A dozen arable plants appear on the Government Biodiversity Action Plans,forming almost 20% of the 66 floweringplants listed. Some arable plants such ascornflower and corncockle are specieswhich can readily be recognised, but now,ironically, are hardly to be seen in thewild. To help with the recognition of theless familiar species English Nature andWILDGuides launched an identificationguide Arable plants – a field guide– co-authored by Phil Wilson and MilesKing, at Kew Gardens in July. ProfessorPeter Crane, Director of Kew Gardens andSir Martin Doughty, Chair of EnglishNature, led the presentations given at theevent. The launch was undertaken as partof Kew’s Go Wildsummer theme whichconcentrated on British Biodiversity andfeatured some additional 19 installationsincluding wildlife-friendly gardens, anarable plot, a human-sized badger sett anda tree-top walk.

Another aspect of arable plants is a relative dearth of information on theirwhereabouts. While the recent New Atlasof the Flora of Britain and Irelanddoesinclude these species they are likely tohave been under-recorded. This is partlydue to their occurrence on private land andpartly to neglect from botanists. WiltshireFarming and Wildlife Advisory Group hasinitiated a project, funded by Defra, to rectify this lack of information locally byencouraging new recording of arableplants. This information can then be usedto help target agri-environment schemes.In addition, English Nature and the EsmeeFairburn Trust are together fundingPlantlife International on behalf of theArable Plants Group to establish an Arable Areas database. People who own,or who regularly visit, farms, are beingencouraged to submit a form detailingtheir findings in the expectation that ourknowledge base will improve. The RoyalSociety for the Protection of Birds local

floraenglish nature

Summer 2004Pa

ul G

len

del

l/En

glis

h N

atu

re

Mo

use

tail

Myo

suru

s m

inim

us.

Dr

Ch

ris

Gib

son

/En

glis

h N

atu

re

team working onthe cirl bunting inthe South Hamsdistrict of Devonhas done much toextend local knowledge of thelocations of someof these rarer plantsand the NorthmoorTrust has done animmense amount ofdetailed survey inthe Chilterns.

Defra reported their findings following aCommittee investigation into the issuesraised by invasive species. A workshopheld jointly by the British Lichen Societyand English Nature at Nettlecombe Courtattracted a range of enthusiastic Europeanlichenologists to present papers on theimpacts of nitrogen deposition on lichens.A workshop on fungi held by EnglishNature in association with CardiffUniversity proved to be an excellent stimulating event.

Two years ago Andy Jackson, then Biodiversity Officer for Kew based atWakehurst Place, and now head there, had an idea. Given the internationalimportance of the British bryophyte flora and interest of the bryophytes at Wakehurstwhy not give them prominence? LastSeptember, the Francis Rose Reserve waslaunched, an appropriate tribute to a personwho identified their importance and whohas done so much to get Sites of SpecialScientific Interest notified for their lowerplant interest.

Other contributions in this varied editionof Flora English Natureinclude articles onfungi as indicators of dead wood habitatquality, plant conservation work onPitcairn Island, a UK overseas territory,and Bronze Age botany!

The urban concrete jungle of the greatmetropolis seems a complete antithesis toThomas Hardy’s Dorset – a rolling, rurallandscape cloaked in greenery, which mostpeople would conjure up in their mindswhen thinking about biodiversity hotspots in Britain. However, London holds its fairshare of ‘biodiversity’ and, despite habitatfragmentation from the urban sprawl, supports important populations of a varietyof species. To this end, the LondonBiodiversity Partnership has been successfulin promoting biodiversity in Greater Londonfor the past six years, with over 60 organisations participating in 10 HabitatAction Plans and 12 Species Action Plans(SAPs).

Tower mustard has been one of the UnitedKingdom priority SAP plants that form partof the London Biodiversity Action Plan.Historically, the plant was more widespreadacross London. Indeed, the earliest writtenBritish reference to the species comes fromMiddlesex, listed by John Gerard in The

Herball or Generall Historieof Plantesof 1597 as ‘Tower Cress’ occurring ‘at Pyms by a village calledEdmonton neere London’.Alexander Irvine reportedplants at another Middlesexlocation between HamptonWick and Sunbury in 1835,coinciding with the onlyknown locale of the capital’scurrent extant population.William Newbould was thelast to report the plant’spresence in Middlesex in1860. Thereafter, thespecies was believed to havebeen extinct in Londonthroughout the 20th centuryuntil Brian Spooner re-discovered a populationin 1987 at Stain HillReservoir. The reservoirretains the only extant population (of the 30 known UK sites) in Greater London.

It is part of the massive system of water storage works in south west London ownedby Thames Water. The principal populationof plants is located on free-draining, sandysoils on or alongside a grassy causewaydividing the reservoir basin. The site wasthought to hold one of the largest UK populations of this nationally scarce anddeclining biennial, with c. 3,000 floweringspikes and many non-flowering rosettesrecorded in 1997. However, when PhilWilson1 re-surveyed the reservoir in 2001, it demonstrated that the London populationhad declined to a fraction of its former selfwith only 134 flowering spikes remaining.

Fortunately, the future of tower mustard inLondon is looking more secure as a workinggroup has been formed between EnglishNature, Plantlife, Thames Water, RoyalBotanic Gardens and the Wildfowl andWetlands Trust (WWT). Thames Water has undertaken appropriate management at StainHill Reservoir to help the native populationrecover, which has included a combinationof grass cutting, scrub clearance and soil disturbance. Plants have also been grown at Kew Gardens from collected seed (a proportion of which has also been storedat the Millennium Seed Bank), with a furtherpopulation of plants recently established onsandy banks at WWT’s London WetlandCentre. Encouragingly plants at both thesesites successfully flowered and set seed thisyear. Furthermore, the information gleanedabout the species, not only from ongoingconservation action on the ground in Londonand elsewhere in the UK, but also from current research by academic institutionsincluding Sussex University, could facilitatefuture reintroduction of tower mustard backto some of its former historic UK haunts.Who knows, perhaps we could see ‘thereturn of the true native’ on suitable sandybanks around Bridport and Parkstone inHardy’s Dorset?

Richard BullockWildfowl & Wetlands Trust Biodiversity Officer1Project Officer for Plantlife International funded by English Nature’sAction for Plants contract

Tower mustard Arabis glabraCould a ‘Hardy’ plant see ‘The Return of the Native’?

2

Tower mustard Arabis glabra.Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

In the early summer of 2000, a large plantsprung up from a crack in the tarmac, at thefoot of a south-facing wall, in the car park ofEnglish Nature’s Colchester office. Despitethe local concentration of informed observers,nobody could put a name to it. Even as itgrew, to some 2 metres in height, with hugeheart-shaped, shallowly-lobed leaves, to 80 cmacross, we were no nearer to identifying it, noreven being able to assign it to a particular family.

At the end of the summer, the aerial parts withered rapidly, and the plant was forgottenuntil in 2001 and 2002 when up it sprung again.In 2003, it was even more robust, reaching nearly4 metres. It was a mystery which refused togo away. Then, in June 2003, I visited KewGardens, and saw the same plant growing inthe herbaceous borders – it was Paulowniakawakamii, a relative of the more familiarfoxglove tree P. tomentosa. P. kawakami, oneof several species bearing the English name‘dragon tree’, is not listed by Stace or Clement& Foster as occurring in the ‘wild’ in Britain.

Paulownia kawakamiiin Essex: a mystery solved

Cut-grass is a nationally rare plant, status inBritain Endangered, and is listed in Schedule8 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act as wellas being a Biodiversity Action Plan priorityspecies. There are recent records of it as anative in just three sites in south eastEngland, in Surrey and West Sussex, therefore the discovery of a small populationbeside a pond close to the River Thames atRichmond in Surrey is highly significant.

The plants were discovered by MadelineHolloway of Ecological Network InformationConsultants in early September 2002 whilstcarrying out a Phase 1 survey to assess theecological impact of a proposed flood alleviation scheme adjacent to the river. Theywere growing at the margins of a small pondwhich held little water at the time of survey.Associates included greater pond-sedge, reedcanary-grass, purple loosestrife and a NorthAmerican introduction, pickerelweed.

