Contents / Diary of events
JULY-AUGUST 2019
Bristol Naturalist News
Photo © Nick Owens
Discover Your Natural World
Bristol Naturalists’ Society BULLETIN NO. 582 JULY-AUGUST 2019
BULLETIN NO. 582 JULY-AUGUST 2019
Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World
Registered Charity No: 235494
www.bristolnats.org.uk
CONTENTS
HON. PRESIDENT: Andrew Radford, Professor
3 DIARY of Events; Nature in Avon;
of Behavioural Ecology, Bristol University
Welcome new members
ON HAIRMAN H . C : Ray Barnett
[email protected] 4 SOCIETY ITEMS: Mid-week Walks; HON. PROCEEDINGS RECEIVING EDITOR: Find a Bumblebee in Scotland;
Dee Holladay, [email protected]
ON EC 5 Bristol Weather H . S .: Lesley Cox 07786 437 528
[email protected] 6 NATTY NEWS : Bees, Feathers,
HON. MEMBERSHIP SEC: Mrs. Margaret Fay 81 Cumberland Rd., BS1 6UG. 0117 921 4280 7 Bedbugs; Poisoned Birds; Fracking;
Flock mechanics; Re-wilding;
HON. TREASURER: Mary Jane Steer 8 Duke of Burgundy; Fungus find
01454 294371 [email protected] 9 Westonbirt BioBlitz / BNS Survey
BULLETIN COPY DEADLINE: 7th of month before publication to the editor: David B Davies, 10 BOTANY SECTION ‘Other’ meetings; 51a Dial Hill Rd., Clevedon, BS21 7EW. 01275 873167 [email protected] 11 Botanical notes ; Meeting Reports;
. 13 Plant Records
Health & Safety on walks: Members 15 GEOLOGY SECTION participate at their own risk. They are
Book review: Dinosaurs Rediscovered responsible for being properly clothed and shod. Dogs may only be brought on a walk with prior 16 INVERTEBRATE SECTION agreement of the leader. Notes for June; Points of Interest
18 LIBRARY Books to give away; Donations; Steep Holm News
20 ORNITHOLOGY SECTION Sea Bird Safari; Swift nest petition; Meeting Report; Recent News ;
23 MISCELLANY Botanic Garden;
24 Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project;
St George’s Flower Bank Fun-day
Cover picture: The endangered Great
Yellow Bumblebee – we are encouraged
to find it in its retreat in the north of
Scotland. See the article on page 4.
Bristol Naturalists’ Society Discover Your Natural World
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Registered Charity No: 235494 www.bristolnats.org.uk Diary of events Back to contents
Council usually meets on the first Wednesday of each month. If you have any matters you wish to be discussed by Council, please contact the Hon. Sec. at least a week in advance.
Visitors & guests are welcome, free, at our lectures and field meetings. If contact details are given, please contact the leader beforehand, and make yourself known on arrival. We hope you will enjoy the meeting, and consider joining the Society. To join, visit https://bristolnats.org.uk and click on membership. Members are members of ALL sections.
JULY Thu 4 Society midweek walk: Burrington Ham Society 10.00 page 4 Sat 6 Priddy Mineries & Stock Hill Ornithology 10.00 page 20 Sun 14 Walton Common Botany 14.30 page 10 Sat 20 Portishead, Clevedon Geology 11.00 page 15 Sun 21 Dragonflies at Botanic Garden Invertebrates 14.00 page 17 AUGUST Thu 8 Society midweek walk: Goblin Combe Society 10.00 page 4 Sat 10 Lower Woods, Wetmoor, S.Glos. Invertebrate 14.00 page 17 Mon 26 Clifton & Durdham Downs Botany 14.30 page 10
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Till 15 Sept. Exhibitioon – Natural Selection Museum page 17 Fri 5 July Seabird Safari, Minehead Ornithology 11.30 page 20 Sat 6 July WsM Sewage works SRPG 11.00 page 10 Sun 14 July NGS Open day Botanic Garden 10.00 page 23 Thu 25 July Mammal detectives (8-12 year olds) Gorge & Downs 10.00 page 24 Sat 27 July Jazz Picnic Botanic Garden 16.30 page 23 Mon 29 July Curator’s Tour Botanic Garden 14.15 page 23
Thu 1 Aug Gorge-ous Goats (8-12 year olds) Gorge & Downs 10.00 page 24 Sat 3 Aug Spiders of the Avon Gorge Gorge & Downs 10.30 page 24 Sun 4 Aug Moth Group at Bath Moth Group 08.00 page 17 Tue 6 Aug Sun-printing for children Botanic Garden 10.00 page 23 Thu 8 Aug Minchinhampton Common GNS Plant Group 11.00 page 10 Tue 13 Aug Sun-printing for children Botanic Garden 10.00 page 23 Thu 15 Aug Secret Life of Flies Museum 19.30(?) page 17 Sat 17 Aug Insect Day Museum 10.30 page 17 Fri 23 Aug Moth trapping, Ashton Park Moth Group page 17
Nature in Avon / Proceedings of the Society Volume 78 is now published, I hope you will all enjoy reading it. Papers are now invited for Volume 79! As I write, this summer has been ideal for recording; we hope it continues! If you have never written before, now is your chance. [email protected]
We welcome one new member this month: Mr. Michael Davis
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SOCIETY ITEMS
Contents / Diary SOCIETY MID-WEEK WALKS BURRINGTON HAM Thursday, 4th July, 10am Leader: Alastair Fraser – [email protected]
Meet at the car park below the Burrington Inn at 10:00 for a walk through woodland to limestone upland (ST 476 590; Satnav:51.327760-2.752322). There will be some ascent and descent with an uneven, rocky path. There is a public toilet on the far side of the pub car park which is free but a donation is requested. Lunch, if required will be at the Burrington Inn. Offers of lifts or car sharing welcome. Please notify the leader if you intend to come on the walk.
GOBLIN COMBE Thursday, 8th August, 10am Leader: Alastair Fraser – [email protected] Goblin Combe Grid Ref: ST 459654, Postcode: BS49 4PQ, Satnav 51.384547- 2.778410. From Bristol take the A370 to Cleeve. Turn left onto a minor road signposted ‘Village Hall, Environmental Centre’. Park by the old quarry. Mainly mixed deciduous woodland, some conifer, farm and open areas. No stiles, one steep ascent, one gradual descent with two steeper sections. Can be quite muddy in parts. Please notify the leader if you intend to come via [email protected]
Society Walk Report: Collard Hill, 6th June It was a disappointing turnout for the Collard Hill walk with only four walkers enjoying a fine, sunny day with a cool breeze. Sadly, there were no Large Blues sighted but it might have been a tad early despite the bout of warmth earlier in the year that seemed to give so many species a boost or, perhaps it was simply too chilly on the day. Nevertheless, butterflies such as the Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and Small White were a delightful sight over the orchid fields resplendent with Common Spotted, Pyramidal, Lesser Butterfly Orchids, Common Twayblade and a Bee Orchid Altogether a very enjoyable day. Clive Burton GOING ON HOLIDAY TO SCOTLAND? If so, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is looking for volunteers to look for our rarest Bumblebee, The Great Yellow Bumblebee, Bombus distinguendus, pictured on the cover, which sadly is now only to be found in the far North of Scotland having been forced northward as a result of climate change. Details of how to get involved can be obtained from https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org and if you decide to get involved please do let me know. Many thanks. Lesley Cox. [email protected]
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BRISTOL WEATHER Contents / Diary MAY 2019
ith the end of May also comes the official end of spring meteorologically speaking, so what can we make of the spring of W 2019?
