Downland Thymes News for the South Downs Volunteer
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DOWNLAND NEWS FOR THE SOUTH DOWNS VOLUNTEER THYMES RANGER SERVICE ISSUE 86 | WINTER 2019 IN THIS ISSUE: 2 FESTIVE CHAIRMANS CORNER & FRONDS TEAM UPDATE 4 PLANTS OF THE PARK MEET THE NEW RANGERS 6 INSPIRED BY THE DOWNS 8 Cowdray Castle ruins VCF and mistletoe © Duncan Vere Green 11 MISTLETOE, VISCUS ALBUM, A WOODY, HEDGEROWS PARASITIC SHRUB NATIVE TO BRITAIN IS Mistletoe can occur on up to 200 species REVISITED FOUND LOCALLY IN SUSSEX BUT MORE of trees although rarely on conifers. Apple is the most common host, but it also occurs 12 FREQUENTLY IN THE WEST OF THE COUNTY. on lime, hawthorn, crack willow, poplar, YOUR REVIEWS Although mistletoe is parasitic In Sussex there are colonies of robinia, field maple, sycamore, elm, horse it seldom kills its host if kept in mistletoe on parkland lime trees chestnut, ash, whitebeam and rowan. 14 bounds by harvesting. It has in Parham Park, Cowdray Park, Try growing your own: AUTHORITY been cultivated since at least the Petworth Park and Lavington NEWS 18th century. Nurserymen still Park. At Parham it also grows • Find a mature host tree, thin bark is best supply it growing on apple trees. on ancient hawthorns. In the • Rub a ripe berry onto the underside of a mid-19th century mistletoe was strong branch and tie securely with muslin 16 It is found most often in so abundant in Cowdray Park BUZZING orchards, parklands, gardens • If it ‘takes’ the root will penetrate the host that cartloads were cut before ACTIVITY and churchyards and is tree and shoot Christmas. therefore commonly associated • Male and female plants are needed near Acknowledgments: with areas of human habitation If you know of mistletoe plants to each other to produce berries mistletoe.org.uk the website growing in your area, the Sussex of mistletoe enthusiast on cultivated or deliberately • Flowers form slowly over several months Jonathan Briggs. planted trees. It is impossible Botanical Recording Society and open around February. They are sussexflora.org.uk Nelson, to know how many specimens (see right) would love to hear pollinated by insects, particularly bees, Dawn. Sussex Botanical Recording Society have been deliberately from you with a grid reference as in other fruiting plants ‘The Flora of Sussex’ cultivated, but clumps in high if possible. • Berries can take up to a year to ripen. F. Abrahams, M. Briggs, branches of tall trees are likely P. Harms, A. Hoare, A. Knapp, KATE FRANKLAND, VOLUNTEER T. Lording, B. Scott,M. Shaw, to have been sown by birds. D. Streeter, & N. Stuart RANGER EASTERN DOWNS (Eds. 2018) Newbury:Pisces. Tell us your story. Email your Downland Thymes articles to the editorial team [email protected] DOWNLAND THYMES WINTER DOWNLAND THYMES WINTER A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Thank you for all the interesting articles, reviews and photos that you have sent in for inclusion over the year. We have enjoyed reading them all and have tried to include as many as possible. We seem to have a flurry of new starters to introduce you to in this edition. Hopefully you will now be able to put a few faces to names CHAIRMAN’S and vice versa when you see them out and about. We also have a wonderful CORNER new gang of Apprentice Rangers to Another year is coming to a close; it has introduce you to but they will have been eventful for us on the Committee, to wait for another edition. with the new Volunteer Conservation Next year is the 10th anniversary of Fund taking off so very well, an extremely UPDATE FROM THE the South Downs National Park. Part enjoyable AGM in March and rounded of our celebrations will include a special off with some interesting courses on VOLUNTEERING TEAM edition of Downland Thymes in March woodlands and fungi. 2020 incorporating any of your stories It has also been good to see many of about being a volunteer with the South you out and about over the year and I’m AUTUMN 2019 WAS A BUMPER SEASON FOR Downs Volunteer Ranger Service over We were delighted to hear that two of pleased that we have had requests for MUSHROOMS AND THEREFORE A GREAT TIME TO this time. Please get your thinking caps our volunteer groups, the Heathlands funds to help several of you with Area HOLD OUR FIRST FUNGI ID TRAINING SESSIONS. on and start pulling together ideas for Reunited volunteers who produced a social activities. We also have approved inclusion in the newsletter. As ever, Volunteers were given the opportunity a name pointing to their movement and book about the tales and mini-histories of a request for Travel Fellowship funding please send anything appropriate to to learn more about the amazing constant travel across the open country. our heaths, and