The contracted panicles were only partiallyexserted from the leaf-sheaths and thespikelets only just emerging.

Cut-grass was last recorded in the Richmondarea, at Kew, between 1779 and 1805 by oneBishop Goodenough, but it is considered by a local botanist that the recently discoveredplants have probably arrived within the last few years. One possible route for colonisation of the site is via seeds depositedby the River Thames during a seasonal flood.

The proposed flood protection scheme has nowbeen shelved, and discussions are underwaybetween English Nature and the site’s ownersand local botanists to ensure that the cut-grasspopulation is properly protected and that itshabitat continues to be suitably managed.

Madeline HollowayAdapted from an article in BSBI News

Cut-grassLeersia oryzoidesdiscovered in Richmond

P. kawakamiiis a native of China, and cangrow into a deciduous tree up to 8 metres inheight. It bears flowers in large racemes, up to a metre long and 50 cm wide, each witharound 300 frilly, scented flowers. It is cultivated in Australia and the United States(often the bluish-flowered cultivar ‘sapphiredragon’) for ornament, shade, timber and therehabilitation of degraded farmland. Other cultivars are available in different flowercolours (from white to pink), and with differingdegrees of drought tolerance and hardiness.The susceptibility of the Colchester specimento cool temperatures suggests we are not likelyto see it in its full, flowering glory here, but itis nevertheless a magnificent sight which ismuch appreciated by local staff. Jo Braddock,Administrative Officer, says “We love our ‘triffid’ and look forward to its appearanceevery year”.

Dr Chris GibsonEssex, Herts and London Team, Colchester

3

Rediscoveryof rarelichen inHampshireA remarkable lichenfind has been made inHampshire by NeilSanderson. Bacidiasubturgidulais a smalllichen which has onlyever been found on twooccasions, in 1868 and1873, both in the NewForest and on old hollywood. The new discovery was made inApril 2003 at QueenBower, also on an oldholly, and Neil was particularly excited ashe has been looking forthis species for nearly15 years!

Paulownia kawakamii in the car park of English Nature’s Colchester office.

Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

Squeezing life backinto our coastsFor the past three years the VegetatedShingle Project has concentrated on raisingawareness of vegetated shingle as an important wildlife habitat in West Sussex.Only specially adapted plants can cope withthe arid, almost soil-less conditions andsalt-laden winds but those that do, inturn, support many invertebratesand coastal birds.

Now, the Nature Coast Project is carrying on this work for all coastal habitats in the county from seabed andlagoon to salt marsh and sand dune. With a densely populated coastal strip and high levels of recreational pressure, public attitudes towards coastal wildlife have a huge influence.

The Project, launched earlier this year with achildren’s design-a-logo competition, is anEnglish Nature-led partnership project, whichis supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.Although basically an awareness-raising project, it is also involved in practical management issues such as research into the control of invasive garden plants on the vegetated shingle at Pagham Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest, where housesborder the beach.

In October, a new vegetated shingle identification leaflet was published.Produced in partnership with the East SussexCoastal Biodiversity Project, it will helpthose with an interest in the habitat toimprove their knowledge.

The Nature Coast Project has also launched aBeach Warden scheme, encouraging volunteers to ‘adopt’ their local beach andmonitor its wildlife. Training in wildlifeidentification, surveys and organising beachcleans is being provided along with a handbook offering useful advice and contacts.Beach Wardens will report any damagingactivities as well as encouraging local community awareness by producing articlesfor parish newsletters and running guidedwalks and practical conservation tasks.

The biggest threat to dynamic coastal habitats is coastal squeeze - where coastalwildlife becomes trapped between rising sea levels on the one side and fixed coastaldefences on the other. Coastal habitats,which under natural conditions wouldmigrate landward, are unable to do so.Coastal Wildlife – feeling the squeeze?is a conference for school children beingheld in Chichester. Organised jointlybetween Nature Coast and the West SussexCountryside Studies Trust, the aim is to raiseawareness among the next generation ofplanners and coastal managers, of climate

change and the problems it will pose forour coasts. This is a particular problemin West Sussex where 93% of thecoastline is defended against the seaand predicted sea level rise is among

the highest in the country. Yet habitatssuch as saltmarsh and shingle beaches

provide a natural coastal defence and offer amore sustainable alternative to the traditionalhard defences such as sea walls.

For more information about the NatureCoast Project contact Julie Hatcher on01243 863141 or visit the website at

www.pebbledash.org.uk

4

New site for coral necklace inDorsetCoral necklaceIllecebrum verticillatum,recently reclassified asNationally Rare, islargely restricted as anative to Hampshire andCornwall. It is a veryrare plant in Dorset, sothe 2003 discovery of asmall population at anew site at AvonCommon was particularly welcome.The find was made byEnglish NatureConservation OfficerDouglas Kite.

The Nature Coast Project logo is unveiled at the Project’s launch.Nature Coast Project

Garden escapes threaten native shingleplants at Pagham Harbour SSSI. Nature Coast Project

Plants such as cornflower and corn marigold,which once added a splash of colour to ourarable farmland, have largely disappearedfrom the very cereal fields that gave many ofthem their names. In July, Wiltshire Farmingand Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)launched a new county-wide project aimed atpromoting the conservation of these plants.It coincided with the national launch ofArable plants – a field guide, a book co-authored by Phil Wilson and Miles Kingdesigned to help people recognise theseplants and understand their requirements.

Arable farmland can support a unique collection of plants that are adapted tocolonise the disturbed land created by tillage.Nearly 300 species of wild plant have beenfound on arable land, including species suchas shepherd’s-needle, pheasant’s-eye andrough poppy. However, over the last 60years once-widespread and common cornfieldflowers have suffered a serious decline due tochanges in agricultural practices, includingfaster maturing crops, increased efficiency ofmodern herbicides and a move away fromtraditional rotations. These plants may nowbe the rarest species on the farm!

Fortunately, Wiltshire still supports a numberof important rare arable plants. The county isnationally important for the spectacularpheasant’s-eye and red hemp-nettle. There isalso a characteristic community of nationallyscarce species, including corn gromwell, corn parsley and Venus’s looking-glass.

In recognition of this, Wiltshire FWAG, supported by English Nature and Defra, has

set up the Wiltshire Rare Arable PlantsProject. The project aims to review existingrecords of arable plant distribution and workwith farmers and agronomists to record newsites and secure management beneficial to these plants. The project was officiallylaunched in July at a two-day event in Kingston Deverill for farmers and agronomists, entitled Managing Wildlife On Your Farm. This included a talk on the identification and management of rare arableplants by national expert and co-author ofthe new field guide, Dr Phil Wilson, and the chance to see a number of these fascinating plants.

To help conserve these plants, some farmersare leaving uncropped cultivated margins intheir fields, which will encourage them togrow. Others are actually restricting thetypes of herbicides they use so that the plantscan grow, whilst still allowing the farmer to produce a crop. Not only does this helpthese rare plants, it can also provide valuable habitat for other farmland wildlife includinghares, grey partridge and beneficial insects.Despite parts of Wiltshire being recognisedas nationally important for these plants, theirdistribution and current status are still poorlyknown. The project is working with agronomists and farmers to record siteswhere these species occur - hopefully thiswill confirm old records and identify newlocations. Recording forms can be requestedfrom the Farmland Biodiversity ProjectOfficer, Simon Smart.

Dagmar Junghans English Nature, Wiltshire Team

Work for three-lobed water-crowfootRanunculus tripartitushas yielded positiveresults at Combwell Wood SSSI in Kent. A joint project between English Nature,Plantlife and the Kent High Weald Project hasseen the first reappearance of this plant atCombwell since 2000. The plant is found in atemporary pond on the edge of this woodlandSSSI. Work involved increasing light levels,removing the build-up of organic matter in thepond, clearing invasive Juncus effususand the

reintroduction of disturbance - a group of localschoolchildren proved particularly effectivehere! Twenty-four plants made an appearanceduring the late spring and summer of 2003,with many producing flowers. Monitoring continues at the site and it is hoped that furtherwork may be possible to encourage the recovery of this plant at Combwell.