As with most recent measurements of temperature, the spring of 2019 was another warmer than average one. The average temperature for the 3 months was 11.2°C when the 30-year average, 1980-2010, is 10.3°C. This made 2019 the joint 8th warmest (with 1990 and 1999) spring in 129 years of data for Bristol.
The rainfall difference from the average was less notable but it was a drier than average spring being in fact the 38th driest spring in 138 years of data, with 146.3 mm of rain for the three months when the 30-year average is 188.0 mm.
So, what of the month of May itself? It was actually an ‘average’ month temperature-wise with regard to the 30-year average at 13.3°C. Daily maximum temperatures struggled in May with the highest being 22.2°C, jointly with 23rd May 2015 and this was the lowest daily maximum for May since 21.1°C was recorded on May 12th 1994. Rainfall was less than the long-term average at 33.4 mm which is only just over half of the average for the month. It was the driest May since 2010 when only 32.4 mm was recorded.
The air pressure in May was unusually high with the average pressure at 09:00 GMT being 1020 mb. This is the highest for a May since 2001 when the pressure was 1022 mb. The high pressure of 1039.4 mb at 09:00 on 13th May 2019 was the highest May recording since 1041.0 mb, recorded on 1st May 1994 and probably goes some way in explaining the low rainfall for the month. Barry Horton
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NATTY NEWS Contents / Diary Bees: The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is looking for volunteers who might be holidaying in Scotland to look out for our rarest Bumblebee, the Great Yellow Bumblebee and has also published the results for the Bee Walk Programme of 2018. The Trust reports that: On the whole, 2018 was not a great year for bumblebees. The cold weather of the ‘Beast from the East’ in late February and early March pushed the start of the season back, and most species only really got going with a spell of good weather in mid-April. The late start combined with the May-July heatwave to see most species reach or exceed their usual abundances by July, although the late-summer, early-autumn tail-off in abundance coincided with the usual emergence time of the new reproductive individuals and so is potentially concerning. Bumblebees are known not to do well in hot, drought conditions so it is perhaps unsurprising to see that the year was a poor one for the group as a whole.
The spring specialist B. pratorum had a particularly bad year, its worst since the near- constant rain of 2012. It is likely that the cold March caught out early-emerging queens and the remaining bees were unable to fully make up their numbers in the remaining spring. Many other species had a below-average start to the flight season. A proportion (species such as B. hortorum) caught up with their average abundance eventually, but declined more quickly thereafter and had a poor year overall. Others, such as B. hypnorum, were more abundant than normal later in the summer – possibly because the effect of the shortened flight season was for all nests to peak at approximately the same time rather than spread across several months, but potentially also reflecting the species’ possible greater suitability for the conditions.
A few species had very good years in 2018. These were principally B. humilis, B. sylvarum, and B. ruderatus, all rare species which reach the northern edge of their ranges in England and Wales. All three are late-emerging species so the cold March is likely to have had a minimal effect on numbers (possibly even reducing competition for nest sites), an effect which can also be seen in the late-emerging common bumblebee B. pascuorum. A more southerly-distributed species than most of the other British bumblebees, it is likely that the hot conditions were more favourable to these species as well. Finally, it should be mentioned that all three rare species are primarily monitored on sites which are at least partially managed for the species, and this is also likely to play a role in the species’ increased abundance.
Feathers: The University of Bristol have published its findings that feathers appeared 100 million years before the existence of birds, as members who attended the talk on the myths and realities surrounding Dinosaurs will remember. The discovery and research surrounding it was included within the talk given back in February as part of our Winter Lecture Programme. The finding has had a fundamental impact on the way we look at dinosaurs, birds and pterosaurs, the flying lizards. It also changes the way we look at feathers themselves, their function and their role in some of the largest events in evolution. Read more in Benton, et al., The Early Origin of Feathers published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 4th June, 2019.
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Bedbugs: Bedbugs walked the earth at the same time as dinosaurs but didn’t live on humans at the time. They were parasitic companions of other species. To hear Professor Mike Siva-Jothy talking about the evolution of the bug, go to: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk and type ‘Bedbugs’ in the search bar. Contents / Diary
Poisoned Birds: Delays in investigating the poisoning of birds are illustrated here by Mark Thomas, Head of Investigations from the RSPB and highlight some of the controversies surrounding grouse moors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-vLMJJdAm4
Fracking: New research from Tuft’s University in Massachusetts suggests that, using data from field experiments and computer modelling of ground faults, the practice of subsurface fluid injection used in ‘fracking’ and waste water disposal for oil and gas exploration could cause significant, rapidly spreading earthquake activity beyond the fluid diffusion zone. The results account for the observation that the frequency of man-made earthquakes in some regions of the country surpass natural earthquake hotspots, they say. Read more in: Bhattacharya & Viesca, Fluid Induced Aseismic Fault Slip Outpaces Pore-Fluid Migration published in Science, 2019;364 (p464)
The Mechanics of How Birds Flock: Wildlife researchers have tried to understand why birds fly in flocks and how different kinds of flock work. Now the University of New Orleans has published the results of a new study that explores the underlying flock structure used by four types of shorebird, including the Dunlin. They found that the birds fly in a newly defined shape which the team named a complex V-formation. This combines the two most common types, i.e., a cluster formation often used by pigeons where large number of birds fly in a moving three-dimensional cloud with no structure, used to avoid predators and a simpler V formation typically used by geese in which a smaller number of birds line up in a two-dimensional V shape. See: Corcoran and Hedrick in Compound V Formations in Shore Bird Flocks, published in eLife; 2019,8.
