Last and Least - Water-lily, that is!

Image: D. Wrench

Great to hear from BSBI member Mags Cousins about a recent trip to find Least Water-Lily Nuphar pumila at Cole Mere SSSI. 

Over to Mags:

"This lovely little lily (on right) is on the England Red List as Critically Endangered. Cole Mere, in Shropshire, is the only remaining site in England".

[LM: You can download the England Red List free of charge from this page.] 

"The next nearest populations are in Scotland, which raises the question, why is there nothing in between, could it simply be a doomed glacial relic? 

Image: D. Wrench

"Apart from its isolation, another significant risk is that it can hybridise with the Yellow Water-lily Nuphar lutea. Both lilies can be found at Cole Mere: are they hybridising already? 

"The species can be distinguished by the shape of the stigmatic disks which is wavy edged or lobed in N. pumila (on left) and smooth edged in N. lutea (below right). 

"This and other features such as leaf morphology can be intermediate in hybrids.

Image: D. Wrench

"Cole Mere is not exactly a pristine location for this rarity as it is a lowland eutrophic mere which suffers from serious algal blooms in most years. N. pumila used to occur in three parts of the mere. 

"There are now only two colonies remaining but these are thought to have expanded recently in response to tree felling on the shoreline that reduced the degree of shading. 

"Could re-establishment occur in other parts of the mere naturally through seed or rhizome fragments? Rhizomes are regularly dislodged and are washed to the shore but did not seem to be rooting again and it was not known if the plants were actually producing viable seed. The image below left shows the uprooted rhizomes, probably uprooted by Mute Swans feeding on the submerged "lettuce leaves!

Image: S. Miles

"With so many questions it was time to get some experts together to find some answers and come up with a conservation plan.

"Natural England, Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew, Richard Lansdown (Chair IUCN SSC Freshwater Plant Specialist Group), Shropshire Council (the site owners) and the Shropshire Botanical Society set about a review of the status and ecology; the seed and rhizome viability and DNA analysis of the Least Water-lily at Cole Mere.  

Image: R. Lansdown

"We were ably helped by the Colemere Sailing Club who provided transport in the way they know best and the Inner Space Dive Club (on right) who just love any excuse to get underwater, even if the botanical remit was a bit different to their usual excursions: “Please can you count the number of petioles extending from the rhizomes?”

"Great fun was had by all and some really useful findings emerged which will be reported and published in full in due course".

[LM: Mags proposes submitting the manuscript to New Journal of Botany - hurrah!]

"Even better, after lots of intensive care, some brand new seedlings emerged from seed which are being nurtured by the team at Kew and will form the basis for a collection for conservation, public display and education at Kew Gardens". 

Many thanks to Mags for telling us about the Least Water-Lily!

Happy 20th Birthday to Somerset Rare Plants Group

Docks & Knotweeds workshop: a recent SRPG
meeting. Somerset County Recorders Simon Leach
 & Helena Crouch (sitting); Ro Fitzgerald (standing)
Image: Liz McDonnell 

Liz McDonnell has been in touch with news of a 20th birthday party for Somerset Rare Plants Group (SRPG). Over to Liz:

"Somerset Rare Plants Group is 20 years old this year. We are celebrating with an Anniversary Conference to be held on Sunday October 8th 2017 at Monkton Heathfield, near Taunton. 

"We have some really good talks lined up from distinguished and inspirational outside speakers and some of our own very knowledgeable members, and it will be a very informative and enjoyable day. It is a great opportunity to meet up with other members of SRPG and to share in the birthday celebrations with a buffet lunch and birthday tea. We are also inviting botanical colleagues from neighbouring counties, so it will be an interesting SW botanists gathering, but any BSBI members are very welcome. 

"Take a look at the flyer here; if you'd like to join us for the SRPG 20th birthday party, you can download and fill out this booking form and send it to srpgconference@yahoo.com to book your place and to let us know of any dietary needs for the buffet lunch. Further information about the conference programme and venue will be sent to you when you have booked your place". 

