SShhrrooppsshhiirree BBoottaanniiccaall SSoocciieettyy NNeewwsslleetttteerr SSpprriinngg 22001133 Anacamptis morio Green-winged Orchid (Pennerley meadows), by Ruth Dawes May 2012 Shropshire Botanical Society Newsletter No.26 Contents Page Society Matters 3 Obituary of Miss Beryl Davies 3 Field Visits 2013 4 Tree Moss Climacium dendroides in Shropshire 5 BSBI Threatened Plant Survey and the Green-winged Orchid 8 The Genus Sphagnum a Guide Part 3: Sphagnum fallax and S. angustifolium 11 Aston Locks off-line reserve – a tale of change 15 Upland Mires 19 Understanding Prees Heath 23 The Ramblings of a Shropshire Naturalist EA Wilson 31 List of Members (with renewal dates) 32 Contacts Newsletter Editor: Mags Cousins, Bagbatch, Inwood, Church Stretton, SY6 6LA. Tel. 01694 722215, email: [email protected] Secretary: John Handley, 7 St. Nicholas Crescent, Bridgnorth, WB15 5BN. Tel. 01746 761174, email: [email protected] Membership Secretary: Mark Duffell, 19 Compton Mews, Ford, Shrewsbury, SY5 9NX. Tel. 01743 851084, email: [email protected] Field Meetings Co-ordinator: Fiona Gomersall, 4 Lower Down, Lydbury North, SY7 8BB. Tel. 01588 680693, email: [email protected] Vice county Recorder: Sarah Whild, 9 Albert Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2HT. Email: [email protected] Past copies of the newsletter are available as pdfs from the Shropshire Botanical Society website: http://www.bsbi.org.uk/shropshire.html Any opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the various authors, and are not necessarily those of the Society. 2 Society Matters Mags Cousins After a cold and soggy winter we have lots of articles to get you fired up to venture outside at the earliest opportunity and a range of field visits to enjoy this year. Committee news: John will be stepping down as secretary in April, many thanks to him for his sterling efforts to keep us organised. As always if anyone is interested in helping the Bot Soc by joining the committee, with or without a nominal task, please show yourselves! We were sad to hear Beryl Davies, a keen recorder in Shropshire, has passed away aged 93 and also of the sudden and untimely death of two SBS members. Nick Musgrove of the University of Wolverhampton was primarily an ornithologist but knew the ecology of the Long Mynd well and most members will have read of the death of Danny Beath, the wildlife photographer who had attended SBS meetings in recent years. Our condolences to all their families. Spring Meeting and AGM Saturday 13th April 2013, 2-4 pm At Preston Montford Field Studies Centre, Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury, SY4 1DX. After dispensing with the essential business with unseemly speed, we will get straight into our opening talk to herald in a glorious summer of botany: Dr Simon Caporn from Manchester Metropolitan University will be talking on “Sphagnum Recovery and Restoration in the Southern Pennines” Obituary of Miss Beryl Davies - 1919 – 2012 Ruth Dawes Beryl Davies was born in 1919 at Weston Rhyn. She attended Moreton Hall School where she enjoyed hockey and tennis. She then trained as a shorthand typist and worked for Monsanto. In 1943 she took up work as a radio operator in the WAF. She was a self contained lady and enjoyed travel but returned to Gobowen in the 1970s to look after her mother. She remained there until entering Woodland Residential Home in Morda in 2006 after having a fall. She was fond of cats, dogs and wildlife and was a good botanist and accomplished artist, making sketches of what she found. She was a long term member of Border Field Club and the Wild Flower Society and provided botanical records for both the “Shropshire Flora” and the “Montgomeryshire Flora”. Miss Davies was actively recording in Shropshire mainly in the early 1980s and always kept a keen eye on any waste ground, especially around Gobowen railway station. She provided the county’s first record of Setaria viridis Green Bristle-grass in Gobowen in 1983 and found Descurainia sophia Flixweed in an Oswestry pavement in 1984. Although Miss Davies had no transport, she recorded plants around Gobowen and Weston Rhyn right up until 1999, finding Asplenium ceterach Rustyback at Bronygarth and Heracleum mantegazzianum Giant Hogweed at Gobowen in that year. She died peacefully aged 93 years on 29 October 2012 after living an independent and interesting life. 3 Field Visits 2013 Everyone is welcome to join us on the outings but do contact the leader to book and check arrangements. Caynham Camp, Ploughnhill Farm, nr Ludlow, Sat. 11th May. Hill Fort, ancient woodland with Paris quadrifolia Herb Paris and interesting grassland with Potentilla argentea Hoary Cinquefoil. Also section of Ledwyche Brook. Meet at 11am, Ploughnhill Farm, Grid Ref SO539736. Contact: Fiona Gomersall, 01588 680693, mob 07964 485222, [email protected]. Onslow Fm, near Ford, Sun 2nd June. A recording visit to the Churncote/Onslow