Pauline Harvey Conservation OfficerEnglish Nature, Kent Team

Three-lobed water-crowfoot in Kent

Wiltshire FWAG launches project to help rare arable plants

Rare orchiddug upAn unwelcome incidentof plant theft occurred inDorset concerning thelizard orchid, a nationally rare plantclassified as Vulnerable.A very small population growing beside a mainroad near Wareham haspersisted for at least 12years, but in 2003 theonly flowering plant wasdeliberately dug up andremoved. The incidentis a reminder of the vulnerability of rareplants to theft, and raisesthe issue of the extent towhich confidentiality isnecessary concerninglocation information forsuch species.

Narrow-leavedhelleborine inHampshireGood news concerningthe nationally scarcenarrow-leaved (alsoknown as sword-leaved) helleborine Cephalantheralongifolia at Chappett’sCopse, a Hampshire &Isle of Wight WildlifeTrust Reserve.Monitoring by VolunteerReserve Warden RichardHedley, who also leadsthe management workon the site, revealed atotal of 2,185 floweringspikes in 2003, the highest total since 1995.

5

6

Features at KewGardens included:Tree-top walkwayA 110 m walkway winding through the canopiesof oak and redwood trees - a rare chance toview trees from a bird’s-eye perspective and toexplore the lives of the many creatures whichmake their home in Britain’s tree-tops.

Field hospitalAn evocative collector’s pavilion illustratedthe traditional medicinal uses of nativespecies. Presenting the science behind folkremedies, the Field hospital also demonstratedwhy plants, leeches and maggots are findinga new role in modern medicine.

Something’s brewing at KewA dramatic living display of hops and barley, growing in the Princess of WalesConservatory, showed the interdependenceof traditional practices on the landscape,culture and rural economy.

Self raising flowersModern agricultural methods, pesticides andherbicides have created uniform fields ofwheat, instead of the rich mixture of flowersand wild plants of 70 years ago. The traditional wheat field showed how fieldslooked in the past and how they supportedinsect life and wildflowers.

Last summer, Kew Gardens and WakehurstPlace held an exciting and ambitious festivalconcentrating on British biodiversity. It isoften easy to overlook the diversity of life onyour doorstep. This festival, called Go Wild,celebrated our native wildlife and ran fromMay to September. It highlighted specieswhich occur in the gardens, and explored thediversity of wild habitats throughout the United Kingdom. Go Wildalso looked at sustainable practices in traditional agricultural and land management.

Visitors were able to climb into the canopyof a magnificent oak tree, explore the tracksof small mammals living in the wilder areasof Kew, discover the medicinal value ofnative wild plants or listen to the rustling ofa traditional wheat field. Go Wilddemonstrated the interdependence of plants,animals and humans, and showed the irreplaceable beauty of Britain’s uniquewildlife. Through special features, exhibitionsand art installations, Go Wildconveyed the conservation message at the heart of Kew’s work.

Go Wildat Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place

Peter Bennett

Peter Bennett

7

Grown homeArtist and maker, Lois Walpole, grows herown willow and fashions the living woodinto an amazing range of items including coathangers, tables, chairs, baskets and bowls.This intriguing living installation showedhow sustainable manufacture is possible in anurban environment by growing, harvesting,using and recycling willow artefacts.

Vegetarian optionKew’s Diploma students presented their vegetable plots, which use traditional methods to improve soil condition, encouragebeneficial wildlife and produce healthy cropsusing methods like companion planting.

Blooms, birds, bugs and beesA huge floral plantscape highlighted theimportance of domestic gardens as havens forwildlife.

A badger sett!A human-sized underground badger settoffered an amazing insight into the life of one of Britain’s most intriguing and misunderstood wild animals.

Carbon light lifeA series of glass panels located in the gardens, revealed the tracks of small mammals going about their lives, showingthe vital link between habitat and wildlife.

Wild harvestA new exhibition in White Peaks Galleryshowed a selection of artefacts made fromBritish native plants, British timbers, photographs of British habitats and of present-day uses of wild plants.

Flying pollenA series of beautiful microscope images illustrated the complex structure of wind-borne pollen from UK native plants and their relationship with plant reproduction.The images were presented as banner installations in the landscapes of Kew.

Wild ideasSix showcase gardens illustrated ways of creating a wildlife-friendly haven in a smalldomestic garden. The plots were designed byKew final year Diploma of Horticulture students to inspire urban gardeners, and werejudged by English Nature and Kew for theirpromotion of biodiversity and landscapedesign. The aim of the designs was toencourage a greater understanding of

Cornish plant findsThere have been somegood plant discoveriesin Cornwall lately. IanBennallick has refoundoak fern and a secondsite for marsh fern ineast Cornwall, anddense-flowered fumitoryin a barley field atPorthcothan, growingwith narrow-fruitedcornsalad, round-leavedfluellen, weasel’s-snout,dwarf spurge, tall ramping-fumitory andsmall toadflax.Cornfield knotgrassPolygonum rurivagumhas been discovered ingood numbers at a farmnear Saltash andPorthtowan. The recently published bookArable plants – a fieldguidehas proved usefulwith the arable plantsidentifications. Goodpopulations ofcranberry have also beenrefound on BodminMoor at two of its threesites in the county.

Last year Flora EnglishNaturereported the discovery of northernyellow-cress Rorippaislandicain Somerset by the Somerset RarePlants Group – the firstrecord for England.More recently aBotanical CornwallGroup workshop discovered a large population of the raritygrowing with marsh yellow-cress R. palustrison the muddy marginsof Upper Tamar Lake,on both the Cornwalland Devon shores of the lake. The plantswere identified by Paul Green.

biodiversity and show the important roledomestic gardens can play in becoming corridors for wildlife. The prize of £200worth of vouchers was provided by EnglishNature as part of their Gardens Initiative.The winner was Bob McMeekin with his‘Railway Reclaimed’ garden. Chris Gibson,English Nature’s judge, said, “The RailwayReclaimed garden highlights how gardensand disused railways are important for naturein urban areas, both acting as importantwildlife corridors. This garden links the twoand shows how innovative garden design andbiodiversity can work together.”

The Wild Ideas gardens were sponsored bythe SITA Environmental Trust, and the gardenswere judged by Chris Gibson, ConservationOfficer for English Nature; Nigel Taylor,Head of Horticulture and Public Education atRoyal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Steve Ruddyat Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew; and MaryReynolds, designer of the Defra BiodiversityGarden at Kew.

Features at WakehurstPlace included:Charcoal burner’s encampmentCharcoal burning was a hugely importantindustrial process from Roman times to themiddle of the 19th century. Today, 40,000tonnes of charcoal are used in barbecues,much of it imported from south east Asia. An authentic charcoal-burner’s encampmentillustrated a form of sustainable woodlandmanagement, which can reduce the impacton threatened forests of the world.

Peter BennettGo Wild co-ordinator

Peter Bennett

8

On 16 September 2003 an eclectic gatheringof botanists, saplings and veterans piled into the Millennium Seed Bank conferenceroom at Wakehurst. Such was the draw ofone of the most distinguished field botanistsof our generation, Francis Rose MBE. We gathered here, not only to celebrate this great man’s contribution to botany and conservation, but to launch a new reserve inhis honour at Wakehurst, a special area ofimposing sandrock exposures, home to ahost of Atlantic moisture-loving lower plants.

Andy Jackson of Kew and Head ofWakehurst Place, introduced the day’s celebrations followed by a talk from Francishimself. He expressed his delight and pridethat this area would in perpetuity be managed with mosses, liverworts, lichensand ferns centre stage, groups that Francishas fostered so much awareness of to asteady flow of students for more than half acentury. The Francis Rose Reserve is the first nature reserve in England to be devoted to lower plants and the second in the world (the first goes to Dawyck inScotland!).

