from Dodleston motte & bailey!

"So that's it - fingers crossed that everything works and we all have a great time.  More blogs to come".

Spreading the word about Attenborough's Hawkweed

Three cheers for our colleagues at Taylor & Francis, publishers of New Journal of Botany, who got in touch last week after spotting this post about Attenborough's Hawkweed which we shared on Sir David Attenborough's birthday. 

Composite image showing habitat & close-up
Image Courtesy of New Journal of Botany
Images copyright Tim Rich/BSBI 

The paper by Dr Tim Rich describing the new hawkweed, which he discovered and named after his boyhood hero, was published in the December 2014 issue of New Journal of Botany. That means it's available to BSBI members but non-members can only see the abstract. 

The good news is that Taylor & Francis are making some papers free to access this year as part of a campaign around Aichi Biodiversity Targets and they have selected Tim's hawkweed paper for inclusion, as Hieracium attenboroughianum is categorised under the IUCN Threat category 'Endangered'. 

So now everyone can click here to read the paper in full and see images of Attenborough's Hawkweed in all its glory. 

Ireland's 'Rough Crew' in the spotlight

Rough Crew visit 'Ireland's Eye'
April 2016
Image: M. Long 

Now that spring is well and truly here and every day seems to bring another wild flower into bloom, botanists are heading out across Britain and Ireland to record what they find for Atlas 2020. 

And leading the way are the plant-hunters who make up Ireland’s famous ‘Rough Crew’ – an intrepid team of botanists who scale mountains, tramp through bogs and board small boats in search of interesting plants in inaccessible places.

Spring Squill, a plant with a
very restricted global distribution
Image: M. Long

It was probably only a matter of time before these botanical heroines and heroes came to the attention of the media. 

So last month when the Rough Crew visited ‘Ireland’s Eye’ – an uninhabited island which forms part of the Dublin Bay Biosphere reserve, a UNESCO site - journalist Terry Flanagan, from the 'Mooney Goes Wild' radio show was there to find out more. 

This is Ireland’s top national radio programme about wildlife. Terry interviewed BSBI’s Irish Officer Maria Long and we’ll post you the link when the interview is broadcast - this is scheduled for Sunday 29th May.

Maria told Terry about the important work that the BSBI does, and about how it is so important to visit places such as Ireland's Eye to see plants in situ in their habitats. 

And they found some great plants on the island during the Rough Crew’s visit – more than 100 species! 

Bur parsley: uncommon across Ireland
but lots growing on 'Ireland's Eye'
Image: M. Long

Highlights included:

• Scilla verna (Spring squill)
• Erodium maritimum (Sea stork's-bill)
• Carduus tenuiflorus (Slender thistle)
• Anthriscus caucalis (Bur parsley)
• Hyoscyamus niger (Henbane)

The botanists also enjoyed spotting some of the other wildlife found on the reserve – Maria tells me they flushed a pair of owls while plant-hunting!

Members of the BSBI Dublin local botany group were also present and Roisin offers this account of the day: “It was so nice to venture over to Ireland's Eye for the day and immerse ourselves in both its botany and ornithology. 

Exploring the old ruined church
on 'Ireland's Eye'
Image: M. Long

"In fact, it was such a fun day that seven hours felt like only a couple of hours as time ran away with us, and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy every second of the trip. 

"It was fascinating to see how the habitats change across the island with small pockets affected by historic digging to provide water for livestock, periodic gorse fires and grazing by rabbits. As well as the more naturalised coastal and cliff habitats. 

"Even the old church was smothered in lichens! Not to get too distracted from the plants, the bird life was brimming with species, and we even heard a Grasshopper warbler and saw a Puffin!

“Spotting the delicate pink Scilla Verna (Spring Squill) amongst the grass was a real treat and we all got a bit of a surprise when we happened upon the basal leaves of the highly poisonous Hyoscyamus niger (Henbane). 

