Shropshire Newsletter Spring 2020

2020·1.2 MB·English

by  Shropshire Botanical Society

Shropshire Botanical Society
Newsletter
Spring 2020
Shropshire Botanical Society Newsletter No. 40
Contacts Contents
Society News
Hilary Wallace ................................................................3
Newsletter Commissioning Editor:
Hilary Wallace. Marches Meadow Group
email: [email protected] David Poynton................................................................6
Secretary: Penny Wysome, 2 Christine Ave., Caring for God’s Acre
Wellington, Telford, TF1 2DX. Tel. [phone], Liam Taylor .....................................................................7
email: [email protected] Visit to Llynclys Quarry
Dan Wrench .................................................................10
Membership Secretary: Vacant from 1 April
Enquiries to: [email protected] Root and Branch – Where is our Shropshire
Botanical Society (SBS) Going?
Vice-county Recorder: Sarah Whild, 9 Albert
A personal view – Sue Dancey ..................................12
Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2HT.
Email: [email protected] Botanical Recording in Shropshire
Alex Lockton ................................................................15
Going Green, one wall at a time
Past copies of the newsletter are available as pdfs
Mark Duffell .................................................................16
from the Shropshire Botanical Society website: :
http://www.shropshirebotany.org.uk DNA and field recording: kicking and screaming
towards a new era
Any opinions expressed in this newsletter are those
John Handley ................................................................18
of the various authors, and are not necessarily
The Ferns – an Identification Guide:
those of the Society. Ordnance Survey maps
Part 2 Asplenium trichomanes
reproduced under licence No. 100040428.
Martin Godfrey ............................................................23
Front Cover:
× Dactylodenia heinzeliana at Llynclys Quarry
(photo by Dan Wrench)
Our thanks to the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and the Field
Studies Council for their generous support of our society.
Both organisations support the work of the society in
recognition of the importance of the contribution we
make to understanding Shropshire botany.
2
Society News
Hilary Wallace
Welcome to the 2020 Spring Newsletter, after one Caring for God’s Acre, gave at our winter meeting
of the wettest winters on record I had hoped to be and we have details here of where and how we can
bringing good news of an exciting summer ahead continue our support of Caring for God’s Acre this
but unfortunately that is not to be. summer. I am guessing individuals visiting burial
grounds on their own probably won’t get arrested,
I had written an upbeat introduction a few weeks
at least not at the moment, – but just keep up to
ago inviting everyone to join in all our exciting
date on the latest government guidance. There
field meetings but, events with Covid 19 have
is a lot of summer to come. Or you might like
rather over taken everyday life, so although the
to become involved with the Marches Meadow
flowers are still flowering, we will be restricted in
Group, more about that in David Poynton’s
how, as a group, we can enjoy them.
article. All these trips were meant to help boost
The BSBI issued the following guidance last week
the submission of biological records which seem
and, as a society, we have decided to follow these.
to have fallen in recent years as documented in
Alex’s article, meanwhile our own data processing
“In order to comply with Government advice
wizards have been making good progress with the
and to reduce the risk of transfer of the Covid
Botanical Society Web page and links to other data
19 virus BSBI Board have decided that all BSBI
storage facilities.
events, either indoor or outdoor meetings, will
be cancelled until at least the end of May. It is In the context of our vision for the future of botany
possible that this will need to be extended. We in Shropshire, Sue provides an update on the role
will review the Government’s ongoing advice and that the Botanical Society itself has to play in the
update this guidance regularly. Please see www. training and documentation of things botanical in
bsbi.org  for details. Clearly while gatherings are the county.
currently unsafe the countryside remains open
Other exciting initiatives include the green walls of
and individuals can still enjoy activities like Wild
plants representing local habitats that Mark Duffell
Flower Hour as long as they are following
is setting up around Preston Montford, and he has
Government advice about social distancing and
written an article about this and how you might
hygiene procedures.”
like to get involved.