Peter Crane, Director of Kew, then paid hiswarm tribute. Andy Brown, EnglishNature’s Chief Executive, rightly acknowledged Francis’s contribution tobotany and conservation, recognising therole he has played in inspiring many of usin English Nature today, and his guidinghand in the early days of the NatureConservancy Council when many of hisdetailed reports led to sites being designatedas Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We also heard from Tim Rich of the

National Museum of Wales, who gave anamusing potted biography, followed byNick Hodgetts, former plants advisor at theJoint Nature Conservation Committee, whooutlined the national and internationalimportance of the Wealden sandrocks forlower plants.

Brian Marsh then presented the covetedMarsh Christian Trust Award to an individual who has done much to further theconservation of bryophytes. The recipient -David Holyoak - has done sterling work forEnglish Nature and Plantlife International inrecent years and is Conservation Officer ofthe British Bryological Society.

In our excitement the proceedings somewhat over-ran, so over a buzz of conversation we headed for Wakehurst’srestaurant and downed our excellent dinner.Then we did what had to be done – enteredFrancis’s real element – the field. Tours ofthe sandrock reserve took place in warmsunshine, not so good for the delicate liverworts and ferns (they will survive) butmatched the mood of the day. I’m sure I’mnot the only one in English Nature who canlook back to memorable days in the fieldwith Francis, when you want to soak upevery moment of his infectious passion forplants, and wish you could somehow achievejust a fraction of what Francis has achievedfor plant conservation in this country.

Ron PorleyBryologist, Botanical UnitTerrestrial Wildlife Team, English Nature, based at Newbury

The FrancisRose Reserve

A tribute to Francis Rose -doyen of fieldbotanists

Fran

cis

Ro

se M

BE

Andy Brown, English Nature’s Chief Executive.

Nick Hodgetts.

Tim Rich.

Andy Jackson.

Peter Crane.

All photos Ron Porley/English Nature

9

New fungusrecord after130 yearsNothing for 130 years.But in September anendangered species offungus was spotted by anEnglish NatureBiodiversity Action PlanFungi Officer – and itwas only his second dayon the job!

En-route to Kings Lynnstation with EnglishNature’s lead contact forfungi, Carl Borges, DrMartyn Ainsworth suggested a detour to thehome of the last WestNorfolk sightings of theoak polypore Piptoporus(Buglossoporus) quercinus– at CastleRising. It was a fruitfuldiversion! Armed withonly an inaccurate gridreference and the name ofthe village the chances offinding this rare specieswere low, but Martyn’senthusiasm paid off whenthey stumbled on it in thelocal woodland.

The rare golden yellowbracket fungus was lastrecorded at Castle Rising in1871 and 73, and nothinghas been seen since in theWest Norfolk area.

In fact, across the countrythis species is only foundwhere there are collectionsof old oaks and their fallen branches are left todecay naturally. The fungus is not killing thetrees and may even prolong their life. It actually helps to recyclethe dead parts of the treeand provide holes andcrevices for other wildlife

Continued on page 11 E

Grasslands containing waxcap fungi haverightly attracted an increasing amount ofinterest in the last 10 years. As some ofthese do not support a wide range of flowering plants they have, perhaps, beenoverlooked, but recent work has redressedthat balance such that they have been thefocus of increased survey work and publicinterest (Flora English Naturewinter 2002- pink waxcap). While woodlands havebeen known to harbour a wide range offungi for a very long time, there has not,as yet, been a method available to facilitate surveying them. One of themore promising avenues now being pursued is the development of a list offungal species which are characteristicallyfound fruiting on the dead wood ofbroadleaved tree species in southernEngland so that we can compare habitatquality between different woods.

This approach marks a departure from thewaxcap-dominated grassland assessmentas dead-wood communities often featuremany genera but each is represented byonly a few species. Having a shortlist oftarget species to search for will help tomake the task more manageable for thesmall dedicated group of fungi specialistsavailable. Furthermore, it should help tohighlight the conservation importance thatsites can gain as their trees increase in ageand decompose naturally. In the firstinstance, the approach will be to look atthe larger elements of dead wood such astrunks and large branches. As with othergroups of organisms which interact with

Fungi as indicators of dead wood habitat quality

trees in an age-dependent manner, fungihelp to transform these bulky items intolabyrinthine mini-ecosystems and help tocreate more niches as they go. Fungicolonising standing and fallen dead trunksand branches have a more limited distribution and are more endangered than colonisers of more ephemeral woodyresources such as twigs. Hence it isexpected that the detection of suites offungi which are apparently dependent onlarger diameter (ie older) dead wood willbe helpful in assessing relative conservation value.

Selecting fungi living on dead wood(saprotrophs) is also attractive becausethey are a species-rich group associatedwith this resource, the main agents of primary decay, relatively amenable to laboratory manipulations and hence offerpossibilities of combined ecological andgenetic investigations. Surprisingly in thisregard, but again probably reflecting theirrestricted habitat, the ecology of fungicolonising bulkier woody substrata hasbeen largely neglected. This contrastswith the large research portfolio developedfrom studies of the pioneer community(primary colonisers) of twigs and smallbranches led by Dr Alan Rayner (Bath)and Prof Lynne Boddy (Cardiff). Thisexpertise is transferable to species of conservation concern as is already beingdemonstrated in Cardiff with species ofHericium, a genus strongly associated with large-diameter woody resources.

Continued on page 10E

Wooly oyster Hohenbuehelia mastrucata on afallen beech trunk, a carnivore which traps and

eats nemotodes. Dr Martyn Ainsworth

10

Interestingly, 50% of all fungi speciallyprotected under the Wildlife andCountryside Act 1981, ie oak polyporePiptoporus quercinus(listed asBuglossoporus pulvinus) and beardedtooth Hericium erinaceum, are species ofbulky substrata, thus further accentuatingthe importance of this habitat.

Since this is very much a new venture, it isworth considering some of the historicalevents which have catalysed the development of this approach. In additionto the publication of the Swedish bookSignalarteand pyramids of ‘signalspecies’ for Scandinavian virgin forests,three projects that had the greatest catalytic impact on me personally are outlined below:

Northwest Forest Plan - habitat of the northern spotted owl

Declaring the northern spotted owl ‘threatened’ in 1990, the US Fish andWildlife Service sparked a series of legalchallenges bringing Pacific Northwest timber sales on Federal land to a halt andan intervention by President Clinton in1993. In the ensuing debate, public andscientific concerns about maintenance ofecosystem function were seen to outweighthose of saving viable populations of individual species. The focus was ondiminishing ancient (old-growth) forests ata late-succession or climax stage of development and, for the first time, fungibecame a major part of forest managementin the owl’s range. The ecosystem management team considered speciesassociated with late-succession forestsdrawn from eight organism groups (fungi, lichens, bryophytes, amphibians, mammals, molluscs, vascular plants and arthropods).

Of the 404 species deemed not to haveadequate habitat protection, a surprising234 fungal species were selected in 1994for attention under the four survey-and-manage strategies of the Pacific NorthwestForest Plan. One notable outcome was thesudden ‘celebrity’ status of a bracket fungus found on dead Abiesand Tsuga.Although having fruitbodies unflatteringlydescribed as resembling a doormat, thefungus formerly known as Bridgeoporusnobilissimusbecame better known as thenoble polypore. The sheer size of its fruitbodies (one was recorded as weighing136 kg in the original description) helpedto give confidence to the assertion that, in the fruiting state at least, it really was rare and not merely overlooked. Each known site was even accorded its own exclusion zone of 240 hectares protectedfrom disturbance and any planned ground-disturbing activities had to await anoble polypore survey. At the other end of the scale, all 234 fungal species were proposed for extensive surveying to findhigh-priority sites and a decade of regionalsurveys for little known species commenced in 1996.