Graham Day, BSBI's County Recorder for 
Co. Down, at Dublin Bay Biosphere
April 2016
Image: M. Long   

The trip definitely left everyone in anticipation for another visit to see some of the plants found once more as they mature over the season, and perhaps to add a few more to the list! 

A really great trip, bursting with wildlife, and right on our doorstep within Dublin Bay Biosphere. How lucky are we?!”

Rough Crew members sail away from
 'Ireland's Eye' after a great day's botanising
April 2016
Image: M. Long 

I’d say very lucky but not just because of the plants and birds – there are some great people in the Dublin area working together for wildlife! 

The Dublin Bay Partnership puts on educational events, often with partners, such as this Grass Identification Workshop. If you will be in the Dublin area on 28th June, how about giving it a go and sending a report for News & Views? 

Meanwhile, how about a round of applause please for Maria, Rory and other Rough Crew members, for Jenni and Niamh of Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership who organised the event, and many thanks to the Mooney Goes Wild team – we look forward to hearing the broadcast. 

Happy Birthday Sir David

Tim Rich and Attenborough's Hawkweed
Image courtesy of T. Rich

Today is Sir David Attenborough's 90th birthday so we'd like to wish him many happy returns and thank him for his services to natural history.

What do you give the man who has everything? You name a plant after him! Tim Rich has already done this (see image on right) and here is his birthday message to the great man:

"Happy 90th birthday Sir David Attenborough. I named Attenborough’s Hawkweed in his honour after he inspired me to study ecology when I was 17. He has also been an inspiration to many others around the world. Long may he continue!"

And so say all of us!

Wildflower of the Month: Bird's-foot Trefoil

Bird's-foot Trefoil flowers opening up
Image courtesy of John Crellin
http://www.floralimages.co.uk/page.php?
taxon=lotus_corniculatus,1

Where it’s found: 

Right across Britain, apart from a few high peaks and bogs in Scotland; in lawns and meadows, on sand dunes and rocky ledges, on road verges and old building sites… Distribution map here. 

What it looks like and where it got its name: 

Yellow pea-type flowers, flushed red when young, hence the old country name ‘Eggs and Bacon’. Also known as 'Granny's Toenails', Craw's-taes (in Scots) and Kattikloo (on Shetland).

Trefoil refers to three leaves and the Bird's-foot bit refers to the shape of the seed pods, which do look a bit like a bird's foot. This plant was named in pre-internet days when people had to make their own entertainment...

Seed-pods looking like a bird's foot
Image courtesy of John Crellin
http://www.floralimages.co.uk/page.php?
taxon=lotus_corniculatus,1

Interesting facts:

As a member of the Pea family, it can fix nitrogen in the soil – so it can make its own food! This is how Bird’s-foot Trefoil is able to grow on impoverished soils.

This plant contains small amounts of cyanide when fresh – not enough to hurt a human but maybe enough to deter a grazing snail? 

Once dried, it’s safe to use as a fodder crop.

Traditional uses: 

Bird's-foot trefoil has been used as a dye plant; in herbalism, for nervous complaints; and it is much loved by bee-keepers: bees make great honey from this plant!  

Importance for wildlife:

Essential food plant for the young of many butterflies and moths, eg Common Blue butterfly and Six-spot Burnet moth.

A carpet of bird's-foot Trefoil
Image courtesy of John Crellin
http://www.floralimages.co.uk/page.php?
taxon=lotus_corniculatus,1

In Scotland, three of our scarcest bee species are also believed to be completely dependent on the pollen of Bird’s-foot Trefoil: the pine-wood mason bee, the mountain mason bee and the wall mason bee.

More info here on Bird’s-foot Trefoil and its importance to wildlife in Scotland. 

I'll be chatting to Louise White on BBC Radio Scotland's 'Out for the Weekend' this afternoon about our Wildflower of the Month and encouraging listeners to watch out for Bird’s-foot Trefoil coming into flower in May. [LM: the interview is here, starts at 1.34]. 