I have left our summer programme of field visits Finally, in Botanical Society tradition we have two
in here, in case restrictions are lifted earlier than articles on taxonomically tricky groups. John has
anticipated, since there isn’t another newsletter delved into the genetics of Limes whilst Martin
until the autumn. We will keep you updated if Godfrey continues his series on fern identification.
events are able to go ahead via all possible methods The issue of taxonomy causes much debate and we
as everything could be subject to change. So, our will, in due course, be adopting the nomenclature
advice is, check the Shropshire Botanical Society in the 4th edition of Stace. Full guidelines for
website (www.shrophshirebotany.org.uk), Twitter, contributors to the newsletter are available on the
Facebook and email, and/or phone meeting Shropshire Botanical Society web page.
organiser/lead.
As a taster of how exciting these trips can be,
Dan has written up a visit made at the end of last
summer to Llynclys quarry.
In addition to our own field meetings there may be
opportunities to become involved in a number of
other local activities. I think many of our members
were inspired by the talk that Harriet, director of
3
Botanical Society Meetings Saturday 4th July. Secret Hills Discovery Centre,
Meadows. Meet at 9:00 am in the car park at
Spring meeting and AGM. POSTPONED until
SO434824. For further information about the
September 2020
meeting please contact Mags Cousins, 07873
Saturday 26th September 532681, [email protected]
Venue: Preston Montford
Saturday 18th July. Clive Churchyard and
The speaker at the AGM will be John Martin, Grinshill. Meet at 10:00 am at Clive Church at
who until recently was the National Specialist for SJ5146 2408. Please car share where possible as
Vascular Plants at Natural England. there are only a few parking places alongside
Drawwell Street, just north of the Church. The
The title of his talk is ‘Mountain Plants’.
access will be very easy in the churchyard for the
first part of the walk and moderate going for the
walk up Grinshill. It will be a mix of recording
Winter Meeting: Saturday 16 January 2021
and training. Attending for just an hour or two
AGM 2021: 14 April.
in the churchyard is fine. For further information
about the meeting please contact Andrew Perry,
[email protected]
Saturday 21th November. Microscopy for
Field meetings 2020
Botanists at Preston Montford. Meet at 10:30 am
Please find below our list of field meetings for in the main car park at SJ432143. This is a training
the year – plus an indoor session on the use of event in the use of microscopes for botanist. For
microscopes in botany. All these meetings are further information about the meeting please
open to anyone irrespective of experience and contact Martin Godfrey, [email protected]
they always include support for anyone wanting to
Dan Wrench
learn more. We may occasionally hold additional
visits to sites that are arranged on a more ad hoc
basis – including some sites where large numbers
of people are not appropriate or where access is
difficult. Please contact Dan Wrench (danwrench@ A Shropshire Interactive Flora is now
gmail.com) if you are interested in these meetings.
within sight
In the light of Covid 19 the May trips are
The worrying and extraordinary tale of the
cancelled but we will continue to monitor the
stunning species rich meadow in Cumbria that
situation and look forward to resuming when it
was planted with trees with the “best of intentions”
is safe and appropriate to do so.
(carbon offsetting etc), only for the mistake
Saturday 6th June. Muxton Marsh. Meet at 11:00 to be spotted by a local botanist and the trees
am in Woodbine Close. This is a cul-de-sac off to be pulled out again a couple of weeks later
Marshbrook Way, Muxton at SJ7146 1351. Park (see Sue’s article and Miles King’s blog: https://
between drive ways as discreetly as possible. anewnatureblog.com/2020/02/21/chronicle-of-
For further information about the meeting a-grassland-saved/) highlights some important
please contact Penny Wysome, 01952 242617, lessons. One of these is the urgency of ensuring
[email protected] botanical records are freely and easily accessible in
the face of competing pressures and we are grateful
Sunday 28th June. Smiling Tree Farm, Chapel
to the Shropshire Ecological Data Network (SEDN)
Lawn, Cardoc and Bryncambric. Meet at 11:00
and Shropshire Council ecology team for helping
am in the farm yard at SO 3162 7582. Please car
make it so in Shropshire.