Indicators of habitat quality in European beech forests

Concern for loss of native biodiversityfrom European forests prompted JacobHeilmann-Clausen and Morten Christensento start mapping fungi that were characteristicof dead wood in Danish beech forests in1998. Their aim was to produce a list ofmostly easily identified fungi with relativelyconspicuous fruitbodies. This was a deliberate strategy to promote interest inthe project and stimulate recording. It alsohelped to circumvent the issue of fungiwhich have few records but are so inconspicuous they are probably overlookedby most recorders. It must not be forgottenthat the downside to this strategy is theomission of many species characteristic ofdead beech wood, for example a cornucopiaof inconspicuous corticioids (fruitbodiesresembling white paint or smears of wax)which demand specialist attention andconsiderable microscopy time. Jacob andMorten used the phrase “coarse woodydebris” (as did those working in the spottedowl’s range), however I am reluctant todescribe a standing dead oak trunk, theproduct of several centuries of development,as any form of ‘debris’.

Pink bracket Aurantiporus alborubescenson a fallen beeck trunk in Berkshire, oneof four counties with records. Dr Martyn Ainsworth

Orange powder porecrust Ceriporiametamorphosa on fallen oak trunkshowing the accompanying orangepowdery spore masses of its asexualstate. Dr Martyn Ainsworth

11

summing up the next steps required, thisassessment highlighted three essentialtasks: survey work, production of a UKRed Data Book for fungi and the identification of indicator species to assesshabitat quality. One of the four criteriawhich emerged as useful for site selectiondescribed sites which are ‘outstandingexamples of a habitat type of knownmycological importance’. Only the waxcap grassland fungal species diversityvalues (eg the CHEG profile) were citedas a guide to application of this criterion.Clearly there is much room for improvement (apologies for the pun!) inassessing any other fungal habitat, notleast for the purposes of SSSI selection.

Looking to the future, the initial phase of this project involves compiling manageable lists of appropriate fungi starting with those associated with oak,beech, elm and lime, some of which I havestudied and photographed near Windsorover the last 10 years. The more conspicuously-fruiting candidate speciesshow an enormous range of form. Theyrelease spores from structures as diverse asspines (eg Hericiumand Mycoacia), tubes(eg Ceriporia and Phellinus) and gills (eg Ossicaulisand Hohenbuehelia). Someexample species (identifications checkedby microscopy where appropriate) andtheir bulky wood habitats are shown onthese pages. In order to validate the listand show it can work to highlight areasalready accepted as important for theirbulky dead-wood assemblages, it is hopedto incorporate an analysis of existing

Continued on page 12E

Following Danish field testing and potential inclusion of extra indicator fungi,Jacob and Morten are now expanding theirefforts to try to include more non-Danishsites in their top 20 beech sites in Europe.One factor unfavourably affecting thescores of non-Danish participants isundoubtedly the questionable pan-European applicability of the Danish listwhich may result in future adoption ofsome country-specific fine tuning. Thatsaid, I could not resist applying the existing Danish list to one of my localwoods near Windsor. I had high expectations because I had chosen 14hectares which probably constitute the best surviving fragment of the pre-SaxonWindsor Forest. Satisfyingly, it was on apar with Fontainbleau Forest and withinthe top ten European sites documentedduring the early years of the project.Interestingly, the Danish team were struckby the repeated co-occurrence of severalindicators on the same log or trunk. This is now being refined into a concept of‘decay pathways’ whereby the presence ofone species can sometimes render themicrohabitat in a more favourable condition for colonisation by others.

Important Fungus Areas (IFAs) in the UK

It was becoming clear that in order toevaluate and compare sites or habitats fortheir fungal interest, more criteria wereurgently needed. Indeed the ImportantFungi Areas dossier highlighted the lack ofsite-based information as a factor holdingback fungal conservation. Furthermore in

such as birds, bats andinsects. Places whereoaks are allowed tobecome ancient andslowly decay are now inshort supply so thespecies is the subject of aBiodiversity Action Planand is protected underSchedule 8 of theWildlife and CountrysideAct, 1981.

“It was incredible luck tofind it with so little information,” said Carl.“But Martyn has spentover 20 years studyingdead-wood fungi andhow they live and fighteach other for territoryand this species in particular has taken hisfancy so he’s made it hispersonal mission!”

“I am very lucky that Ilive near Windsor GreatPark,” said Martyn.“Here there has been acontinuity of oaks sinceSaxon times at least andnot surprisingly the oakpolypore is still verymuch a part of the localwildlife. I am currentlyworking with EnglishNature to assess howfungi such as this and thebearded tooth Hericiumerinaceumcan be used asindicators to pinpointsites of conservationinterest. In some waysthis is using fungi likewe use top predatorssuch as birds of prey, ifthey are doing well thenthe ecosystem as a wholeis probably doing well.What we need to bedoing now is makingsure that there will be acontinuous supply of oldtrees so their associatedwildlife has a securefuture”.

E Continued from page 9

Robust bracket Phillinus robustus on a fallen oak trunk in its Windsor Forest stronghold. Dr Martyn Ainsworth

12

fungal records. In view of this and toavoid unnecessary identification andrecording effort, the indicator lists will notinclude very common species with broaderecological amplitude in genera such asStereum, Bjerkanderaand Schizopora.

Hopefully, the British Mycological SocietyFungal Records Database (BMSFRD) canbe made available for interrogation beyondthe summary data currently accessible tothe public on the BMSFRD website.

To realise the potential of this fundamentalresource, funding is currently required tostandardise recording of sites and updatedistribution maps. In the meantime, allsite-based queries require laborious ‘manual de-replication’ of data entries, particularly where sites are uniquelydescribed by different recorders and thesame site is visited over several years.The ‘cleaned’ data can then be augmentedby consultation with other fieldworkersexperienced in this ecological group andhopefully successfully tested across a widegeographic area.

Ultimately the ‘best’ sites for bulky dead-wood resources will emerge for comparison with those obtained by assessingsaproxylicinvertebrates. The task ofassessing how well their fungal inhabitantsare protected can then follow. The futuresupply of dead wood should also be considered. Small concentrations of deadwood may currently harbour a hotspot offungal diversity but they cannot be viewedin spatial or temporal isolation. Attentionshould focus on the wider landscape andcentury-based timescales in which suchhotspots may be seen to be a temporaryand mobile feature. All of which bringsthe issues of provision of sufficient areasand continuity of trees sharply into focus.

Dr Martyn AinsworthBAP fungi contractor

Fragrant toothcrust Mycoacianothofagi on a fallen beech trunk,usually detectable by its powerfulsweet soapy scent. Dr Martyn Ainsworth

Mealy oyster Ossicaulis lignatilis andassociated brown rot within a hollowfallen elm trunk. Dr Martyn Ainsworth

A view of the Flag Fen site.Paul Lacey/English Nature

13

In a move to broaden interest in biodiversity,and plants in particular, an English NaturePeterborough-based project has begun, withthe aim of promoting links between archaeology and wildlife. This is happeningat the Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre, locatedto the south of the city which contains a3,500-year-old 2 kilometre-long woodenplatform. Discovered in the 1970s byarchaeologist Francis Prior during preparations for extending an industrialestate, the platform is in an astonishinglygood state of preservation thanks to beingburied under several metres of peat.

Flag Fen has already been involved in plantconservation, as it provides a nursery areafor the rare species, fen ragwort Seneciopaludosus(Flora English Nature, winter2001). The site recently opened its newvisitor centre and, with Flag Fen becomingpopular as an educational resource, anopportunity arose to demonstrate howhuman beings once interacted with theirenvironment. English Nature staff paid avisit in the summer of 2002 and recordedwhat was present. From this list, I thenresearched how humans throughout the ageshave exploited the various properties ofthese plants.

A leaflet is currently in production, whichwill be free to visitors. Around the site, anumber of small ‘flags’ will mark the position of the plants mentioned and thesehave been grouped into four categories;food, medicines, tools and practical usesand multi-purpose plants.

Food plants covered in the leaflet includecommon mallow Malva sylvestrisand fat-hen Chenopodium album. Both thesespecies have had a long association withhumans, mallow having been mentioned bythe Roman writer Pliny and fat-hen givingits old Scandinavian name ‘Melde’ to twovillages in Suffolk.

