I've started recording the wildflowers in my garden for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) Garden Wildflower Hunt. Some are common 'weeds' - Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Bittercress - that I am forever removing from the flower beds. Others are favourites - Cuckoo Flower, Marsh Marigold - that I try to encourage in my garden wild patch and around the pond. I've recorded over 50 species so far but expect to get at least 20 more as the season progresses.
For the third year running I took part in the New Year Plant Hunt organised by the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI). Set up to provide a fun (and competitive) activity for botanists during a quiet period, the aim is to record, over a three-hour time slot, any wild plants seen in flower over the New Year period. With time (this is the 7th year of the NYPH), BSBI are building up a clearer picture of what is in bloom where, and how this is affected by recent weather events and a warming climate.
This year’s NYPH ran from Sat 30th December to Tuesday 2nd Jan. Looking at the weather forecast, Saturday 30th looked to be the best option. I walked a similar route to previous years, taking in known ‘hotspots’ such as East Chiltington churchyard, and the paths and verges around the racecourse. I’m a regular volunteer at Ashurst Organics so, with permission from the owners, I started my plant hunt in the veg fields north of Streat ridge. As expected, there were plenty of arable ‘weeds’ in flower, including Common Field Speedwell, Groundsel and Red Dead-nettle. I also spotted the rather less common Treacle Mustard and Corn Spurrey. This last plant is officially listed as Vulnerable, in decline due to changing agricultural practices. It is abundant, however, in the herbicide-free Ashurst fields. Walking back towards the racecourse, I spotted a bright yellow Lesser Celandine and saw several more during my walk. Last year, I didn’t see any celandines until early February. I followed the footpath through Ashurst Farm towards Plumpton College, recording hazel catkins, and primroses, as well as daisies and dandelions in the otherwise perfectly manicured grass verges near the college. I then headed up the bostal opposite the college and found a near-perfect red campion flower. Although red campion blooms all year round, the flowers are usually fairly bedraggled at this time of year. Following the path across to Plumpton Bostal and then heading down towards the Half Moon, I found Herb Robert, Hogweed and Cocksfoot grass in flower. Taking the footpath that runs on the bank parallel to the B2216, I identified the scent of the next plant well before I saw it. Spurge Laurel is related to the winter-flowering garden Daphnes and has lovely fragrant yellow-green flowers. I then headed along Novington Lane towards East Chiltington but saw nothing else in flower until I turned into Chapel Lane, when I found some Cow Parsley in bloom. Then to East Chiltington church and a single Sweet Violet flower, the first of many that will emerge in the next couple of months. There was a large clump of Winter Heliotrope at the entrance to the churchyard, a couple of straggly Smooth Hawksbeard flowers by the gate, and a few bright blue Germander Speedwell flowers just inside. I was surprised to see a cluster of fresh looking Bush Vetch flowerheads in the hedgerow west of the church. Time ticking by, I hurried back towards the racecourse, adding Gorse and Hairy Bittercress to my list before the three hours were up. Looking at my list of species, 11, including Daisies and Dandelions, are ‘All Year Rounders’; 10 can be considered ‘Autumn Stragglers’, such Hogweed and Bush Vetch, still hanging on from last season; 3 are winter flowering species that we could expect to find in flower at this time of year, and 4, including Sweet Violet and Lesser Celandine, are early examples of ‘Spring Specialists’. I found a total of 28 species in flower this year, compared to 22 on 2nd Jan 2017, and 16 on 1st Jan 2016. I don’t think this tells us anything more than that I am much better at spotting and identifying wildflowers than I was two years ago! All year rounders Daisy Dandelion Common Field Speedwell Hairy Bittercress Red Campion Herb Robert Annual Meadow Grass Groundsel Chickweed Gorse Red Dead-nettle Autumn stragglers Hogweed Cocksfoot Germander Speedwell Smooth Hawksbeard Scentless Mayweed Smooth Sowthistle Bush Vetch Treacle Mustard Corn Spurrey Sticky Mouse-ear Winter bloomers Winter Heliotrope Hazel Spurge Laurel Spring specialists Lesser Celandine Sweet Violet Primrose Cow Parsley I took part in the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland's (BSBI) New Year Plant Hunt this year – it’s fifth. Volunteers were asked to pick one day over the New Year weekend between Friday 1st and Monday 4th January 2016 and record all wild and naturalised plants (but not planted or garden species) in flower. On my six-mile route around Plumpton and East Chiltington I recorded 16 species in flower (see pic). Most of the flowers were along the road verges of Novington Lane and on the track from East Chiltington church. The only one I couldn't identify is the small yellow Asteraceae (see bottom right in the image).