Estate. The area has not been extensively botanised previously, expect woods, pools and parkland. Meet at 11.00hrs, Preston Montford Field Centre car park, Grid Ref SJ433143, we will then combine cars and travel to the farm as a group. Contact: Mark Duffell, 01743 851084, mob 07821031358, [email protected] Badger Dingle, Sat. 15th June. It would be good to rediscover Cystopteris fragilis Brittle Bladder-fern, Osmunda regalis Royal Fern, Serratula tinctoria Saw-wort and Vicia sylvatica Wood Vetch. Meet at 11am, park by the pools in Badger, Grid Ref SO767995. Contact: John Handley, 01746 761174, mob 07977 095124 Wyre Forest NNR, Sat. 13th July. Meet at 11am, at the Forestry Commission Earnwood car park at Grid Ref SO743784 on B4194 near Button Oak. Share cars and drive into forest via FC roads. Note will need to lock the FC gate, so it's an 'all day' meeting. Cars will get a bit dusty or slightly muddy! Lunch needed but two walks, so we can have lunch at cars. Finish at about 4.30pm. Contact: John Bingham, [email protected] Sweat Mere and Crose Mere SSSI, Cockshutt, Sun. 14th July. Fascinating variety of wetland habitats with lots of interesting species including Cladium mariscus Great Fen-sedge and Sagina nodosa Knotted Pearlwort. Meet at 11.00hrs at Colemere car park, Grid Ref 435328. We’ll share cars from there, park at Whattall Farm and walk to the site, likely to need wellies. Contact: Chris Walker, [email protected] Brown Moss SSSI, nr Prees Heath Sat. 27th July. As part of the rare plant monitoring that we carry out for Natural England and Shropshire Council, a search for Luronium natans Floating Water-Plantain, Littorella uniflora Shoreweed, Oenanthe fistulosa Tubular Water-dropwort and Carex oederi Small-fruited Yellow-sedge. Meet at 11.00hrs, at the main car park, Grid Ref SJ564393. Contact: Sarah Whild, [email protected] Aston Hall, near Queen’s Head, Oswestry, Sat 14th Sept. A private estate with lovely grounds, not well recorded. Juncus subnodulosus Blunt-flowered Rush known to be there. Meet at 11.00hrs, Grid Ref SJ324278. Contact: Mark Duffell, 01743 851084, mob 07821031358, [email protected] 4 Tree Moss Climacium dendroides in Shropshire Lisa Barlow Lists of axiophytes, or ‘worthy’ plants (including bryophytes) are a useful tool for measuring habitat quality. Being often difficult to identify or requiring a microscope, bryophytes can be overlooked as potential axiobryophytes, so when selecting a species it is important that it is readily identifiable. Climacium dendroides or Tree Moss is arguably one of the easiest British bryophyte species to identify with its tree- like form evident in a photograph. The status and potential axiophyte value of Climacium dendroides in Shropshire was the title of a dissertation submitted to the University of Birmingham in 2012 for an MSc in Biological Recording; Collection and Management. In order to assess the axiophyte value of Climacium dendroides in Shropshire, historic records were downloaded from the National Biodiversity Network Gateway (NBN, 2012) and aerial maps used to select sites where up-to-date distribution data could be gathered. The field survey was carried out from October 2011 to March 2012 at 40 of the 46 known sites for Climacium dendroides in Shropshire and records requested locally via the Botanical Society Newsletter. The resulting data was analysed to assess the current status of Climacium dendroides in Shropshire and the association between its presence and the conservation importance of the sites at which it occurs. The study found the species to have been only ever recorded in 23 hectads in Shropshire, making it at most a ‘widespread’ rather than ‘ubiquitous’ species according to the British Bryological Society criteria and a ‘local’ species occurring in 12 hectads in Shropshire since the year 2000. Losses of Climacium dendroides appear to have occurred at the following sites in Shropshire in the last 100 years:  Marton Pool  Earl’s Hill  Brown Moss  Llanhowell Farm  Lawley Photo by Alan Boardman  Marehay farm  Hope Coppice Further losses appear to have occurred over 100 years ago at 13 sites in Shropshire. At many of these sites there has been a change of land use since the last record. For example at Betton Pool where intensive agriculture and fishing have altered the gradient of the bank which gives Climacium the fluctuating water level it often prefers. Other sites have been planted with conifers or turned over to arable production. 5 Climacium dendroides appears to have a localised distribution in Shropshire, with small and vulnerable, apparently single sex populations, but is difficult due to a lack of historical abundance data to record a decline at these sites. Sinker recorded Climacium dendroides as ‘frequent’ at Crosemere in 1962, where during the 2012 survey only one small population was seen on a tussock. Where Climacium grows in Shropshire, sites are mainly base rich and of good habitat quality. The car park at Sweeney Hall Hotel was the most surprising site found with thanks to a record from Dan Wrench. It is of course possible that with a low level of recording, historic records could be concentrated in nature reserves. 