Medicinal species include purple and yellow loosestrife Lythrum salicariaandLysimachia vulgaris, and (with a cautionarynote!) hemlock Conium maculatum, apparently used to cure rabid dog bites!Woad Isatis tinctoria, the ancient Britons’war paint, provided one of several splendid

Bronze Age botany

examples of plants that can be put to practical use. And, stinging nettle Urticadioica showed how a plant many peopledespise can serve as a source of cloth, rope,dye, food and medicine.

This work has already produced two unexpected spin-offs. I was asked to give atalk on the subject as part of Flag Fen’ssummer lecture schedule. Then, I had toappear on a television programme, offeringadvice to a ‘Bronze Age family’ on what inthe hedgerows was good or bad to eat. Thefamily, recruited by Central News, spent aweek attempting to live like a Bronze Agegroup. Although their principal concernscentred on being deprived of their normalplant-based stimulants tea, coffee and cigarettes, they did show some interest insuch sustaining fare as dandelion leaves, fathen and wild parsnip. They were, however,far less enthusiastic about the sloes theywere offered!

Paul LaceyCommunications Unit Terrestrial Wildlife Team

14

Plant conservationactivities onPitcairn IslandPitcairn Island, the fabled home of theBountymutineers, is isolated at the easternextremity of the main group of Polynesianislands, roughly half way between NewZealand and South America and just south ofthe Tropic of Capricorn. Identification of theflora of Pitcairn began almost as soon asEuropean contact with the community ofmutineers and their Tahitian wives, but itwas not until the Mangarevan Expedition of1934 that extensive collections of theisland’s flora were undertaken. Researchinterest from Trinity College began in 1991during the Sir Peter Scott CommemorativeExpedition to the Pitcairn Islands, whichfocused its attention mainly on ‘nearby’Henderson Island (a World Heritage Site)and two atolls Oeno and Ducie. However, itbecame apparent in 1991 that the main conservation issues with the flora of theseislands was on Pitcairn itself. As a UKOverseas Territory governed from the BritishHigh Commission in New Zealand, theresponsibility for biodiversity conservationon the island rests with the UK Government.Accordingly, we secured funding from theUK Foreign & Commonwealth Office in1997 to examine in detail the floristics, vegetation communities and conservationstatus of the native flora.

Our 1997 visit to the island provided a more complete floristic inventory than was previously possible. We added 12 newrecords of presumed native species to bringthe total native flora to 81 taxa, of which 10 are considered endemic.

We were also able to describe and map vegetation communities, and to provide better information on the conservation statusof native species, including an assessment ofthe major threats and, for certain taxa considered to be most at risk, an assessmentof population size and demographic structure. In a few cases such data werebacked up with a molecular assessment ofgenetic diversity. Thus we were able to provide a large amount of baseline data thatcould be used to prioritise future conservationactivities. The main threats to the nativespecies were identified as those posed byinvasive non-native plants, by criticallysmall population size or distribution, byhabitat loss, and by erosion. The main invasive species causing problems areSyzygium jambos, introduced originally forfuel wood, and Lantana camara; both arewell know as pest species elsewhere.Several native species were found to exist in either very restricted areas, such asLastreopsis aff. pacificawhere all but oneindividual occurred in a colony occupying anarea of 20 x 60 m2, or occurred in very lownumbers, such as the endemic Coprosmabenefica, where only 12 individuals wererecorded. C. beneficawas thought to bedioecious, and in 1997 we found only onemale plant, though the sex of several individuals could not be determined. The vulnerability of species with such low numbers was made evident when the largestspecimen of C. beneficablew over during astorm. We were unable to locate the endemic Abutilon pitcairnenseand Myrsinesp. previously recorded from the island.

Following the 1991 expedition, recommendations were made that aConservation Officer be funded as a localgovernment position, and this was achieved

Hibiscus australensis, first noted on theisland in 1997, where it is rare and local.The species also occurs in the Australislands where its conservation status isuncertain, but likely to be very rare. It isbeing trialled on Pitcairn as a groundcover in plots cleared of the invasiveSyzygium jambos.Dr Steve Waldren

McCoys Valley, showing typical nativemontane forest of Metrosideros collina,with rich pteridophyte ground layer,epiphytic ferns and bryophytes, and thetypically leaning stems of the trees.Dr Steve Waldren

in 1997 when Jay Warren was appointed tothe post. In 1999, with help from ColinClubbe and colleagues at Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, Jay attended a DarwinInitiative-funded programme at RBG Kewto provide training in practical plant conservation.

The latest pieces in the conservation jigsawfell into place in early 2003 with fundingfrom the UK Foreign & CommonwealthOffice to investigate methods to removeSyzygium jambosand reinstate native forestspecies, while minimising the potential effectsof soil erosion. At the same time, Fauna andFlora International provided funding to undertake recovery work on critically endangered plants, and the Irish ResearchCouncil for Science and Technology provideda research fellowship for Noeleen Smyth.

In the meantime Carol had relocated a specimen of the Abutilon, and Jay and Carolsuccessfully propagated this from cuttings,proudly displayed to Noeleen and Steve whenthey visited in July 2003. We also found thata trial translocation of the endemic giant fernAngiopteris chauliodontaundertaken byNaomi and Steve in 1997 was successful,with 26 young plants established in JackWillems Valley from 40 transplanted stipules(fleshy outgrowths of the stipe base, containing an axilliary bud). We also found ayoung plant of a Myrsinespecies in McCoy’sValley, and in December cuttings were successfully rooted at Trinity College BotanicGarden. Further work is needed to see if thistaxon is the same as M. hosakae, endemic tonearby Henderson Island, or whether thePitcairn material represents a distinct taxon.

Perhaps the most exciting event was the construction of the island nursery, which willprovide a facility to propagate both threatenednative plants and plants that are of economicbenefit to the islanders. For example, we planto introduce a range of Avocadocultivarsgrafted onto standard stocks, and these willgreatly increase the avocado season on theisland. Noeleen’s practical horticultural training can be put to use in training islanderswith grafting techniques. The nursery is alsobeing used to raise stock that will be plantedinto experimental plots cleared of Syzygium,as well as propagation of critically threatenedspecies. A series of 20 plots have so far beensurveyed, and these will be cleared ofSyzygiumonce stock for replanting has beenpropagated and grown on.

15

An undescribed species of Peperomiafrom the a very restricted area of thesouthern coast. Recent molecularanalyses suggest it is closely related to P. hendersonensis of nearby HendersonIsland, and the more widespread P. pallida. We hope to publish a formaldescription of this species shortly.Dr Steve Waldren

Almost the whole community of the island isworking with Noeleen on this plot survey andclearance, providing a useful source ofincome locally in addition to undertakingpractical conservation.

We have devised a strategy for the recoveryof critically endangered species whichinvolves firstly securing the existing genepoolby vegetative propagation, followed by anassessment of genetic variation, and then controlled breeding to try and maximisediversity. Ultimately we hope that this mightinclude a study of the relative effects ofinbreeding and outbreeding depression.Many problems remain to be studied, notleast the taxonomic identity of taxa such asthe Myrsineand Lastreopsis. We found thatseveral of the Coprosmasurveyed in 1997could not be refound in 2003; no traceremained of the largest plant that blew over in1997, and the solitary male from that timehad recently died. However, we located several other specimens and, intriguingly,found that some plants that were ‘female’ in1997 now appeared to be exclusively ‘male’.Molecular markers will again be used to confirm or refute whether we have relocatedexactly the same individuals, but we collectedfruit from one individual growing at the baseof a radio mast guy wire in 1997, and we arecertain that the same specimen was producingonly male flowers in 2003.

Clearly, there is still much to learn, includingthe most effective means of invasive speciescontrol. But so far we are extremely optimistic about the approach taken, whichinvolves a genuine partnership between thelocal community with their practical skills,and the baseline information that the scientificteam from Dublin can provide. Working together, we can make a real contribution to practicalplant conservation, andthe approach taken onPitcairn may serve as amodel for conservationon other islands.