Re-wilding: Rewilding Britain is an organisation calling for the billions of pounds currently spent on farm subsidies to be spent on creating native woodlands and wildflower meadows, and protecting peat bogs and saltmarshes, instead. They argue that the intrinsic value of our native flora and fauna is matched by the value it would offer in reversing climate change through effective carbon storage. A quarter of the UK’s land should be set aside, they say, which would restore wildlife and enable the natural world to heal itself whilst also addressing issues regarding climate and that paying people, e.g. farmers, to plant trees, etc., could produce 2 million hectares of new woodland, two million hectares of species rich meadows and provide protection for 2 million hectares of peat bogs and heath land. Currently, 3 billion pounds is spent per annum on farm subsidies, which mainly go to the industrial scale farms involved in monoculture. For the renowned, Pulitzer Prize winning author and biologist Edward O. Wilson, this solution doesn’t go far enough. In the book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, Wilson states that in order to stave off the mass extinction of species, including our own, we must move swiftly to preserve the biodiversity of our planet and that the situation facing us is too large to be saved piecemeal. He processes a solution commensurate with the magnitude of the problem, i.e., that we must fully dedicate half the surface of the Earth to nature and he identifies regions of the planet that can still be re-claimed. The book is available in hardcover and paperback. 7
The Duke of Burgundy Butterfly: In the wake of ‘insectageddon’ – a word that has entered the modern lexicon, comes some good news. In recent years, the Duke of Burgundy has made a bit of a comeback. The caterpillars eat common wildflowers, such as cowslips and primroses but the adult is fussier, requiring lightly grazed grassland and scrub or, coppiced woodland. Scientists found that 57% of extinctions were caused by the lack of management, whilst 27% were caused by excessive management. In the first instance, woodlands became too shady and dark or grasslands developed too much scrub. In the second, grasslands were grazed too heavily or completely cleared of scrub funded by well- meaning conservation schemes. Grants awarded to remove scrub completely teach us a lesson. Scrub is important. Scrub removal should be undertaken a little and often. Lesley Cox, Hon. Sec.
SPECIES FINDS Contents / Diary Clathrus ruber: One very observant member has been doing some work on a property in North West Somerset and spotted this in the garden. It is a type of fungus, clathrus ruber, or the red cage, or the latticed stinkhorn which breaks down wood and is usually found in warmer climes but specimens are turning up in Britain now along the south coast and beyond. There is one record for our area, in 1984, somewhere near Portishead.
Photo © Martyn Pratt
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WESTONBIRT BioBlitz Contents / Diary In 2017 Westonbirt held its first BioBlitz to celebrate the restoration of an area of calcareous grassland and asked the Society to help by sending a team of specialists to investigate the flora and fauna present. In 2019, we were delighted to be invited back as part of their ‘Big Forest Find’ this time to celebrate 100 years since the creation of the Forestry Commission. The first day, Friday 31st May, was the main recording day which began humid though fine and bright. There was warmth in the sun but as the humidity levels dropped, the wind had a hint of a chill to it. Ten BNS Botanists, Entomologists and Ornithologists had full access to all of the varied habitat within Westonbirt, i.e., the Old Arboretum with its Rhododendrons in full flower; the open grasslands where Sweet Flag and Bugle, neither of which the NBN seems to have on record here, were flourishing; the Dew Pond where a Palmate Newt was found and the extensive mixed woodland of Silk Wood to the south where native species mingle with those from across the world and the ‘rides’ provide perfect opportunities for insects, mammals and birds alike. It was a matter of some concern that the range of avian species was much narrower than expected and bird activity generally was quite low. Nonetheless, records of species so far identified by our specialists run to several hundred, with more records yet to arrive at the time of writing in early June. Recorders relaxed at the end of the day in the quiet, calm ambience of the trees with a much-appreciated BBQ provided (and cooked) by the hard-working staff. The following day, Saturday, was quite warm and saw large numbers of visitors flocking in to appreciate the beauty of the site and to experience some of the species found or to ask questions of the experts available. The Society put on a small display and we hope that our activities will have inspired more to become involved in the natural world in some way. All involved derived great enjoyment from being on such wonderful site and in contributing to the knowledge of the flora and fauna to be found within it. Our thanks go to all the brilliant individual BNS specialists who worked hard to seek out both the common and the uncommon species and to the superb staff who made it such a pleasure to be involved. We shall be undertaking further bird recording in the autumn. Lesley Cox, Hon. Sec. Snakefly: For these photos, we thank Antony Gay, who writes: "Forestry England is celebrating 100 years of forestry and the Big Forest Find is one of the events taking place to mark this anniversary. It is the biggest survey of England's forest wildlife. From birds and butterflies to insects and plant life on the forest floor, the information recorded will help to paint a better picture of England’s forest biodiversity today. Westonbirt is taking part in the Big Forest Find and the photographs of the Snakefly were taken during the event.
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BOTANY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Clive Lovatt 07 851 433 920 ([email protected]) Contents / Diary
HON. SEC:- David Hawkins [email protected]
FIELD MEETINGS From late March to early October, the BNS Botany Section will organise at least one field meeting a month in or relatively close to Bristol. More extensive programmes throughout botanical vice-counties 6 and 34 (North Somerset and West Gloucestershire respectively) are organised by the Somerset Rare Plants Group (SRPG) and the Plant Group of the Gloucestershire Naturalists’ Society (GNS). A few of these meetings will be joint meetings or will be advertised as open to BNS members by invitation.
WALTON COMMON Sunday 14 July Jenny Greenwood and David Hawkins 2.30 pm A repeat visit to this Avon Wildlife Trust limestone grassland reserve which we last visited in June 2014 when we specifically looked at the variety of roses. Since that time, Avon Wildlife Trust have undertaken significant management, including the reintroduction of grazing. There are now more open areas and the pre-existing ones have been enlarged. It will be interesting to see what new (or returning) species we can observe. The site is also very good for butterflies. Park on the wide road verge on Walton Street, around ST42317360. For Satnav users, BS21 7AP will put you on the right road. Further details about the reserve can be found at https://www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/walton-common.
A Bank Holiday Perambulation of CLIFTON & DURDHAM DOWNS Clive Lovatt 2.30 pm, Monday 26 August In Leigh Woods there is a yew tree through which the parish boundary passes which was mentioned in a 19th Century perambulation, the traditional ‘beating of the bounds’ to assert ownership. Clifton and Durdham Downs though divided by a line through the Gully and marked out on the plateau by meer stones, are managed as one. Meet at the north end of Sea Walls for a walk around the edge of the Downs, concentrating on their boundaries with the private properties which abut on them. Here we can expect the unexpected, for there are some areas which are difficult to mow, plenty of walls for wall plants, and the inevitable weeds and garden escapes which by accident or design “know no boundaries”.