5 4 3 2 1 SJ 9 8 7 6 SO 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The distribution map shows apparent losses of Climacium dendroides at the monad scale in Shropshire before (grey) and since (yellow) 1912. Post 2000 records, including those made during the survey are shown in black. According to the BSBI criteria, an axiophyte should occur in fewer than 25% of a county’s hectads and be at least 90% restricted to sites of conservation importance. Climacium dendroides could therefore be a suitable axiobryophyte in Shropshire 6 because it is easily identifiable, is 92.77% restricted to sites of conservation importance in Shropshire and occurs in fewer than 25% of the county’s hectads. This study was limited by the low level of historic recording and highlights the need for the collection of accurate biological records to ensure the sustainability of populations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alex Lockton and Sarah Whild for their support in producing this piece of work, members of the Botanical Society for kindly sharing their records with me and the Field Studies Council at Preston Montford. For further information, records or a PDF of the study please contact [email protected]. References Lawley, M. (2003) An annotated checklist of the bryophytes of Shropshire [online]. Available from: http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/Bryodiversity/vc40/CH- LIST%20%202012.rtf [Accessed 10 Feb 2012] Sinker, C.A. (1962) The North Shropshire Meres and Mosses a background for ecologists. Field Studies Council. National Biodiversity Network Gateway (2012) Grid map records on the Gateway for Tree- Moss (Climacium dendroides). [Online] Available from: http://data.nbn.org.uk/gridMap/gridMap.jsp?allDs=1&srchSpKey=NHMSYS0000309639 [Accessed 1 Nov 2012] 7 BSBI Threatened Plant Survey and the Green-winged Orchid Ruth Dawes The Green-winged (or Green-veined) Orchid was originally named as Orchis morio by Linnaeus, but was re-classified as Anacamptis morio by Bateman, Pridgeon and Chase in the 21st century due to information from molecular studies. It is a dumpy little plant with unspotted leaves and usually purple flowers with green veins in the upper tepals. It is strongly associated with old, unimproved, neutral to calcareous, species-rich MG5 meadows with an open sward, with an optimum habitat of damp pasture on clay. Other habitats include dry lime-rich grassland and well-drained sand and gravel. Sadly, this lovely species suffered a dramatic decline in the 20th century due to changes in agricultural practice. In some areas, it is now just as likely to be found on stabilised dunes, village greens, churchyards, golf courses and lawns as traditional habitat is lost. Anacamptis morio tolerates mowing and grazing, but not shade and does not grow at higher altitudes above c300 metres. It is now a mainly southern species in the UK, but older records show that it formerly grew north to Morecambe Bay. Seeds germinate in the autumn and the species is favoured by wet winters and springs. Plants also reproduce vegetatively from underground tubers. In Shropshire, the Green-winged Orchid still occurs in all the major habitats, including dry well-drained limestone grassland in the Oswestry uplands, unimproved neutral hay meadows in the south of the county, scattered damp pastures on clay and in a meadow creation plot on sand and gravel south east of Shrewsbury. Older records show that this species was once widespread in the county. In the 1800s and early 1900s there were records from all parts of the county, often collected by venerable Reverend gentlemen, from Alkmund, Glopa near Oswestry, Highley, Linley, Rushbury to Whitchurch, just to name a few. Unfortunately, many of our old records only show presence, but not abundance. “Rev W Phillips described it as plentiful in the meadows around Rushbury in 1904 and in the same year W E Thompson referred to them being very abundant in the alpine meadows of south Shropshire.” So how many there were on these widespread county sites we can only guess. 