A Haloragis species, locally frequent onthe south coast of Pitcairn, though notrecorded prior to 1997. It has not yetbeen seen in flower, so has not beenfully identified to species.Dr Steve Waldren

Dr Steve Waldren*, Dr Naomi Kingston1,Noeleen Smyth*, Jay Warren2 & Carol Warren3

*Department of Botany, Trinity College, Dublin1National Parks and Wildlife Service, Dublin2Conservation Officer, Pitcairn Island, 3Pitcairn Island

16

PublicationsreportsSome recent English Nature ResearchReportsof plant and fungi interestinclude:

No. 492, Creolophus (Hericium) cirrhatus, Hericium erinaceus & H.coralloidesin England.

No. 503, Lichen survey of selectedBreckland SSSIs, 2002.

No. 528, The implications of climatechange for the conservation of Beechwoodlands and associated flora in the UK.

No. 540, Report on the marsh honeyfungus Armillaria ectypa, a UK BAPspecies.

No. 541, Report on hazel glovesHypocreopsis rhododendri, a UK BAPascomycete fungus (with reference towillow glove Hypocreopsis lichenoides).

These are available free from: EnquiryService, English Nature.

Leaflets

The Fungus Conservation Forum haspublished a leaflet entitled Grasslandgems: managing lawns and pastures forfungi which provides sound managementadvice for the conservation of thesefungi, many of which are particularlyattractive.

Plantlife has produced a leaflet for theBack from the Brink management seriesentitled Ciliate strap-lichen: Gift of theGulf Stream. This lichen is a rarespecies classified as Endangered andlisted in Schedule 8 of the Wildlife andCountryside Act, and which reaches thenorthern limits of its distribution in theBritish Isles. Another leaflet in thisPlantlife series is Looking after raremosses and liverworts in coastal duneslacks, which provides useful management advice for the conservationof these plants, several of which arethreatened in Britain and Europe.

Management handbooks

Two important management handbookshave been recently published by FACT,the Forum for the Application ofConservation Techniques, with the assistance of English Nature:

The Scrub Management Handbook:Guidance on the management of scrub onnature conservation sites.

The HerbicideHandbook:Guidance on theuse of herbicideson nature conservationsites.

The handbooks are available for downloading on English Nature’swebsite, www.english-nature.org.uk, andthe website also gives details for obtainingpaper copies, price £30 for both and £15for the Herbicide Handbook only.

Another management handbook, this timeconcerning heathlands, has been producedby Nigel Symes and John Day of the RSPB:

A practical guide to the restoration andmanagement of Lowland Heathland.

This handbook provides a reference for theplanning, implementation and monitoringof the management of lowland heathland,and presents the latest methods to do thejob efficiently. The inclusion of case studies is a valuable addition to meet theaims of the book.

17

BooksArable plants - a field guide

This English Nature and WILDGuidesbook by Phil Wilson and Miles King contains information on over 100 speciesof Britain’s rare arable plants, each covered in full colour with a photograph or illustration. It describes the development of agriculture in Britain fromthe Neolithic Age and discusses modernthreats and opportunities like genetic modification, plus:

• A descriptive identification account with reference to similar species

• A distribution map• Flowering and germination period chart• Notes on habitat, soil type and special

management requirements

For details contact Wildguides; Tel 07818 403678, e-mail sales@wildguides.co.ukwww.fieldguide.arableplants

New Isle of Wight Flora

A new Flora has been published for theIsle of Wight by Dovecote Press, with theauthors comprising Colin Pope, LornaSnow & David Allen. The book providesan authoritative account of the current andhistoric status and distribution of the vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens andstoneworts, plus information concerningplant folklore, habitats, climate, geology,vegetation history and the history ofbotany on the island. The Isle of Wight ishome to a number of rare species includingnarrow-leaved lungwort, Martin’s ramping-fumitory, early gentian and wood calamint.

Heathland

This informative book written by JamesParry and published by the National Trustin their Living Landscapes series focuseson the cultural aspects of lowland heathlands.The book includes relevant descriptions ofthe habitat and its wildlife, its geographicaldistribution and management issues, thehistory of heathland industries and theresources that have been obtained fromheathlands over the centuries: plants(heather, gorse, bracken), food (honey, rabbits,sheep) and minerals (gravels, sands).

The last chapter analyses the present situation, where some remaining heathlandsare still in sub-optimal conditions due todecades of neglect. The author then takesan optimistic look to the future based on arenewed interest by the public, the help ofthe funding bodies, such as the HeritageLottery Fund, and changes in legislationwhich will hopefully secure the future ofthis habitat. The book is profusely illustrated with beautiful photographs,many of them from the early 20th centuryand fine watercolours by artist John Davis.

Flora of the Fells: celebratingCumbria’s mountain landscapes

This attractive short book produced by theFlora of the Fells project explores the relationships between the famous sceneryof the Lake District and the Pennineuplands and their distinctive flora. A keyaim of the book is to increase people’senjoyment and understanding of the uplandcountryside by highlighting the flora andhow the plants have survived there sincethe last ice age. A key message is thatalthough Cumbria has a remarkable rangeof flora much needs to be done to continueto protect and enhance it. The book contains numerous excellent colour photographs and illustrations. The Flora ofthe Fells website is: www.floraofthefells.com

Fungi

A short book in the “Naturally Scottish”series by Scottish Natural Heritage writtenby Roy Watling and Stephen Ward, providing an introduction to the life cycles,habitats and conservation of fungi inScotland. Illustrated with a range of finecolour photographs.

John Davis illustration.

PeopleHonours: Honours in the botanical world includeDavid Pearman andStella Turk, both awarded MBEs; and Dr Jane Smart awardedan OBE.

On the move:Plantlife International’saddress is now:14 Rollestone StreetSalisburyWiltshireSP1 1DXTel: 01722 342730E-mail:enquiries@plantlife.org.uk

Flora Locale’s addressis now:Denford ManorHungerfordBerkshireRG17 0UNTel: 01488 689035E-mail: info@floralocale.org

18

Books about wildlife gardening are, happily,common enough these days but what aboutusing new technology to help people selectplants to attract birds, insects and other animals into their gardens? The idea wasn’tnew. Jill Hamilton’s Flora for fauna CD didsomething along these lines more than 10years ago, with the aid, one must add, of agenerous grant from English Nature. But theambitions of Flora for faunawere prettywell confined to butterflies and their foodplants. Imagine, instead, a database linkingall desirable garden creatures to the plants,native or otherwise, which might draw themin to a garden. This was the initial goal ofthe project which began in 2000, in Lewes.

Its horizons have shrunk a little over the lastthree years and the original plan for 1,200entries has been reduced by a third. Thereare now 500 plants and 300 ‘creatures’, with hyperlinks for almost all of the speciesdescribed, to the plants (or animals or both)with which each is ecologically linked.Click on sparrowhawk and it will take you togoldfinch (and of course other birds). Fromgoldfinch you can browse to sunflower andthence to linnet, tuberous thistle or Cirsiumtuberosumif you prefer to search that way.This in turn might lead you to Bombus lapidariusor some other bee and then toother bee-pollinated plants and on, endlessly,elsewhere. Each species has its own screen,with a text of up to 200 words and a veryhigh quality photograph.

In the case of plants, some basic horticulturalinformation is provided, as far as possible byway of symbols. This covers preferred soiltype, aspect, height, growing habit, flowering colour and period and so on.Animals are linked to the plants that feed orshelter them as well as, where appropriate,to the other animals on which they prey orfor which they are themselves prey.

The most remarkable aspect of the CD is thehuge debt its successful production owes tothe efforts of a truly vast number of EnglishNature staff. For once, the cliché ‘toonumerous to mention’ is apposite sincealmost 100 people helped with writing orimproving the text, editing, proof-readingand critically, supplying their own

photographs for no fee. Being involved inthis venture has been at various stages, exciting, frightening, worrying, stimulating,exhausting and frustrating but never for one moment dull. It’s certainly the most memorable project in which I have participated in 25 years with EnglishNature/Nature Conservancy Council.