OTHER BOTANICAL GROUP MEETINGS Other botanical group meetings in July or August in or close to the BNS area are given below. For SRPG membership and further meeting details refer to their website http://www.somersetrareplantsgroup.org.uk/. For Gloucestershire Naturalists Society Plant Group meetings contact [email protected] for details. Weston-super-Mare sewage treatment works, 11.00 am, Saturday 6 July. An SRPG meeting by permission of Wessex Water. The site has a good ruderal community (not just tomatoes!) and adjoins saltmarsh and created grassland. Minchinhampton Common, Stroud, 11.am Thursday 8 August. GNS Plant Group meeting. Water plants workshop and field meeting at Shapwick Heath NNR, 10.00 am Saturday 31 August. SRPG members only. 10
BOTANICAL NOTES Contents / Diary FIELD MEETING REPORTS Tickenham Hill, 24 April. Report by leaders, Jenny Greenwood and David Hawkins Tickenham Hill, part of which is an Avon Wildlife Trust reserve, is a stretch of the limestone ridge above the village of Tickenham, between Clevedon and Bristol, supporting some excellent calcareous grassland and high-quality secondary woodland. The current – excellent and still improving – state of the reserve is down to years of work, as long-term volunteer warden Keith Giles proudly outlined to the six assembled botanists. Scrub clearance and targeted grazing by Dexter cattle are two of the management measures that have been used to improve the habitat and restore a significant area of grassland to a species-rich state. Tickenham Hill shows that sensitive and sustained management can make a great deal of difference to the diversity of a site and it was not long before we ran into some items of interest, including Common Calamint (Clinopodium, now Calamintha ascendens) and Field Pepperwort (Lepidium campestre) on a bank on the approach to the reserve. Apparently, glow-worms also occur here in season. The site is good for reptiles too, with slow worms and adders regularly observed (sadly only the former on our visit). A large Black Spleenwort fern (Asplenium adiantum-nigrum) was growing by an old wall, and Long-stalked Crane’s-bill (Geranium columbinum) was also enjoyed - the latter, with its jewel- like flowers and intricate leaves, having been described by J. W. White in his Flora of Bristol as follows: “Together with many other persons I have long admired the graceful elegance of this little plant. Those specimens, often met with on dry slopes of our uplands, that carry a single upright flower on top of their tiny stems, are exquisite.” In the field at the bottom of the reserve we encountered False Oxlip (Primula x polyantha), the elegant hybrid between cowslip and primrose. Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) was an unusual sight in our area, and it was not long before Early- purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) started to appear on the edge of the woodland in which they soon developed into an expansive swathe, presiding over the slope above the motorway and glowing deep purple amidst a sea of mauve bluebells, or as in David Hawkins’ photo here, a sward of Dog’s Mercury (Mercurialis perennis). We also saw Wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) growing on rotting stumps, much as it often seems to do wherever it is found. Emerging from the woods, we were unable to re-find Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) in the corner of recently cleared grassland. There are historic records for the site, but this rare fern may have been lost due to scrubbing over. In general, though, some scrub on Tickenham Hill is a good thing, with various height profiles and densities providing a wide variety of habitat for many species. Several basal rosettes of Greater Butterfly- orchid (Platanthera chlorantha) a species is spreading on the site due to the recent management work, were spotted in the shorter sward. The open grassland has splendid views over the North Somerset Levels south towards the Mendips. We were pleased to see Early Forget-me-not (Myosotis ramosissima) and Clive pointed out that a lot of the rose shoots in the grassland bore apple-scented glands underneath their leaves and were therefore Sweet-briars. From the leaflet shape and a prior visit with the Somerset Rare Plants Group a few years ago, when one was flowering at the scrub edge, Clive determined them as the Small-flowered Sweet-briar (Rosa micrantha). The roses need to be left to grow and flower in the grassland to find out if there are other species and hybrids as there are at Cadbury Camp nearby and Walton Common on the ridge across the Gordano Valley.
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Blaise Castle Estate, Saturday 11 May. Report by Clive Lovatt Contents / Diary Clive Lovatt and Jenny Greenwood attended the BNS Bioblitz for the Botany Section and in a couple of excursions made nearly 150 records, submitted to BRERC as card copies on the day. It brings the ST5678 total to over 300 on the BSBI database, with Green-winged Orchid, Orchis (Anacamptis) morio, and Goldilocks Buttercup, Ranunculus auricomus especially nice to see.
Marshfield, Tuesday 28 May. Report by meeting leader, Clive Lovatt Four of us met at the churchyard in Marshfield on an initially showery afternoon. Old country churchyards are often good for plants as they were established on meadows and retain something of their former character (it is difficult to mow them entirely), as well as being a place for established garden plants, wall ferns and weeds. This one, like many, has Hoary Plantain, Plantago media and Rough Hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus. The latter should not be confused – by the so-called Erroria vulgaris or common-name error, the plants having a quite different stature – with Rough Hawk’s-beard, Crepis biennis, which we also saw during the afternoon. We also found the Pale Willowherb, Epilobium roseum, with its distinctive stalked red-veined leaves in the gutter around the church and likewise in the road approaching it. Even the respected botanist and nature writer Peter Marren who has seen almost every plant illustrated in Keble Martin’s Concise British Flora in Colour (see his recent book, Chasing the Ghost [Orchid] where he describes his hunt for the last fifty) admits to a blind spot for this plant. Walking down the High Street, we found two established hanging basket/planter escapes. Annual Toadflax, Linaria maroccana was growing in front of several adjacent houses whilst an unblotched Coppery Monkeyflower (Mimulus x burnetii) was a one-off (and new to Gloucestershire). We then walked down Green Lane, which typically for a green lane, has elements of old woodland about it, and took the footpath that leads to Cold Ashton. There, on the south- facing banks above the stream the ‘Marshfield Pea’ or Dragon's-teeth (Tetragonolobus maritimus) was flowering (in my photo, right). Clare and Mark Kitchen had recorded it as abundant in 2008 in an area about 40m across within two 1km grid squares, and this is still the case, except that through the middle (as evidenced by marker posts) a gas pipe has been laid. The plant was discovered here in 1924 by the Reverend E Ellman (a keen and generous botanist) who in 1915 had found Chaffweed (Centunculus minimus, see my account in the Bulletin for June 2006) in Leigh Woods. When described by JW White in his account of Bristol Botany in 1924 (which the leader read out in situ) the pea covered several acres and was in more than one field, and it had only recently been found in the wild in Britain. White observed that ‘cattle do not like it’ and as far as we could see they haven’t developed a taste for it subsequently either. As to its origin here, White wrote that the main field and those adjoining fell out of cultivation in 1915 due to scarcity of labour and were laid down to grazing. However, he was told that the plant had been known locally for about 40 years. It is still the only Gloucestershire site. The weather being good and the company supportive, we carried onwards into open access land used for water catchment and explored the delightful slopes of this attractive valley, which has Rock-rose (Helianthemum chamaecistus) and some Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa), and what Mark and Clare Kitchen consider to be the finest county site for Long-stalked Crane’s-bill (Geranium columbinum). It should have been a full-day weekend walk (the rest of the valley up to Cold Ashton is equally delightful and has its own botanical treasures; another year perhaps) and it was after 7 pm when we got back, well-satisfied, to our cars.