Please share your photos of Bird's-foot Trefoil by tweeting them to @BSBIbotany using the hashtags #WildfloweroftheMonth and #outfortheweekend 

New population of Near Threatened plant found in Surrey

A new population of a Near Threatened plant has been discovered in Surrey, the identification confirmed by local botanists and media contacts have been alerted - a good news story for a change!

Over to Natural England's Press Officer Ellen Softley to tell us more:

Shepherd's Cress at Thursley NNR
Image: Graham Steven

A rare, tiny and unassuming plant known as Shepherds Cress Teesdalia nudicaulis has been discovered on Thursley National Nature Reserve in Surrey.

Similar in appearance to its common relative, Shepherd’s Purse, Shepherd’s Cress is classified as Near Threatened and close to imminent threat of extinction.  An annual plant of bare and sandy places usually associated with lowland heath, coastal sites, arable margins, mountain scree and disused railway lines, its widespread UK distribution belies the fact that it is undergoing declines across its range. Most colonies are small and isolated and its short-lived seed bank makes it vulnerable to extinction if sites become unsuitable, usually due to competition by more vigorous plants or urbanisation.

James Giles, Reserve Manager for Natural England at Thursley National Nature Reserve said: “I stumbled across the colony by chance while undertaking an invertebrate survey, and immediately told Graham Steven (Natural England Land Management Adviser) who was tickled pink.  He’s been hoping to find the plant at Thursley for years!”

VC55's only population of Shepherd's Cress
 - having a good year. April 2016
Image: Richard Mabbutt

Graham Steven said: “Shepherd’s Cress is very rare in Surrey and Hampshire, so I was over the moon when I heard of James’ discovery!  The habitat at Thursley is ideal for the plant, but this is the first time it has ever been recorded here. I visited the site to confirm its identity and determine the size of the population.  It looks as though it’s confined to a single site at present, even though there is suitable habitat elsewhere.” 

“I also spotted other more widespread plants which were also making their first appearance at Thursley, such as small mouse-ear and spreading meadow grass.  The discovery reflects well on the land management at the Nature Reserve.  Now we know they’re there, we will do what we can to help ensure the population thrives.”

Dr Pete Stroh, Scientific Officer at the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) said:

Shepherd's Cress in close-up
Image: Richard Mabbutt

“Shepherd’s Cress is a lovely white-flowered crucifer of sandy soils that requires periodic small-scale disturbance, bare open ground and lots of sunlight for seedling germination and establishment. Such conditions are, handily, often created by rabbits. The spread of myxomatosis in the latter half of the 20th century was bad news for such a small, ephemeral species. 

"Such is the current fate for many of our threatened and Near Threatened grassland plants, this time due to a lack of cutting or livestock grazing in particular, resulting in rank species-poor grassland and the invasion of scrub. In this context it’s really great to hear of a new location for a wildflower that has experienced such tough times in the recent past.” 

You can read Ellen's press release, with notes for editors, here. Please also check out the England Red List to see why Shepherd's cress is described as Near Threatened in England. See also the BSBI species account for this plant and here is the distribution map showing where the plant has been recorded across Britain and Ireland. The new Surrey population will show up in the next few days as a new dot on the map!

Keeping up with the latest botanical news

A reminder that there are several ways to keep up with the latest on-line botanical news from BSBI, partner organisations and the wider biological recording community.

Thale cress
Image: Timothy Body

As well as this News & Views blog, and the BSBI Twitter and Facebook accounts, we also post items of interest on the BSBI Bulletin Board on our News page. This is the place to check out forthcoming conferences and symposia, papers in scientific journals and much more. To post an item on the BSBI Bulletin Board, please email me brief details and a link.

But News & Views is still the place for all the latest stories about British and Irish botany and botanists, so please keep sending material to share here! That means images too, like the one above right from ecologist and BSBI member Tim Body. Spotted on Facebook, where Martin Rand, County Recorder for Hants., called it  "the best Thale Cress photo I've ever seen"! Many thanks to Tim for kindly agreeing to share the image here and it's also on the homepage slider on the BSBI website. Click on the image to enlarge it.