The CD costs £9.99 (plus £1.50 p&p) and isavailable from The Plant Press, 10 MarketStreet, Lewes, BN7 2LU or e-mail JohnStockdale, john@plantpress.com or call01273 476151.

Steve BerryPeople and Nature OfficerExternal Relations Team

Wildlife CD-Rom - Gardening with wildlife in mind

Primrose.Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

Bogbean. Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

19

KentPhil Williams

NorfolkPeter Lambley

North and East Yorkshire - York officeSusan Wilson

Leyburn officeColin Newlands

North MerciaChris Walker

NorthumbriaDavid Mitchell

Peak District and DerbyshireAudra Hurst

Somerset andGloucestershireStephen Parker

SuffolkNick Sibbett

Sussex and SurreyMichael Knight

Thames and ChilternsRon Porley

WiltshireKatie Lloyd

Beds, Cambs and NorthantsZak HawkesCheshire to LancashireDeborah RusbridgeCornwall and Isles of ScillyAndrew McDouallCumbriaJacqui Ogden and Ian SlaterDevonDave Appleton and Simon DunsfordDorsetJonathan CoxEastern Area teamSteve CliftonEssex, Herts and LondonDr Chris GibsonLondon officeAlex Machin and Rachel CookeHants and Isle of WightCatherine ChattersHerefordshire andWorcestershireDavid HeaverHumber to PenninesBrian Davies

Botanical networkA contact situated in each English Nature Area Team willing to deal with plant issues.

ContactsThe Lowlands, Uplands and Biodiversity teams atEnglish Nature have combined to form theTerrestrial Wildlife Teamwhich includes species andhabitats specialists and ismanaged by Dr RichardWright.

Botanical UnitBotanical expertise inEnglish Nature is distributedaround England with particular people specialisingin key species, geographicalareas and/or habitat types.

PeterboroughDr Jill SutcliffeBotanical Manager – co-ordinatorDr Stewart ClarkeEnvironmental ImpactsTeam, Freshwater – aquatic species including charophytes

ColchesterCarl Borges - Fungi(Currently on sabbatical)

KendalIan Taylor - Vascular plants,ferns and conifers; Northand Midlands areas andUplands and woodlandspecies; orchid species;Schedule 8 licensing of vascular plants.

NewburyRon Porley - Vascular plants,south and south easternareas and grassland species;bryophytes – mosses and liverworts; Schedule 8 licensing of non-vascularplants

NorwichPeter Lambley - Lichens

TauntonSimon Leach - Vascularplants, south west area and coastal species

Appropriate management of the habitats inwhich they grow is essential to the survival ofall rare plants. It is not surprising then thatgetting things done on the ground is the aim ofall plant Biodiversity Action Plans. Landmanagers therefore have an important role toplay in plant conservation, but they need up todate information. To help provide this EnglishNature publishes a quarterly magazine whichis designed with the land manager in mind.

Conservation Land Management draws on thepractical experience of writers from across theBritish Isles and beyond. Articles focus on thewide range of land management issues in conservation, including habitat managementand restoration, the control of problemspecies, grazing animals and machinery.Additional information, including details ofcosts and materials, is presented in easy-to-follow text boxes and diagrams, with

Conservation Land Management A Magazine for Land Managers

full-colour illustrations toset the scene.Each issue hasa range of regular featurescontaining listings of eventsand new publications, product updates,reports and topical comment.

Co-ordinated by a team of land managementexperts from English Nature working in partnership with the conservation networks,FACT and EUROSITE, Conservation LandManagement brings together a wealth of practical experience. At just £14 (individualrate) for a year’s subscription it also representssuperb value for money!

To subscribe contact – British Wildlife Publishing, tel: 01256 760663

Biodiversity Unit

Senior Biodiversity OfficerPeter BrothertonSenior BiodiversityInformation OfficerDavid SwitzerBiodiversity OfficerGavin MeasuresEngland Local BiodiversityAction Coordinator(Defra, Bristol)Alison BarnesMaritime BiodiversityCoordinatorAngela MoffatBiodiversity Support OfficerClaire Brittain

Flora English Naturefocuses on plant workbeing done by English Nature and itspartners and is publishedannually.

English Nature is theGovernment Agency thatchampions the conservation of wildlifeand geology throughoutEngland.

Editor: Dr Jill SutcliffeBotanical ManagerTerrestrial Wildlife TeamNorthminster HousePeterborough PE1 1UA

Enquiry ServiceTel: 01733 455000

www.english-nature.org.uk

© English Nature 2004

Printed on Evolution Satin, 75% recycled post-consumerwaste paper, ElementalChlorine Free.

ISSN 1479-3164

Designed and Printed by Status Design andAdvertising, 1.5M.

Line illustrations bySarah Wroot

An apologyIn Flora English Naturewinter 2002, photo captionson page 3 for northern yellowcress and six-staminedwaterwort were transposed.Apologies to all, particuarlyto the photographer LizMcDonnell.

Workshop on lichens and the changingair pollution environment in Britain

Lichens are well known as indicators ofair pollution. Work in the early 1970sshowed that it was possible to use lichensas biomonitors to measure average winterlevels of sulphur dioxide. A scale usinglichens growing on trees was developed byFrancis Rose and David Hawksworthwhich enabled the levels of air pollution tobe mapped in areas where there were nomeasuring gauges. However, in the lasttwo decades of the twentieth century levels of sulphur dioxide dropped dramatically as a result of the change fromcoal burning to gas powered stations andthe introduction of clean air areas in theurban centres. Lichens are responding bymoving back into the cities to such anextent that over 32 lichens were recordedon trees in Regent’s Park in 2003 when 20years ago the total would have been in single figures.

However, just as lichens have beenreclaiming the cities there is some evidence that the lichen flora is either not recovering in many parts of the countryside or that new lichen communities are replacing well establishedones. The reasons for this are not entirelyclear but appear to relate to high levels ofnitrogen in its various forms of ammonia,ammonium and perhaps nitrous oxides.This is a phenomenon which has also beenobserved in other parts of western Europe.Whilst many lichen communities escapedthe worst effects of the high sulphur dioxide levels especially in western Britainthere is now a concern that they may beaffected by these pollutants. As the UKincluding England still has very goodexamples of some of the most threatenedlichen communities in Europe notablythose in parklands and woodlands we havean international responsibility to conservethe habitats in which they occur.

For this reason English Nature contributeda grant to the British Lichen Society toenable it to run a workshop on the changing pollution environment in Britain.This was held from 24 to 27 February atthe Field Studies Council Centre atNettlecombe in Somerset and organised by

Pat Wolseley, the Secretary of the Societyand also Research Associate at the NaturalHistory Museum. There were 32 participantsfrom Britain, France, the Netherlands,Germany and Italy. Papers were read overtwo days with a field excursion on thethird to the Institute for Grassland andEnvironmental Research at North Wyke inDevon. There were sessions on the changinglichen flora, the pollution environment,monitoring and conserving lichen communities. It was clear that we aredealing with a complex situation where inpart the effects of sulphurdioxide weremasking the effects of other pollutants andthat we were in a very dynamic situation.There is still considerableuncertainty aboutthe relative importance of nitrogen oxidesfrom car exhausts and other sources compared with ammonia and ammonium.Nevertheless the workshop pooled together the experiences of key workersfrom different countries and backgroundsand suggested areas for future researchand action. In due course the proceedingsof the workshop will be published as anEnglish Nature Research Report.

The whole workshop took place in a veryfriendly and informal atmosphere, but wasalso very constructive and stimulating. Italso showed what could be achieved throughthe partnership between a small specialistsociety which supplied the expertise andcontacts and English Nature which contributed the funds to enable the workshopto take place. Together we identified aconservation issue and sought answers to apoorly understood conservation problem.

Peter LambleyLichenologist, Botanical Unit English Nature, Norfolk team

Course and conferences Participants of the workshop examining the lichen flora of a roadside tree.

Peter Lambley/English Nature