The Orchid Hunter tells his story...

Lady's Slipper Orchid
Image: L. Bersweden

There's been quite a buzz recently on social media around 'The Orchid Hunter', a book by Leif Bersweden which is due out next month. So I asked Leif to tell us what it's all about and this is what he said: 

"I have been hunting for plants almost as long as I can remember: in fields and woods, in bogs, up mountains, in rivers and even occasionally at school. When I was nineteen, I took a year out before going to university. For most people this might entail travelling around the world or carrying out volunteer work in a foreign country. Rarely, if ever, would it involve British plants. And yet I decided to spend the summer of 2013 searching for orchids.

Lindisfarne Helleborine
Image: L. Bersweden

"There are more than fifty species of orchid native to Britain and Ireland that flower every year all over the country. Many people have seen them all (with the exception of the enigmatic ghost orchid, Epipogium aphyllum) but often it takes decades to get photos of the full set. 

"To complete such a feat you would have to visit the remote mountainsides and wind-battered sand dunes of the North, the rolling hillsides of the South Downs and the beautifully barren landscapes of the west coast of Ireland. You would have to travel as far as Jersey to see loose-flowered orchid Anacamptis laxiflora, up to Holy Island to see Lindisfarne helleborine Epipactis sancta, not to mention going in search of the lady’s slipper Cypripedium calceolus, one of the country’s rarest plants.

"My challenge, then, was to become the first person to see and photograph them all in one summer. As you can imagine, this was easier said than done. Each orchid comes into flower at a specific time of year, remains at its peak for as little as three or four days and in many cases can only be found at a mere handful of sites. This means that seeing them all in one growing season, ideally in good condition, was nothing short of an organisational nightmare. 

Loose-flowered Orchid
Image: L. Bersweden

"Throughout the summer I was heavily reliant on the help of amateur botanists and BSBI County Recorders around the country. They assisted with site information and updated me on when certain species were coming into flower.

"I learnt about genetics, evolution, British plant-hunting history, human obsession and the vagaries of the British climate. From beginning to end I drove nearly 10,000 miles, took in excess of 50,000 photographs, visited 48 counties and went through two cars. 

"In the first week of July alone I went from Wiltshire to Wales, across to Kent, back to Gloucestershire and ended up on the Outer Hebrides three days later. It was, if nothing else, a wonderful way to see the country.

"If you want to read more about my summer in search of orchids, I’ve written a book, The Orchid Hunter, which is due out on 5th October 2017. It will be in all major bookshops and is currently available for pre-order online by clicking this link."

Many thanks to Leif for telling us all about his orchidaceous peregrinations and thanks also to all the BSBI members who helped him track down these iconic plants!  

Leek-coloured Hawkweed, thought extinct, now refound in Derbyshire

Rhodri Thomas, Natural Environment & Rural
Economy Team Manager, Peak District National
Park, examines the Leek-coloured Hawkweed
Image: Alex Hyde
Image reproduced courtesy of
Peak District National Park Authority

Many thanks to Alison Riley, Comms Officer at the Peak District National Park Authority, for getting in touch with the exciting news that BSBI member Tim Rich has refound Leek-coloured Hawkweed, thought to be extinct, in the National Park. 

Alison said "Two small populations of the Leek-coloured Hawkweed Hieracium subprasinifolium, 62 plants in total, have been found flowering on the banks of the Monsal Trail, in Chee Dale.

"The discovery was made by Dr Tim Rich while collecting seeds for Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank".

Alison also points out that Leek-coloured hawkweed was first discovered in Great Rocks Dale in the Peak District Dales in 1898 by Rev. E. F. Linton whose brother William Linton wrote the first Flora of Derbyshire. E.F. Linton recorded it at the original site in 1903 and also discovered it at Chee Dale, which is now the only known location in the world where the plant is found. 

Close-up of the Leek-coloured Hawkweed
Image: Alex Hyde
Image reproduced courtesy of
Peak District National Park Authority

Both sites (Chee Dale and Great Rocks Dale) are owned by the Peak District National Park and managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Hieracium subprasinifolium was not described as a species new to science until 1942.