share where possible. You will see meadows,
We now have a chance to go a step further in
streamside vegetation, and upland acid grassland /
making Shropshire records even more accessible
heath. For further information about the meeting
than they already are. Your Bot Soc techie
please contact Mags Cousins, 07873 532681,
working group, after 18 months of investigating
[email protected]
4
how to resurrect the ‘data portal’ to Shropshire Activities at Preston Montford Field
botany records, written by Alan Hale years ago, Centre
have identified an exciting way forward with the
The field centre is undergoing a review of how
help of the National Biodiversity Network (NBN)
it manages its land, and we are consulting with
Atlas, the national store for biodiversity data.
visitors to the centre such as yourself as to how you
Your botanical and other Shropshire records after
would wish to see the land managed/restored in the
verification, are collated by Alex Lockton into a
future?
SEDN dataset which is sent to the NBN Atlas and
now there is an opportunity to interrogate it more We already have some successful recent projects
easily from there. including Francesca’s Meadow (a meadow creation
project, to the left of the main drive), Bee and Wasp
The NBN team have created some code and made
Hotel, hibernaculum and new orchards. In the
it open source ie freely available to anyone, as they
next few months we will be starting on the first of a
are keen to facilitate access for all users, not just
series of green walls planted up with native flora.
Shropshire Bot Soc, which will enable the creation
of a tailored interface, in our case to the SEDN We are now keen to develop the grounds further
botanical data. We will be able to make the SEDN for education and biodiversity and we would
data searchable by site name, or species, or square welcome your comments and suggestions.
on a map etc as it used to be on the old portal.
For more details see the Bot Soc Web page.
Finally, a simple interactive flora is within sight!
Your responses can be sent by email to
There will, of course, be a cost for an IT developer
Preston Montford Office grounds.pm@field-
to create an Interactive Flora but we made savings
studies-council.org
on the production of the Shropshire Flora book
or by post: Preston Montford Field Centre,
publication and those savings could be spent on
Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury, SY4 1DX
this project, which is after all, another way of
getting flora records out there. There is also the Adrian Pickles
potential to share costs since the basic premise of
a tailored way to interrogate a dataset off the NBN,
is likely to be attractive to other recording groups,
such as the wider SEDN group, or even other Friends of Preston Montford
recording groups outside the county. So it just
Friends of Preston Montford, a proposal has been
remains to be seen who wants to join with us, and
made to create a ‘Friends of’ group, we are looking
if there are no takers initially, decide whether or
for expressions of interest from potential friends. If
not we go it alone with an Interactive Flora which
you wish to apply please email enquiries.pm@field-
is sure to generate interest once it is done and the
studies-council.org or write to Preston Montford
benefits have become more obvious.
Field Centre, Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury SY4
Mags Cousins 1DX, with your name and contact details, and we
will send a form through.
Mark Duffell
Looking for Fern hybrids – a Note
At the end of my article on Fern Hybrids I issued a
challenge – to find the hybrid between Dryopteris
Below are two initiatives that you might like to get
filix mas and D. borreri, D. x critica. I am pleased
involved with:
to say that during last autumns visit to Benthall
Edge woods we found two plants - one by Penny The Marches Meadow Group
Wysome and the other by me, both new for VC40.
Caring for God’s Acre
The records are now with our VCR, Sarah Whild.
Martin Godfrey
5
Marches Meadow Group
David Poynton
accelerate many of the objectives we have set
ourselves and to publicise the work we are doing
more widely.
By building our data base of species rich
meadows both within the Group and of those
interconnected sites it will allow better utilisation
of our “green hay” and seed collection techniques.
The group was constituted in 2015 as a non-
During 2020 we will target meadows both large
profit making organisation of volunteers with
and small and aim to capture the public’s general
the objectives of promoting the conservation,
interest in creating a small meadow area in their
protection and enhancement of species rich hay
garden.
meadows, grasslands and unimproved pasture.
The 2020 Hay Meadow Festival on 11th July at
Whilst focused initially on the Stiperstones and
the Discovery Centre Craven Arms will be a
Corndon Hill, Country Landscape Partnership
major attraction to the general public as well as
Scheme areas, membership continues to grow more
participating specialised community wildlife
widely. However, the original aim of conserving
groups. The list of those organisations attending
and restoring the diversity of plant and animal
continues to grow. A Bioblitz of this large site and
species native to the meadow environment remains
meadow on the day of the Festival, will provide a
the key focus for the Group.
good base from which to measure, in the future,
As part of the National Trust’s Stepping Stones
the results from any management techniques
Project, MMG has been awarded a People’s
developed for the site.