Kate Gold The Devil’s coach-horse beetle is out and about at present. This large, carnivorous beetle usually comes out to hunt only at night, but in the autumn - its breeding season - it is often encountered wandering about in the daytime. When threatened it raises its abdomen in a scorpion-like manner and if that doesn’t work it can give a painful bite and emit a foul smell from its rear.
Heading back from Burgess Hill in the early evening of 9th January, I spotted an owl sitting by the road on one of those nasty bends by Blackbrook Wood. After a couple of ‘drive-bys' to see how best to investigate we eventually pulled up by it, grabbed it and drove off. It was a tawny owl and didn’t look very lively and had blood on one eye. In fact, twice on the way home it collapsed and I thought it had died. When we got it home it was still alive so we put it in a large box and phoned the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service who said someone would be there within an hour. The ambulance arrived and by then the owl had perked up quite a lot. Nevertheless we were surprised to get a call on 22nd January to say the owl was OK and that they wanted to release it that afternoon. So shortly before dusk (so that they could see that it was flying OK) the owl was released in the wood. You can see the video here
The ambulance crew was happy with that, but I felt it had not flown too well and had not gained any height and was perched in a rather flimsy bush. There it sat for some time and allowed a very close approach, but eventually it flew up to the canopy of some larger trees. Let’s hope it was OK. The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service is a voluntary organisation, operating on donations and grants (tel 07815 078 234). Tony Hutson Knopper Galls form as swollen, ridged outgrowths on acorns in late summer, and are caused by the tiny gall wasp Andricus quercuscalicis, which only arrived in Britain in the 1950s and has been spreading ever since. The galls are notably sticky and red, later becoming woody and brown. Interestingly, the spring generation of this tiny insect only develops in the catkins of Turkey Oak Quercus cerris – so for the insect to be present both native and turkey oaks need to be available to it.
In any given year 35-65% of the acorn crop can be affected. However there is a large and so far unexplained variation from tree to tree, with some trees showing very high galls levels while neighbouring trees are relatively unaffected. JW A big thanks to the willing volunteers who turned out to help us rake up the cut grass from the station wildflower areas. A special thanks to Kate Richards, Station Manager with Southern, who not only organised the cutting but also came out to help rake, and to Jacqui, who provided the cake.
We often take the Peacock butterfly (Aglais io) for granted because it’s thankfully still relatively common in England - unsurprising, given that our activities have greatly increased the distribution of common nettles,
this butterfly’s main foodplant. But it’s unusual find a second brood for this normally single-brooded species. Two eagle-eyed walkers spotted a group of caterpillars last week on a Parish footpath. These now have a race against time to develop into adults and lay down enough fat reserves before hibernation. JW A humming-bird hawk-moth (Macrosglossum stellarum) made a welcome visit to the garden on Friday stopping on the marjoram and lavenders before zooming off again. These fantastic moths are largely continental immigrants who are most commonly seen this month. Ladies’ bedstraw is a favoured larval foodplant while viper’s bugloss attracts nectaring adults but doesn’t grow well on the clay here.
JW I was greatly surprised today to find a female purple emperor (Apatura iris) flying over Riddens Lane. It eventually perched on the top of my
neighbour’s hedge. As far as I’m aware, this species has not been recorded in the parish before. It is typically associated with large Wealden woodlands in West Sussex, although it is expanding its range. Its foodplant is goat willow, abundant locally so it might stay around. Keep your eyes open for this large beautiful butterfly in the village. JW |