our Youth Ambassadors, for a group of volunteers from the [email protected]. The deadline ecology and culture of mushrooms. In the south we’re also lucky to have have been highly commended in the Wealden Heath Area to visit Bardsey for the March edition is 27 January 2020. The training sessions held really the winter influx of the goldcrest’s close Island in North Wales to do some National Parks UK Volunteer Awards interesting discussions about why British relative, the firecrest. These stunning group category. Congratulations to If you can, take some time for yourself conservation work there in the spring. culture has become so removed from birds weigh as little as a 5p piece and both groups on your achievements in over the Christmas break and get out Arrangements are confirmed for next foraging wild mushrooms whereas one can be found in the ivy and holly-heavy respectively highlighting the unique for a few invigorating walks in those year’s AGM on 28 March 2020, to be volunteer recounted witnessing Russian woods of the Weald throughout the heritage of the South Downs and in beautiful South Downs, or as Hilaire held in the Linklater Pavilion at Lewes. I’m government officials heading straight out winter. In the marshes and river valleys championing the youth voice. Belloc called them “the great hills of very pleased that we have managed to get onto Hampstead Heath in the 1970s to waders and wildfowl will be arriving in the South Country”. Neil Hulme as the guest speaker; he will Top: Highly commended for HeRe – look for fungi! Hopefully there was also their thousands to spend the winter. Happy Christmas! be talking on ‘Rewilding’ and has extensive some useful advice for those of you with tales and mini histories of our heaths I would like to take this opportunity to knowledge of the Knepp Estate project bracket fungi growing at the bottom of Youth Ambassadors Kirstie Ferris thank our 300 volunteers for all the time and Cameron MacDonald CHARLIE HELLEWELL, working there as a member of the Advisory trees in your gardens and what response you have offered to the South Downs © SDNPA Daniel Greenwood EDITOR, DOWNLAND THYMES Board and as a guide. We will also be is required, if at all. I know many of you National Park in 2019. From everyone seeking new members to the Committee will not see Christmas in the same way here at the South Downs National Park at that AGM, as both I and the treasurer, ever again… Authority we hope you have a relaxing Mike Ellis, will be standing down. I do December is the end of the fungi season Christmas break and look forward to KATHRYN STEELE – hope that we can attract some new faces and the arrival of colder temperatures. seeing you again in the New Year. to work on the Committee, duties are not PROVIDING VOLUNTEER SUPPORT This is a fantastic time to improve your very onerous or time consuming – just four DANIEL GREENWOOD, Welcome to Kat Steele a new Support Services understanding of trees by participating meetings a year with two of them by video, SDNPA VOLUNTEER Officer for the South Downs National Park Authority. in a spot of winter tree ID while so why not give it a go? DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Kat will be monitoring the [email protected] volunteering. Learning the buds and bark email account and will be able to assist with any Finally, I wish you all a very Merry of trees in winter gives an understanding volunteering enquiries you may have across the Christmas and a Happy New Year, of species that can be used when the different areas. thank you all for your commitment leaves arrive again in the spring. It’s also a and time in support of our important time to welcome wintering species to the Above: Kat has a background in ecology with five years work in the South Downs. Downs. The flocks of redwings migrating Volunteers experience of completing species surveys. She over our villages, towns and cities by during fungi is licensed to handle great crested newts and is RON WILDER, VRS CHAIR ID training night can be identified with a typical a bat carer, often rehabilitating bats at her home. in Buriton in tseep call as they zip overhead. Then October Currently also studying for an MSc in Environmental there are their cousins, fieldfares, with © Daniel Greenwood Management, Kat is looking forward to visiting the different areas within the Park and helping volunteers enjoy their time supporting the National Park. 2 3 DOWNLAND THYMES WINTER DOWNLAND THYMES WINTER and planning the restoration MICHAELA ‘MICKY’ PAPE, and floodplain meadow and future management of ASSISTANT RANGER, sites. Before that I was a a new SSSI heathland site at WEALDEN HEATH TEAM member of the VRS and MEET THE previously worked for Royal NEW RANGER Woolmer Forest with Kate.