Postcode Lottery Grant for 2020. This is a really
MMG have a number of events organised for its
exciting development as it will allow us to
members throughout the year, from a talk in March
by Richard Gulliver on his role in the selection
of the 22 herbs used in the development of the
“Botanist Gin” ; to a relaxed afternoon soaking
up the sun in a hay meadow! For those of a more
energetic nature scything sessions are also on offer.
(see events list).
MMG will have a stand at the Meadows Festival
and is planning to display some of our hay making
equipment as well as providing advice on site and
meadow development. We would be delighted
to welcome to our stand, any members of the
Shropshire Botanical Society attending.
In 2020 we are focusing on “Making Meadows
Matter”.
For more information please contact either myself
at [email protected] or Richard
Small our secretary at richard.w.small@gmail.
com . Additional information and photographs
plus Event details are on the website www.
marchesmeadowgroup.com
6
Caring for God’s Acre
Liam Taylor
a churchyard and I’ve listed it as not recorded,
please let me know.
Recording
At latest count there are 313 churchyards we are
aware of in Shropshire, to the best of my knowledge
Introduction
113 have records, and 77 with records since 2000.
We would love to report back to the newsletter
Thank you to the Botanical Society for hosting
in Autumn or next Spring with accounts of the
Harriet Carty from Caring for God’s Acre for a
recording that has taken place this year.
recent talk at the winter meeting. Following the
meeting it was proposed that publishing the list of Please continue to send your records following
unrecorded Churchyards in Shropshire would be your usual protocol to Sarah Whild, just copy me
useful. I have included the full list and these sites in to the email, [email protected], or post a copy of
plotted on a map. the records to the address at the end of this article.
Methods For the winter meeting I prepared 20 or so small
sheets with a handful of church clusters on each
To compile this list I started with all the
one. Thank you very much to all who took these,
listed churchyards in the Salop and Ludlow
we had a fantastic response. It would be ideal if
Archdeaconries from the Church of England. I
anyone with firm plans to survey the sites on their
then checked each site against the SEDN plant
sheet could email me so I’m aware.
spreadsheet, removing sites that have more than
5 records since 2000. I expect that the list is not We are displaying Burial Grounds across England
perfect, it’s likely that I will have made some errors, and Wales on a dedicated Burial Grounds Portal on
misreading the database, forgetting an email, or the NBN Atlas. If at all possible, please use 8-figure
unable to access some records. If you have surveyed grid references with your records, as our system
will frequently miss records at 6-figures.
North Shropshire
7
South Shropshire
Sites
Acton Burnell: St Mary Bourton: Holy Trinity Culmington: All Saints
Acton Round: St Mary Bridgnorth: St Mary Magdalene Dawley: Holy Trinity
Adderley: St Peter Broadstone (Dedication unknown) Diddlebury: St Peter
Alberbury: St Michael & All Angels Broseley: All Saints Ditton Priors: St John the Baptist
Albrighton w Battlefield: St John the Broughton: St Mary Dorrington: St Edward
Baptist Burford: St Mary Dudleston: St Mary
All Stretton: St Michael & All Angels Burlton: St Anne Easthope: St Peter
Ash: Christ Church Calverhall or Corra: Holy Trinity Eaton Constantine & Wroxeter: St
Ashford Bowdler: St Andrew Cardeston: St Michael Mary
Ashford Carbonell: St Mary Magdalene Central Telford: Christ the King Eaton-under-Heywood: St Edith