2012 was the third year I had assisted with the BSBI Threatened Plants Project (TPP) in Shropshire (and Montgomeryshire) and this time it was the turn of the Green- winged Orchid to be checked out and recorded. The TPP involves some detailed paperwork - recording numbers of plants, associate species, area, management of site, perceived threats and commenting on abundance or lack of species. Capricious weather conditions, mainly the dry spring, delayed and discouraged flowering in some locations, particularly on the dry limestone, which meant more than one visit to most sites. Flowering times varied from end of April on the dry light sandy soil at lowland Venus Pool and south facing dry banks in the Oswestry uplands to three weeks later up on the hay meadows of the Stiperstones. As usual, when we return to old sites that we remember as good spots, visits were bitter sweet. There were joys and sorrows to rediscover. Virtually all the sites I visited, except the Venus Pool Bird Reserve, are smallholdings, with retired owners, who are not actively farming. Most are let to 8 tenants for grazing and many of the landowners and tenants have dropped the traditional hay mowing due to difficulties of using machinery in small steep fields. Most previously recorded sites have experienced a drop in flowering plant numbers. Sadly, one site, which had been managed sympathetically by a previous caring landowner, was now found to have been burnt to destroy encroaching scrub. Another classic site, just over the Welsh border, where I had excitedly discovered over 100 flowering specimens in the 1990s has rapidly declined to nil this century due to inadequate and inappropriate grazing regimes, despite advice, help and financial aid from government bodies. Fortunately, there was good news too. Little known sites in both north and south Shropshire turned up where the species was flourishing in up to treble figures under the control of hard-working and caring owners. In addition, at a meadow creation site on Venus Pool Bird Reserve near Cross Houses, owned by Shropshire Ornithological Society, the Green winged Orchid is currently flourishing. This land was previously an arable field on well drained light sandy soil. After hay strewing (from Little Stocking Meadows, Oreton) on the east side of reserve in 2001 a handful of Green-winged Orchids started to appear on an annual basis in the sandy soil and quickly increased into hundreds. The plants spread naturally into adjacent grassland to the north west and on the TPP survey in 2012 Allan Dawes and I were delighted to count c1248 flowering spikes on 6 May. Ian Trueman and his assistant counted 1056.5 in 2011!. The meadow on this lowland site is traditionally managed with both mowing and aftermath grazing by cattle. Individual species are abundant, but not dominant, on this well managed site, but meadow creation involves a lot of work, knowledge, faith and more. The dry spring may well have affected numbers on the dry steep limestone sites of the Oswestry uplands. However, there were other problems on these various sites, for example: an increase in shading; Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle cover indicating unwelcome signs of enrichment (due to cattle congregating); plus supplementary hay feeding in hard winters with bales containing coarser dominant species from other parts of the site; and rolling to suppress bracken at flowering time which also flattened thousands of cowslips. The small number (4 in 2012) of Green-winged Orchid in hay meadows on the Stiperstones are just holding their own, but are not spreading and increasing. Some other sites were only ever known to have maximum numbers in single figures so their outlook is not good. It is impossible to draw scientific conclusions from just one year’s survey of erratic orchid species, particularly with the changing weather patterns which have occurred over the last two years. However, I have to report that 6 of the 10 sites I visited have experienced a serious decline in numbers, 3 of these sites showing a nil return this year. Sadly, this appears to mirror the national trend of decline in traditional hay meadow sites. These orchids survive due to traditional farming methods and caring landowners. What does the future hold for these smallholdings? Let’s hope we can find a positive way forward. The only current site that has shown a serious increase in numbers is the meadow creation site at Venus Pool. I trust they will continue to flourish here. After mastering the detailed paperwork, I have enjoyed contributing to the TPP and look forward to seeing the published report and comparing our local results with national trends. 9 Sites Visited for TPP Previous Maximum Number of Plants in Numbers 2012 Llynclys Meadow – Site 1 3 in early 21st century 0 Llynclys Meadow – Site 2 70 in 1991 1 North Shropshire Meadow Unknown 64 North Shropshire Site Unknown 0 Nantmawr Meadow – Site 20 in 1991 6 1 Nantmawr Meadow – Site 3 in 2011 0 2 Nantmawr Meadow – Site Unknown 3 3 Treflach Meadow 10 in 1993 3 Stiperstones Meadow 3 in 2009 4 Venus Pool Meadow 1056.5 in 2011 1248 Creation Acknowledgements Thanks to Cassy Clayton, Fiona Gomersall, Alex Lockton and Ian Trueman for information. References Harrap, A & S., (2005) Orchids of Britain and Ireland. A & C Black. Stace, C.A., (2010) A New Flora of the British Isles (third edition). Cambridge University Press. Trueman, I., (2011) Meadow Creation at Venus Pool. Shropshire Botanical Society Newsletter, No.22, Spring 2011, p14-15. 10