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Forestry England Bioblitz at Westonbirt Arboretum, Friday 31 May Clive Lovatt reports: Several BNS members attended the Bioblitz on Recorders’ Day. Westonbirt Arboretum is wholly within the Cotswold District of the Administrative County of Gloucestershire, but most of Silk Wood is in the recording VC7, North Wiltshire, with a small part of Silk Wood, The Downs (calcareous grassland) and Down Plantation falling into recording VC34 West Gloucestershire. Assisted by Jean Oliver, we were able to submit 275 botanical records from ST8489 and ST8590, all allocated to vice county. Highlights for us included the well-known hybrid of Water and Wood Avens, Geum x intermedium with pendulous yellow flowers and Sweet Flag, Acorus calamus in a cobbled pond. Thanks to Forestry England for the invitation, free admission, a barbeque, and the right to roam. “Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt”.
PLANT RECORDS Contents / Diary More Subterranean Clover in the Tortworth area In the last Bulletin I reported Pauline Wilson’s find of Subterranean Clover, Trifolium subterraneum in a rural settlement near Tortworth, only its second sighting in Gloucestershire this century. By chance I then re-found an old site on an acidic roadside bank at Lancaut in West Gloucestershire north of Chepstow. We had suspected that annual clovers should be in good supply after last year’s drought, so a wider search was thought worthwhile. Peter Marren in his plant-hunting book Chasing the Ghost (there’s a copy in the BNS Library) complains that searching for rare plants now we have grid references isn’t what it was in the days of whispered secrets and treasure maps where X marks the spot. It is still good fun and if all you have is a 6-figure grid reference (a 100m square) and a brief description as I did from the late Steve Bishop’s digitised records, you still have to use your botanical skills and follow your nose to the right habitat. First, I re- found it on the dry banks of a deliberately lightly sheep-grazed private field just over the roadside fence (see my photo, right), growing with two commonly associated clovers, Slender Trefoil, T micranthum and Knotted Clover, T. striatum. The farmer was pleased to have such interesting plants on his land. Then, returning to Cromhall across the cattle-grazed field opposite it proved to be rather frequent on the shallow ridge which more-or-less defines the footpath. The linear sites (ST6890) tally with Bishop’s two six-figure grid references. Well- armed with a search image, I later found a few more plants in the next monad (ST6990), again on a southerly-facing bank with acidic rock exposure. The roadside verge site reported last month (Avening Green, ST7093) had puzzled me, the plants being on flat ground in a verge/field entrance and massed together in very large patches, with distinctly large leaves just as named agricultural selections of red and white clover also have. On a second visit, (by which time the clover had been flat-mown) I found Knotted Clover, T. striatum beside the trackway on a dry rocky bank only 50m away, but in the next square (ST7193) and at a six-figure grid reference matching Bishop’s site for the Subterranean Clover. In the meantime, the Kitchens had checked Bishop’s notes on his recording card and pointed out that he had found the Subterranean Clover in association with the tiny Blinks, Montia fontana. White had also reported the two plants growing together on Brandon Hill in Bristol (Blinks still grows there) when he re-found them there in 1880. We haven’t re-found Blinks at Avening Green. The Kitchens had suggested that the clover’s large leaves were due to nutrient enrichment (the Spotted Medick, Medicago arabica there was also larger-leaved than average) and that it should be the wild type and not the agricultural form. Supporting that is the longevity of its record at Tortworth, it being recorded there by Riddelsdell himself in his Flora of Gloucestershire perhaps a century ago. My analysis is that the native Subterranean Clover has probably dispersed from its wild habitat on the nearby bank and established itself in the enriched field 13 gateway/road verge. Tortworth is also important for the local occurrence of geologically older rocks compared to the Devonian Old Red Sandstone and the Carboniferous limestone – the Tortworth inlier – and there is also the Cromhall sandstones (Carboniferous). It would be interesting to know how the Subterranean Clover sites map out against the solid geology.
A mixed bag of Bristol alien plants Contents / Diary Many of us passing along Whiteladies Road will have seen Thrift (Armeria maritima) in the garden spaces where the road has a central reservation. I had been expecting it to appear in gutters in the course of time, but it seems to prefer being in the shade under trees, where I saw it in two places in May (my photo, right). It is of course a brightly coloured garden form. The wild plant grows by the Severn within 1 km of both the Portbury and Avonmouth Docks, but the persistent plant at the inland end of the Portishead Marina might be a garden escape. Dawn Lawrence found about six plants of Pygmy Borage, (Borago pygmaea), described by Rupert Higgins as ‘a splendid little thing’, at the base of a wall on the northern side of Kersteman Road (ST5874) (her photo, left). It is presumably an escape from a suburban garden or the nearby allotments. It seems to be the first record for Gloucestershire and the Bristol Region. The crucifer Least Pepperwort, Lepidium virginicum was reported to me by name twice on the same day from the same spot on the Gloucester Road (ST 5874). Rupert Higgins had had it under observation for a while waiting for it to come into fruit properly and saw ‘a lot’. David Hawkins independently found a couple of plants at the base of trees. It used to be seen in Gloucestershire as a dockyard alien (most recently by Adrian Grenfell and Julian Scott in 1985) and was found in 2018 as an urban gutter weed in Cheltenham.
Salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius was found by David Hawkins in three untended front gardens on Cromwell Road, St Andrews (ST5974) where seeds had presumably been blown in. Dee Holladay found a single plant for the first time on Wain’s Hill, Clevedon, a site she has had under observation for some years. Her photo (right) shows it to have rays longer than the bracts, making it ssp porrifolius. The Avon Gorge plant collected and drawn by James Sowerby for English Botany in 1799 was ssp australis, with shorter rays and so were the plants I found in Sea Mills last year (see this Bulletin for July and August 2018). Driving north along Colliters Way (ST5569), the new link road between the A38 and A370 near Long Ashton, I caught a 40-mph glimpse of Fodder Vetch (Vicia villosa) sprawling out of the verge into a drainage gutter. When I went back and parked in a pull-in there was a second plant in the long grass (in my photo, left). Rupert Higgins also saw it earlier. The only other recent record in the Bristol Region (also in N Somerset, VC6) is from a new housing development south-east of Bath (Helena Crouch and Dave Green, 2016-7). In the late 1970s it occurred on the Brislington and Bedminster tips and in the late 1980s when it grew outside the new Sainsbury’s in Bath.
If you’ve found any interesting plants, please let me know. Don’t forget that a record needs a recorder, the location resolvable to a grid reference, a date, and a plant name if you know it.