Tim Rich said: “Leek-coloured Hawkweed has not been seen in Derbyshire for over 60 years and is thought to have died out at its only other known world site in Staffordshire a few years ago, so I was very, very pleased to find these two small but healthy populations growing near the Monsal Trail. 

"Hawkweeds are fascinating and unusual plants, we know of more than 400 species of hawkweed in Britain. Many are very uncommon or rare, and include British hawkweed, Dales hawkweed and Derby hawkweed, which are unique to the Peak District.”

Report on the Inaugural Grassland Conservation Conference: Day One

GCC2017 group photo
Image: A. Lyons

Back in June, we featured a trailer for the forthcoming Grassland Conservation Conference, due to be held at Edge Hill University on 14th-15th August. Organiser Ashley Lyons is now back to tell us about the conference. Over to Ashley:

"The inaugural Grassland Conservation Conference took place at Edge Hill University earlier this month and was attended by a group of around 50 academics, conservation practitioners and farmers. Spread over two days, the conference provided an excellent forum for the discussion of research and practical conservation. The first day followed a traditional conference format with a series of talks, a poster session and an excellent conference meal.

Richard Jefferson, Senior Grassland Specialist of Natural England (on left) opened proceedings with the Keynote talk ‘Evidence to advice: How researcher-practitioner partnerships can support successful grassland conservation’. Richard’s talk was particularly apt as the aim of the conference was to promote collaboration and dissemination of knowledge between researchers and practitioners. 

This was followed by a varied and interesting range of talks which included talks on organisms associated with grasslands from three separate Kingdoms!

The first talk in the oral sessions came from the Wildlife Trust’s Mark Champion who discussed the development of grasslands on post-industrial sites, a very interesting talk that demonstrated the biodiversity value of sites not traditionally associated with nature.

Next up was Carly Stevens of Lancaster University talking about their research into fifty years of vegetation change in the Sheffield region. Carly highlighted the negative impact that bracken has had on plant diversity in some places.

Edge Hill University’s Elizabeth Sullivan followed with her research into genetic diversity and connectivity in hay meadow vegetation, a subject of increasing importance to conservation in an increasingly fragmented landscape.

Carol Edmondson provided the first of several talks on grassland associated invertebrates with her work on responses of bumblebees to hay meadow restoration. If you restore a meadow bumblebees will follow.

Bill Grayson, the founder of the excellent Morecambe Bay Conservation Grazing Company provided a fascinating insight into grazing selectivity of cattle in a conservation grazing system. Bill discussed the nutrient content of the vegetation in the semi-natural grasslands his cattle graze, demonstrating that high botanical diversity is good for livestock health.

Bill’s talk was followed by several talks on grazing impacts in the uplands with Sam Turner examining bryophyte diversity under cattle grazing and no grazing, Margaret Bradshaw (above right) discussing over grazing and under grazing effects on rare plants in upper Teesdale, and yours truly (Ashley Lyons) examining spider community responses to contrasting grazing management in upland calcareous grasslands.

Rebecca Whitla continued the invertebrate theme with her work on genotypic variation in Marsh Fritillary butterflies before Natural England’s Sean Cooch (on left) introduced the third Kingdom of the day with his talk on the conservation status of England’s grassland fungi.

Martin Allen presented his captivating idea of introducing an ancient grassland inventory akin to the one used for ancient woodland. This talk stimulated much discussion, so watch this space for Martin’s inventory…

Stephen Peel then talked about the 98% of grassland in the UK which is not designated in some way and asked how we can meet international biodiversity commitments by incorporating them.

Stephen Peel and Melanie Stone
Image: A. Lyons

The talks were rounded off by Edge Hill’s Paul Ashton (who also sits on BSBI's Training & Education Committee); Paul explored the development of grasslands, their current status and asked what the pressing questions about grasslands are going into the future.