Astley Abbotts: St Calixtus Chapel Lawn: St Mary Edgmond: St Peter
Aston Botterell: St Michael & All Cheswardine: St Swithun Edgton: St Michael
Angels Chetton: St Giles Edstaston: St Mary the Virgin
Aston Eyre Chetwynd: St Michael & All Angels Ellesmere: St Mary
Aston: St Mary Childs Ercall: St Michael & All Angels Eyton: St Catherine
Atcham: St Eata Church Aston: St Andrew Farlow: St Giles
Badger: St Giles Church Preen: St John the Baptist Forton: All Saints
Barrow: St Giles Clee: St Margaret Frodesley: St Mark
Bayston Hill: Christ Church Cleobury Mortimer: St Mary the Virgin Glazeley: St Bartholomew
Beckbury: St Milburga Clive: All Saints Gobowen: All Saints
Bedstone: St Mary Clunton: St Mary Great Hanwood: St Thomas
Berrington: All Saints Coalbrookdale: Holy Trinity Great Wollaston: St John the Baptist
Betton Strange: St Margaret Cockshutt: St Simon & St Jude Greenfields: United Church
Bicton: Holy Trinity Condover: Ryton Chapel Greete: St James
Billingsley: St Mary Condover: St Andrew & St Mary Grinshill: All Saints
Bitterley: St Mary Coreley: St Peter Habberley: St Mary
Bolas Magna: St John the Baptist Criftins-by-Ellesmere: St Matthew Hadley: Holy Trinity
Boraston (Dedication unknown) Crudgington: St Mary Hadnall: St Mary Magdalene
8
Hales: St Mary Maesbury: St John the Baptist Shrewsbury: Holy Cross
Halford: St Thomas Mainstone: St John the Baptist Shrewsbury: Holy Trinity
Harlescott: Emmanuel Church Malinslee: St Leonard Shrewsbury: St Alkmund
Harlescott: The Holy Spirit Market Drayton: St Mary Shrewsbury: St Chad
Harley: St Mary Marton-in-Chirbury: St Mark Shrewsbury: St George of Cappadocia
Haughton: St Chad Melverley: St Peter Shrewsbury: St Peter
High Ercall: St Michael & All Angels Meole Brace: Holy Trinity Sidbury: Holy Trinity
Highley: St Mary Middleton: Holy Trinity Silvington: St Michael
Hinstock: St Oswald Middleton Scriven: St John the Baptist Smethcote: St Michael
Hodnet: St Luke Middletown: All Saints Snailbeach: St Luke
Holdgate: Holy Trinity Milson: St George Stanton Long: St Michael & All Angels
Hopton Castle: St Edward More: St Peter Stanton-upon-Hine Heath: St Andrew
Hopton Wafers: St Michael & All Morton: St Philip & St James Stapleton: St John the Baptist
Angels Morville: St Gregory the Great St George’s: St George
Hughley: St John the Baptist Much Wenlock: Holy Trinity St Martin’s: St Martin
Ironbridge: St Luke Muxton: St John the Evangelist Stockton: St Chad
Jackfield: St Mary Nash & Boraston: St John the Baptist Stottesdon: St Mary
Kemberton: St Andrew Neen Savage: St Mary Sutton Maddock: St Mary
Kenley: St John the Baptist Neen Sollars: All Saints Tasley: St Peter & St Paul
Ketley: St Mary the Virgin Neenton: All Saints Tenbury: St Michael & All Angels
Kinlet: St John the Baptist Neenton: All Saints Tenbury Wells: St Mary
Kinnerley: St Mary Newport: St Nicholas Tilstock: Christ Church
Kynnersley: St Chad Newtown: King Charles the Martyr Trefonen: All Saints
Lawley: St John the Evangelist Norton-in-Hales: St Chad Trelystan: St Mary the Virgin
Leaton: Holy Trinity Oakengates: Holy Trinity Tugford: St Catherine
Leaton: Holy Trinity Onibury: St Michael & All Angels Uffington: Holy Trinity
Leebotwood: St Mary Oswestry: Holy Trinity Uppington: Holy Trinity
Lee Brockhurst: St Peter Oswestry: St Oswald, King & Martyr Upton Magna: St Lucia
Leighton: Holy Trinity Peplow: The Epiphany Waters Upton: St Michael
Leighton-under-Wrekin: St Mary Petton: St Raphael and St Isidore Wattlesborough: St Margaret
Lilleshall: St Michael & All Angels Pitchford: St Michael & All Angels Wellington: All Saints
Little Drayton: Christ Church Pontesbury: St George Wellington: Christ Church