Clive Lovatt, Stroud, 8 June 2019
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GEOLOGY SECTION
PRESIDENT: VACANT Contents / diary HON. SEC.: Richard Ashley, [email protected] Tel: 01934 838850
PORTISHEAD - CLEVEDON, North Somerset Saturday 20th July Leader: Mark Howson 11.00am Meet at 11am on the foreshore by Portishead Yacht & Sailing Club (ST 451766). Park at the northern end of Nichols Road (BS20 8DT) and Belton Road, which link up in a rough parking area and where there are short paths down to the coast path, which is part of ‘The Gordano Round’. The start point is about 150 yards or so to the east along this path. Bring a packed lunch. This trip is planned as a counterpoint to the June 2017 excursion to east Portishead and is a pleasant walk along west Portishead’s coast to look at some interesting but less well-known geological features. We will pass the small but engaging and historic Black Nore Lighthouse and then continue walking to the west, sometimes on the pebbly, rocky and occasionally muddy beach and sometimes on the path above the low cliffs. We may make it as far as Charlcombe Bay, but one could return at any time along this path. The geology is dominated by the Lower Devonian Old Red Sandstone (ORS), known as the Black Nore Sandstone, overlain by Triassic Dolomitic Conglomerate. In the fluvial sandstones near the Yacht Club we will see trace fossils (burrows) which may be unique and that are believed to relate to the feeding and reproduction of the organisms. Geologists viewing photos have suggested that they may be erosional features, but the few that have seen them in the field have not doubted that they are syn-depositional burrows. More features to be seen in the ORS include possible plant fossils, sedimentary features, mud-flake conglomerates and some curious erosional features. We will also look at the variation, mineralization and derived fossils in the Dolomitic Conglomerate, and discuss the depositional environments that prevailed. Our end point, if we get that far, is a secluded, rather attractive bay with an interesting cave, where there are two intersecting unconformities. (Details reprinted from June bulletin)
Book Review THE DINOSAURS REDISCOVERED, How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History, by Michael J Benton, published by Thames and Hudson. A great many books, of varying quality, have been written on the subject of Dinosaurs but this one is really worth acquiring and reading. I thought it fascinating and really learnt a lot from it. The author Michael Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology and head of the Palaeobiology Research Group at the University of Bristol, which has built an international reputation. The book explains how rigorous application of scientific methods has greatly increased our knowledge of these animals. Every aspect of their origin and biology is covered as is the event that nearly led to their total extinction. Only five species of birds crossed the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary and from these evolved the diversity of birds we enjoy today. No great previous knowledge of Vertebrate Palaeontology is required to read and enjoy this book and I thoroughly recommend it. Richard Ashley 15
INVERTEBRATE SECTION PRESIDENT: Mike Hutchinson [email protected] Contents / Diary Hon. SECRETARY: Moth Broyles [email protected] 07809 281421
INVERTEBRATE NOTES FOR JULY/AUGUST 2019 he Harlequin Ladybird is fairly unique in this country - it is a ladybird with a bad reputation. One of the most frequent questions I get asked is: ‘If that is a Harlequin T Ladybird should I kill it?’ Yet most of us have grown up regarding ladybirds as beautiful, friendly little characters who should ‘fly away home’ unmolested, as they may have suffered a catastrophic event to that home and their children within it. How come we can be so contradictory in our attitude? The fact is that the arrival of the Harlequin (native to Asia but introduced into the Americas and Europe) was heralded in 2004 as a potential disaster for our native ladybirds, apparently fair game for these ravenous invaders. Consequently we seem to regard these beetles (although most of us don’t really think of ladybirds as the brightly coloured beetles that they are) as evil. Harlequin Ladybirds eat aphids - greenfly, as many other ladybirds do, but when they run out of that food stuff they turn to other insects (including but not exclusively other ladybirds species) as an alternative. There is indeed some evidence that some of our native species are suffering from Harlequin predation eg the Two-spot Ladybird which seems to be declining. But we have to accept that the Harlequin is now firmly established as part of our fauna and must exist in millions of individuals if not billions, as it has rapidly colonised the UK. It’s not the ladybird’s fault they have ended up in this country (you know who is to blame) and there is no point in killing them given this abundance. I am intrigued by the latest appeal for the help of everyday naturalists to survey our insect fauna. In this case it is to record sightings of cuckoo spit – the familiar frothy sappy white mass of bubbles which if scraped away from a plant reveal the larva of a froghopper using the ‘spit’ to protect itself from being eaten by birds. This story, like the Harlequin, is around a new invasive creature which has been introduced to Europe and is causing considerable problems in Italy, Spain and France as it is devastating olive trees. In this case though the culprit is not an insect but a bacterium - Xylella fastidiosa but it is thought to be spread by the cuckoo spit insects. If it arrives in the UK there are fears for some of our native trees as a consequence and so mapping the occurrence of cuckoo spit will apparently allow scientists to predict how, where and how quickly it will spread across the UK. I don’t know about you but I see cuckoo spit almost everywhere locally, so my prediction would be it could spread widely and rapidly. I suspect however, this is a ruse by cunning entomologists to get more people recording insects per se and adding to our collective knowledge of an often ignored group of insects whether or not the bacterium arrives. Ray Barnett 06/06/19
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FIELD MEETINGS Contents / Diary DRAGONFLIES at University of Bristol Botanic Gardens 2pm Leaders: Steve Nicholls, Mike Hutchinson Sunday 21st July A field trip with the luxury of tea and coffee available from the café! Main focus on dragonflies & damselflies (Odonata); other inverts of interest will be noted. The main pond at the gardens is a great spot to observe a number of Odonata species and there might be a possibility of recording small red-eyed damselfly which has been expanding its range in recent years. In the event of wet weather, Steve, who recently made a film about the dragonflies here, will have to hand photos from his collection taken around the garden and will undoubtedly keep us fascinated and entertained (no pressure Steve!). All welcome! Meet in the carpark (spaces limited but on-street parking available nearby). Please email [email protected] if you would like to attend.
LOWER WOODS, Wetmoor, S Glos Saturday, 10 August Leader: Ray Barnett 2.00pm Meet in point the car park at ST7458 8809 at 2.00pm. Lower Woods is the largest area of semi-natural woodland in the Bristol region and home to an excellent selection of insect life. We will use sweeping, beating and netting to sample the insect fauna and contribute to the knowledge of the site where coppicing is being used to help manage the site for biodiversity.’
Points of interest Contents / Diary Exhibition: Natural Selection. Bristol Museum and Art Gallery from 1 June until 15 September 2019 (pay what you think on exit). An exhibition by artist Andy Holden and his ornithologist father Peter which looks at birds’ eggs and nests as things of artistic beauty but also considers our relation with nests and eggs including the desire to collect and possess eggs even though against the law and which can become a destructive obsession.
The Secret Life of Flies: A talk by Dr Erica Macalister linked to the insect day below but on the evening of Thursday 15 August at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. We are very lucky to have acclaimed scientist, broadcaster and author Erica Macalister of the Natural History Museum talking about her very popular book of the same name. Free, but essential to book a ticket via the Museum website and Eventbrite https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/
Insect Day at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery in conjunction with the Royal Entomological Society; Saturday 17 August 10.30am – 4.00pm. Stalls, insect specimens, insect walks.
