New Flora of Sussex

Report - March 2008

Copy of report given at SBRS AGM on 8th March 2008

Since the autumn get-together:

• The main progress is that a real start has been made on writing species accounts (c. 280 drafts done and c. 40 more nearly complete). Advice from writers of recent county floras was clear:

"Write draft accounts BEFORE you finish recording"

• Some interesting trends are already appearing and, as a result, there's more to do! Details later.

• Lists of species recorded in Sussex Plant Atlas but not refound in our survey added to tetrad lists on web site

• First a short summary of recording status now all 2007 records are in.

March 2008Post 2000 records - totals as of 05-03-2008

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

4700

4800

4900

5000

5100

5200

5300

5400

5500

5600

5700

5800

5900

6000

6100

>400 records 300 - 400 records 200 - 300 records

100-200 records 50 - 100 records

More detail

Records on the computer: 213,600, up from 169,600 in early March 2007 (i.e. 44,000 new records).

Tetrads (Figures in blue are for March 2007):

12 have >400 records ( 4 )139 have 300 to 400 (90)412 have 200 to 300 (300) 24 have < 50 records (141)

This means:563 tetrads with >200 records464 or 45% (61%) of tetrads have less than 200 records Only 2.4% (14%) have < 50 records (i.e. have not yet had a visit)

At this rate we could just reach 300,000 records by end 2010If anyone has more 2007 records let Alan have them ASAP

2007 - interesting records

The first pass showed over 1000 records of possible interest!

Assuming that most of you would like to leave some time today the following are therefore VERY reduced lists.

As a result your favourite find may not be mentioned

Also there are no repeats here of the finds featured at the autumn get-together (copy of that presentation is available on SBRS web site)

2007 - interesting records East Sussex

Amaranthus blitum, A. cruentus & A. deflexus Brighton/Eastbourne AS

Anagallis minima Beckley Woods AGKCardamine x fringsii Near Five Ashes EJRCerinthe major Bulverhythe JAR/FWI/JCLAClinopodium acinos Friston Forest MBECynosurus echinatus Norman's Bay PGMDryopteris aemula Fore Wood JPDHymenophyllum tunbrigense Saxonbury Hill & Motts Mill MBE/RPWMyriophyllum spicatum E.of Rye BC/JMC/ES/JAWPotamogeton berchtoldii R.Cuckmere HMPRanunculus hederaceus Buxted Park PMDRosa tomentosa Maplesden area RANSinapis alba Blackford Farm MBE/RPWTorilis arvensis Falmer Pond ASVicia lutea Barcombe DCLViola canina Holman Wood Field PR

2007 - interesting records West Sussex

Atriplex x gustafssoniana Beeding Brooks AGK/AS/EJC/MMSBrassica juncea Ford DMDCatabrosa aquatica Amberley Wild Brooks FAChaenorhinum origanifolium Warminghurst Farm SMS/CMHClarkia amoena Adsdean MMS/EJCCrepis biennis Bury FAEriophorum vaginatum Fitzhall Heath DNEEuphrasia pseudokerneri Newtimber Hill ASFumaria densiflora Trundle, Goodwood MMSHieracium scotostictum East Preston O&MHJuncus compressus Middleton N&ESLysimachia thyrsiflora Ifold TEGPolygala calcarea Walderton RCSPortulaca oleracea Thorney Island SBRSScleranthus annuus Coates FA/AGKScutellaria x hybrida Tilgate Forest AGHTrifolium squamosum SE of Earnley JAW/ES

This all looks pretty good but...

Writing draft species accounts has shown up apparent changes & declines since the Sussex Plant Atlas (SPA).Some areas have many missing records (species present in SPA survey but not seen recently), for example

Adur Valley/Henfield Brooks

Ouse valley/Lewes Levels (Southease area well recorded, rest rather poor)

Rye/Brede/Winchelsea (other then Rye shingle)

Some species need more attention, e.g.Almost all the white flowered aquatic Ranunculus (Water-crowfoot) species are significantly under-recorded. If you are unsure about identifying them please collect samples (dried & gently pressed with flowers and fruits) & send to Alan Knapp or Frances Abraham - please don't ignore them.

Declining species?Need to distinguish real losses from under-recording. Examples:

Cerastium arvense - No recent records from most SPA sitesCerastium semidecandrum - No recent records from Chalk Downs & few from the coast around Pagham, Newhaven to Beachy Head & TQ60Chrysosplenium oppositifolium - apparently much reduced in area from East Grinstead, past Crawley & west to BillingshurstGroenlandia densa - Apparently gone from Adur, Ouse, Cuckmere & Pevensey Levels.Ranunculus auricomus - Probably under-recorded in E.SussexUrtica urens - Apparently gone from TV49, 59 & 69.Veronica anagallis-aquatica (Blue Water-speedwell). Apparently almost extinct in VC14 (only 1 recent record compared to 29 in SPA). BUT in W. Sussex only a slight decline. What is going on?Information on what to look for will be on the web site.

If you don't have Internet access & want to help with an area or species please ask for information on what needs doing.

Further Example - Triglochin palustre(Marsh arrow-grass)Triglochin palustre

77 9 1 2 3 4 6

5

8 95

3

2

1

9

4

8

TRTQ

SZ

SU

TV

Current recording VC13: Now - 4, SPA - 5VC14: Now - 2, SPA - 18SPA record not refound

2008 recording

Take no. of records in all tetrads to over 150We will be asking people to target specific tetrads - please tell us if there are some you'd like to tackle.

Fill in gaps in distribution of some common species, especially those with limited flowering period.

e.g. Alopecurus pratensis, Cardamine pratensis, Ranunculus ficaria, See January 2008 Newsletter for details and maps

Greatly reduce the number of scarce species records not seen since 2000.

There are still ~960 of these from the Sx. Scarce Register. Around 100 are unlikely to be refound which still leaves well over 800.

Focus on a particular species does wonders - e.g. Roy & Matthew have refound many of the missing Dryopteris aemula sites this winter

Check & refind or confirm missing apparent losses from SPA as mentioned in this presentation

Recording notes

Record cardsAquilegia vulgaris/Myosotis sylvatica are marked + but we only want

detailed information for what may be native records - no details needed for introductions (which are the great majority)

Conyza sumatrensis is now so common we don't need detailsAlthough Barbarea verna is on the front of the recording card and

B.intermedia is not, it now appears that it should be the other way - B.intermedia seems to be significantly more common

Information1. Please remember to give locations for all records - despite repeated

requests many cards and individual records still have no locations2. If you find something rare let us know immediately - in 2007 we had at

least 5 records for interesting species which needed confirmation but could not get it as the records only arrived at the end of the year. Without confirmation these records cannot be used.

Thanks again for all you have done

Have fun in 2008 - who knows what you may find.