Next up was the George Stapledon Poster Session which was very generously sponsored by the Sir George Stapledon Memorial Trust with a grant and poster prize. The session featured 12 posters on a range of grassland related topics. The best poster prize was won by Melanie Stone for her excellent poster titled ‘Investigating community change on limestone grassland under different rainfall regimes’.

The first day of the conference was rounded off with an excellent conference meal which featured generous servings of wine and an epic cheese board!"

The poster session
Image: A. Lyons

The grassland conservation conference was developed by a group of grassland researchers from Edge Hill University after attending and presenting at a number of international conferences around the world. Conference organiser Ashley Lyons said “Each conference we attended shoehorned us in to some vaguely related topic. We felt that grassland conservation research deserved a stronger platform and a home of its own and felt there was no better way to do this than by developing our own conference. We are also aware that the best way to ensure grassland conservation is successful is through collaboration of researchers, conservation practitioners, farmers and policy makers. With this in mind, the aims of the Grassland Conservation Conference were to provide a platform for dissemination of knowledge and collaboration among each of those groups. We hope that this inaugural conference will be the first step toward strengthening partnerships to ultimately improve grassland conservation.”

If you would like further information about the Grassland Conservation Conference please visit https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/biology/grassland-conservation-workshop/ 

Many thanks to Ashley for this report - she'll be back next week to tell us about the field trips from Day Two of the conference.

Rare plant found in Hampshire!

Frond of Equisetum telmateia (centre)
growing amongst the hybrid, for comparison
Image: M. Rand

It's always a pleasure to hear from Martin Rand, County Recorder for Hampshire, but it's especially nice when he shares details of a rare plant found in the county! Over to Martin:

"It's not every day one can clock up the third site in the world for a rare plant, but on 12th July local botanist and ecologist Neil Sanderson did just that. 

"Bowman's Horsetail (Equisetum x bowmanii) was first found and described by the then County Recorder, Paul Bowman, in 1986 near Minstead in the northern New Forest. 

"From his original spot it has been mapped over about two kilometres aligned along the A337 towards Cadnam. 

E. x bowmanii
Image: M. Rand

"Then in 2006 it was found in the Scottish Highlands, in an area where one of its parents is not known. The new site is only about 1.5 kilometres from the original one, but on a first check seems to be distinct from it, with no intervening populations.

"Bowman's Horsetail is a hybrid between Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia) and Wood Horsetail (E. sylvaticum). It is intermediate in size between the two and has a less robust, rather greener stem than E. telmateia and the branches shorten towards the top, unlike E. telmateia. 

E. x bowmanii
Image: M. Rand

"The hybrid has branched branches like E. sylvaticum, but the branching is less profuse and delicate. The asymmetric tops to the fronds, where the top few whorls appear to be sidling off, are characteristic of the hybrid but not of E. sylvaticum. 

"Although this hybrid is likely to be overlooked, it is probably genuinely rare. On the world stage, the geographical ranges of the parent species do not overlap much. Ecologically they tend to be separated, too, having rather different requirements.

"All images on this page were taken at the new Hampshire site on 27th August 2017."

Thanks Martin!

Poland & Clement Vegetative Key: download it now!

Jim McIntosh, BSBI Scottish Officer and Editor of BSBI eNews, has been in touch with some wonderful news for all fans of Poland & Clement's Vegetative Key to the British Flora.

Over to Jim:

"The Vegetative Key to the British Flora Kindle eBook is FREE to buy today and tomorrow (29 & 30 August) only on Amazon thanks to John Poland's kind offer mentioned in the August issue of BSBI eNews.

"You can download the Kindle version for free to use on your smartphone and / or your computer.

"You will need to install the Kindle app (which is also free) on your device(s) first. Then search for The Vegetative Key to the British Flora on Amazon. The Kindle Price in the top right box should be £0.00. Ignore the Kindle unlimited "Read for £0.00" box and click the box with the shopping cart and "Buy now" immediately below. (See screenshot below).

Watch out for the September issue of BSBI eNews at the end of this week! You'll be able to download it (and all the back copies) free of charge from the BSBI Publications page here.