Bristol Moth Group meetings: Sunday 4 August 8.00am view moths from previous night’s catch. Elm Farm, Burnett, Bath. Friday 23 August, light trapping in Clarken Combe Wood, Ashton Court Estate. Details from Ray Barnett [email protected]
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LIBRARY BNS Library at Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery, BS8 1RL. Contents / Diary HON. LIBRARIAN: Jim Webster [email protected]. The Library is open: Wednesdays 1.15pm-2.15pm, Saturdays 10.15am-12.15pm. Tel. (opening hours only): 0117 922 3651. CLOSED on Saturdays connected with Bank Holiday Mondays, and New Year, Christmas and Easter.
Access to the Society’s Proceedings and Nature in Avon online We are grateful to the Biodiversity Heritage Library and its participating institutions (Harvard and the Natural History Museum in particular) for digitising our Proceedings and Nature in Avon without charge and making them publicly available. To access them you can google “Biodiversity Heritage Library” and use the search facilities, or you can go direct to our own index pages at: http://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/98898#/summary (for the Proceedings, i.e. up to 1993); and http://biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/99328#/summary (for Nature in Avon, from 1994 to date)
NB. Bank Holiday Weekend closure: Sat. 24 August
Offer of free copies of BNS Proceedings/Nature in Avon/ Special Issues 2-4 Surplus stock of Proceedings and Nature in Avon published more than 10 years ago are expected to be removed from the library in the next few months. We will retain a few copies in case of any requests from members or researchers. The Library Committee invites requests from members for copies of the Society’s Proceedings (incomplete, but back to the 1867) and Nature in Avon (most years), and for the three Special Issues: Bristol’s Urban Ecology (no 2); The Coast of Avon (3); and The Mendip Hills (4). Please contact [email protected] should you or a library or natural history group or organisation you represent wish to take advantage of this offer. Collection from the BNS Library during normal opening hours is preferred, or it may be possible to post small parcels up to 2 kg on receipt of postage of £3.00.
Offer of free copies of A Centenary History of the Bristol Naturalists’ Society 1862-1962 The Centenary History was issued as Part IIIA of Volume XXX of the Fourth Series of our Proceedings. Amongst much other fascinating information about how the Society was formed, subjected to a dissolution hoax, and the ebbs and flows of its sections, there is some explanation how the complicated bibliographic description of the supplementary part for 1961 arose. The Society still has substantial stocks and can offer copies free for collection at the Library, or for £1 to cover postage (free if included with an order for Special Issues as above). Enquiries to [email protected].
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Two significant donations of Natural History Books Contents / Diary The Society has recently been given two significant donations of books for its library. Thanks to his widow and executors, some of the late Richard Bland’s books are coming to the library over the next few months. The first batch, 19 books on trees, fungi and local wildlife walks have already been accessioned and are available for lending. We are grateful to Roger Symes for managing the process. We would also like to thank Immediate Media Limited, the licensed publishers of BBC Wildlife Magazine, for their donation of five boxes of selected items from the closure of their Bristol library. The books are mostly from the last 25 years and offer a broad coverage of popular natural history for the contemporary naturalist as shown here. Once fully listed, sorted, accessioned, labelled and shelved, they will be available for lending. Clive Lovatt, Stroud, 9 June 2019
VISIT STEEPHOLM Recently received – the Spring newsletter from the Kenneth Alsop Memorial Trust – Steep Holm News. This includes an article on the new ferry which will be sailing from Weston-super-Mare during the summer. It also has the sailing schedule with dates and departure times from Knightstone – weather permitting!” Pam Gooding
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ORNITHOLOGY SECTION PRESIDENT:- Giles Morris, 01275 373917 [email protected]
HON SEC.:- Lesley Cox 07786 437528 [email protected] Contents / Diary
Two North American Universities have published interesting papers recently. Research from Duke University in North Carolina suggests that birds sort red colours into those that are more red and those that are more orange. Blue/green colours are also distinguished but the dividing lines between the individual hues are less clearly defined. See, Zipple et al., Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2019 (286), published on the 29th May, whilst the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada has shown the personality of individual Red Knots were a function of both age and experience when life experiences were controlled. See, Kok, et al., The American Naturalist, 2019, June. Clearly, the birds in our gardens do not have the same life experiences, nonetheless it might be interesting to note if you are undertaking one of the Garden Watch explorations, whether the birds you are seeing in the garden have differing personalities.
FIELD MEETING PRIDDY MINERIES & STOCK HILL Saturday, 6th July Leader: Giles Morris (07712 398903) 10:00-13:00 Meet at Stock Hill car park (ST 548513; BA5 3AS) at 10am. This is on the Old Bristol Road, B3134, about 1 mile south of the Castle of Comfort Inn. From the inn drive south, crossing the B3135, pass the pond on your right and the Forestry Commission car park is on your left, clearly signed. The area has heathlands, conifer plantation and ponds with marshy margins. We would hope to see a good variety of heath and woodland bird species, but this is also a good area for both reptiles and dragonflies, so there will be much of general interest if the weather is warm. Expect rough paths, but no big hills; there may be muddy patches if the weather has been wet. The walk will finish by 1pm. Please inform the leader if you intend to join us.