Little Hereford: St Mary Magdalene Preston Wealdmoors: St Lawrence Welshampton: St Michael & All Angels
Little Ness: St Martin Priors Lee: St Peter Welsh Frankton: St Andrew
Little Wenlock: St Lawrence Radbrook: Church of Christ the King Wem: St Peter & St Paul
LlanFairWaterdine: St Mary Rhydycroesau: Christ Church
Llanyblodwel: St Michael Rodington: St George
Llanymynech: St Agatha Rowton: All Hallows
Longden: St Ruthen Rushbury: St Peter Liam Taylor, [email protected]
Longdon-on-Tern: St Bartholomew Ruyton-in-the-X1 Towns: St John the
Caring for God’s Acre
Longnor: St Mary Baptist
11 Drover’s House, The Auction
Loppington: St Michael & All Angels Sarn: Holy Trinity
Yard
Loughton Selattyn: St Mary
Craven Arms, Shropshire
Ludford: St Giles Shawbury: St Mary the Virgin
SY7 9BZ
Ludlow: St John Sheinton: St Peter & St Paul
Ludlow: St Lawrence Shelton & Oxon: Christ Church
Lyneal-cum-Colemere: St John the Sheriffhales: St Mary
Evangelist Shifnal: St Andrew
Madeley: St Michael Shipton: St James
Madeley Woodside Shrawardine: St Mary
Maesbrook: St John Shrewsbury: All Saints & St Michael
9
Visit to Llynclys Quarry
Dan Wrench
This visit was the third by Shropshire Botanical caerulea, Blunt-flowered Rush Juncus subnodulosus,
Society to Llynclys Quarry. As it’s such a large Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella, Marsh Thistle
site there are plenty of unexplored corners and Cirsium palustre, Marsh Arrowgrass Triglochin
previous visits have tended to focus on different palustre, and Common Spike-rush Eleocharis
areas. palustris.
The last visit by Shropshire Botanical Society was In addition it would seem the Black Bog-rush has
in June 2012. In the last 15 years 59 axiophytes established very well. Plants were found in all the
have been recorded at the site which is more than areas where they were planted back in 2014. Even
many Sites of Special Scientific Interest. better, many were fruiting and forming more dense
tussocks - albeit rather shorter than I have seen
This visit was focussed on the developing base-rich
elsewhere.
fen in an area of the quarry known as Lagoon 1.
In a previous article in the Autumn 2015 edition Perhaps of greatest excitement, however were the
of this newsletter I described how this fen has orchids. I had hoped that someday - and perhaps
been enhanced by moving freshly cut hay from the via the hay from Sweeny Fen - we would see Marsh
nearby Sweeny Fen SSSI to Llynclys Quarry on at Helleborine Epipactis palustris and Marsh Fragrant
least 3 different years. Plug plants of a few species Orchid Gymnadenia densiflora. Not only did we
have also been planted, most notably Black Bog- have both of these, and the former in very good
rush Schoenus nigricans. See the 2015 article for the numbers, but Stephen O’Donnell spotted a hybrid
full list (http://bit.ly/SBS-N15). between Marsh Fragrant Orchid and Common
Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii. This hybrid
The site did not disappoint. Several plants from
has yet to be given a name because one parent
Sweeny Fen do seem to have made the move to
used to be a sub-species and most hybrids found
Llynclys Quarry. These include Marsh Valerian
were lumped together under the main Fragrant
Valeriana dioica, Purple Moor-grass Molinia
Orchid parent. These are mapped under the name
x Dactylodenia heinzeliana1. This is a new hybrid
for Shropshire, and the West Midlands. The hybrid
with Chalk Fragrant Orchid and Common Spotted
1 Stace, Clive A.; Preston, Chris D.; Pearman, David A. 2015
Hybrid flora of the British Isles. Bristol, Botanical Society of
Britain and Ireland.
Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella Marsh Valerian Valeriana dioica
10