SEABIRD SAFARI 5th July: Leaving Minehead at 11:30 Enjoy a full day on board this fabulous forty-foot catamaran with a very experienced skipper to see the sea and coastal birds of the North Somerset and Devon Coast. All mod cons aboard. As advertised in June Bulletin. Details: contact [email protected]
AUGUST Unlike many other specialities, bird watching is a year-round activity, except during the moult when birds become much less conspicuous as they hide their vulnerability from predators so, the Ornithology Section will take a break in August as usual. The birds will be moulting in readiness for migration or the challenges of the winter season having worn out their feathers during the breeding season. We will be back in September duly refreshed, just like the subject of our study
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SWIFTS, SWALLOWS & MARTINS There is a petition to Parliament asking that legal protection be granted to Swallow, Swift and Martin nest sites and not just the nests themselves. This is important as these birds are very site faithful. At the time of writing, the petition has reached 72,425 signatures but requires 100,000 to be debated in Parliament. Should you wish to sign the petition the link is https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/250845
Contents / Diary
th Field Meeting Report: Hobbies at Ham Wall, 26 May. Not being a regular BNS walk-leader I was advised to expect those attending to contact me in advance, which several duly did. In spite the first rainy forecast for what seems like many weeks, I was delighted that even more joined us on the day – we were 14 in total. The rain duly arrived; it amounted to very little but the conditions limited the number of dragonflies and damselflies to be seen, though several species were duly identified – including a 4-Spot Chaser eating a Damselfly. [See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm8lXsGA4I4. Sec.] A certain amount of plant spotting went on but minds were focused on birds - this being the Ornithological Section. All the main reed-bed species were seen and the differences between the similar ones discussed. The Heron family was well represented with Grey, Great White and Little Egret, though none of the rarer ones. Bitterns were much in evidence with plenty of booming and flights as well. It was particularly satisfying that for one member at least this was a ‘Life- first’. Cuckoos were much in evidence, though no good views were claimed. Conditions were against finding Bearded Tits but Reed Warblers and one Sedge Warbler were heard – and the former seen, as were Reed Buntings. Two highlights were not reed-bed specialties at all. Red Kite, which is now much more frequent on the Avalon Marshes and the Great Spotted Woodpecker nest. With possibly three well-developed young this was very active with both parents visiting frequently. Plenty of other broods were in evidence, but the Water Rail and chick kept out of sight – “you should have been here half an hour ago”! The group returned to the car-park seeming well satisfied – the list of species identified (seen and/or heard) was 45 – a good morning’s work. Photo: Hobby at Ham Wall. © Martyn Pratt Bob Buck Bob, many thanks for leading us. The walk was so good in other ways, we failed to notice the absence of the Hobby! We should have been there in the sunshine with Martyn Pratt…
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ORNITHOLOGY RECENT NEWS Contents / Diary
ay as usual produced some surprises, with Chew perhaps having the best of it. The month started with a singing Wood Warbler on Yate Common on 1st, yet M another summer migrant now significantly rarer than a few decades ago, but always a treat. On 5th a Spoonbill called in briefly at Portbury Wharf and 2 Cattle Egrets were at Chew - big white birds generally seem to be on the up (ok not Bewick's Swan, sadly)! On 7th there was an impressive Black Tern movement with 30 at Sand Point and 37 at Chew. Next day there was a Pom Skua off Sand Point, a Little Stint at Cl-Y, an arctica Dunlin at New Passage and 4 Common Scoter at Severn Beach. 80 Grey Plover at Severn Beach on 14th was a notable count as was the tally of 48 Sanderling there next day. 17th produced one of the birds of the month with a Purple Heron at Chew, followed by a Temminck's Stint next day at the 'Pilning Wetland', New Passage/Northwick. On 21st a pale 'Commic' tern at CVL was finally identified as a Roseate, but unfortunately soon departed - the first record for Chew. Finally there was a Firecrest as an unseasonal patch first for the hard working Newton St Loe patch birders. This species has bred with us recently and may be worthy of targeted searches in mixed woodland as it could be overlooked to some extent.
John Martin
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MISCELLANY
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BOTANIC GARDEN Contents / Diary The Holmes, Stoke Park Rd, Stoke Bishop, BS9 1JG. Tel. 0117 428 2041 https://botanic-garden.bristol.ac.uk. Email: [email protected]
Sun. 14 July at 10am to 4:30pm. National Garden Scheme (NGS) Open Day. The NGS has been running since 1927 initially to support district nurses; there are now over 3,500 gardens across the country open as part of the scheme which last year raised £3.1 million for nursing and health charities. Tours, displays, plant sales, refreshments and, fingers crossed, lovely sunshine. Adults £5, children free. NB as this is a fundraising event for charity the usual free entry to Friends, University staff and students will not apply. Sat. 27 July 4.30 for 7pm. JAZZ PICNIC Blue Notes Jazz Band with Hannah Wedlock. Over the years the Blue Notes has developed its own unique style and repertoire encompassing traditional, swing and mainstream jazz. They have a residency at the Undercroft Jazz Club in the heart of Bristol and regularly play festivals and clubs around the West Country. An additional delight is the appearance of the vocal and visual hit, Hannah Wedlock. 4.30pm. tour of the garden. 6pm Bar opens with Pimms, Wine, Beer, soft drinks. Bring a picnic, rug and umbrella if wet. The show goes on whatever the weather. Sorry only guide dogs allowed. Tickets: £12 in advance (£15 on the night). Children free. Contact Paul Mugford: Tel: 07621 407102 / [email protected] Mon. 29 July 2.15-3.45 Curator’s Tour. Special tour with Curator Nicholas Wray. Then, experience treasures of the Amazon rainforest in the exotic glass-houses, with orchids, bromeliads and a world of tropical food & medicinal plants. Come rain or shine there will be plenty to see. Tours are an excellent opportunity to hear updates of the innumerable new developments and also learn about plants of seasonal interest. Free to Friends. Visitors: £7. Meet at the Welcome Lodge Tue. 6 Aug. 10am to 12pm (repeated on 13 Aug.) Sun-printing for children (aged up to 12). Come & try out the vintage process of sun-printing - a fun, quick, chemical free photographic process, and one of the oldest techniques of printing. You’ll be briefly introduced to the plants in the Garden before getting stuck in to the sun- printing process and, at the end of the session have your own sun-prints to share with family & friends. £10 per child + one free adult. Sat. 31 Aug. - Sun. 1 Sept. 10am-5pm Bee & Pollination Festival Exhibitors include: Bristol Naturalists’ Society, Bristol Beekeepers' Honey Festival; UoB Biological Sciences research displays; orchid growers; cider tastings; wildlife charities; children's activities; plant sales; botanical art etc. Full programme of international speakers. Refreshments. Admission including tours: £8.80 (includes 80p gift aid donation). Free to under 18s, Friends of the Garden, University of Bristol staff and ALL students.
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Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project Contents / Diary Booking and further information: Contact the Project on 0117 903 0609 or e- mail [email protected] . Pre-booking essential for all events. Details of meeting points are given on booking.
Thu. 25 July. Mammal detectives (Children’s event for 8 – 12 year olds) Discover which furry animals live on the Downs by following the clues they leave behind. In the afternoon print your own awesome animal footprint t-shirt. Drop off children at 10am and pick them up at 3.30pm. £17.50 per child
Thu. 1 August. Gorge-ous goats (Children’s event for 8 – 12 year olds).Visit the Avon Gorge’s hairiest residents and have fun playing our gobbling goats game. Later, make a fabulous felt goat mask. Drop off children at 10am and pick them up at 3.30pm. £17.50 per child
Sat. 3 August. Spiders of the Avon Gorge (walk) Explore the Gully with Mark Pajak as we take a look at the variety of spiders living in the Avon Gorge. We’ll search for signs of elusive purse web spiders (relatives of tarantulas!), jumping spiders and many other species. 10.30am -12.30pm. £5. NB: There are very, very steep, slopes and uneven ground on this walk in the Gorge.
BNS/Westonbirt Survey A Rhododendron at Westonbirt. BNS conducted a survey on behalf of the arboretum at the end of May. See the report on page 9 Photo: Lesley Cox
Hairy dragonflies (Brachytron pratense) Thanks to Gill Brown who sent this photo. She writes “Another country, but not too far for a day out, here are a pair of hairy dragonflies from Newport Wetlands (24th May). A great place for invertebrates as well as birds”.
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