THE FRIENDS OF TREBORTH
BOTANIC GARDEN
CYFEILLION GARDD FOTANEG TREBORTH
NEWSLETTER CYLCHLYTHYR
Number / Rhif 45 September / Medi 2012
2 COMMITTEE
Judith Hughes ([email protected]) Chairman Dr David Shaw ([email protected]) Vice-Chair Sarah Edgar ([email protected]) Secretary Angela Thompson ([email protected]) Membership Secretary Nigel Brown ([email protected]) Curator Dr John Gorham ([email protected]) Events Secretary Rosie Barratt ([email protected]) Horticulturist Enid Griffiths Committee Member Deborah Wieland ([email protected]) Committee Member Tom Cockbill ([email protected]) Committee Member David Evans ([email protected]) Committee Member Jamie Stroud ([email protected]) Committee Member Ann Illsley ([email protected]) Committee Member Liz Lemin Committee Member Berta Rosen ([email protected]) Committee Member Natalie Chivers ([email protected]) Student Representative Matt Kent ([email protected]) Student Representative Megan Saywood ([email protected]) Student Representative
NEWSLETTER TEAM
Pete Wieland (formatting, photos) [email protected] Grace Gibson (adverts, articles) [email protected] Angela Thompson (commissioning articles, [email protected] planning, editing)
Cover Photos
Front: Rosie Barratt (by James Balfour)
Back: Field Cow-wheat (by Richard Birch)
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are copyright of the article author
Issue No. 45 Sep 2012
INDEX
Introduction/News in Brief 3 Curator’s Report 5 Weather and Wildlife 9 Membership Renewal 11 A Request for Rust Records 12 What Tree is That? The Evidence Underground! 18 Field Cow-Wheat 20
Volunteering Taster Day 22 Welsh Historic Gardens Trust 23 Julian’s Adventures in Pakistan 25 Recording the Meadow Patches 34 The Life and Times of Treborth’s new Horticulturist, Rosie Barratt 37 Pensychnant: A Semi-Natural History 39 Poem: That Time of Year 44
2 Chairman’s and Secretary’s Introduction
This is the 45th issue of this newsletter and it has progressed from being a modest little number when the Friends started to this much larger version with colour and a wide range of articles. We get many comments about it, mostly favourable, and we do value your feedback. The "hot" topic of conversation this summer has been the appalling weather, which has affected all gardens from Treborth to our own more modest plots. As this is being written, everywhere is waterlogged and battered, nothing is growing well except weeds and crops are poor. Nevertheless we are lucky compared to other flood-hit parts of Britain. The extremes of weather experienced by other parts of the world are also truly devastating. Gardeners are a resilient bunch though and most gardens will recover, but these extreme weather conditions are becoming the norm and we need to adapt to these changes very quickly. Let us hope we can do so, and that this autumn we have better weather and good harvests. Judith Hughes and Sarah Edgar And…
News in Brief
Newsletter articles: We have established a pattern for the receipt of articles for the newsletter over the last couple of years – the deadline is the first Monday of the month before the month in which the newsletter is mailed out. So for the next newsletter which is mailed out at the end of January, the deadline will be 3 December 2012. This is your newsletter – please consider writing something for it! It could be on a group of plants that particularly interests you, an account of a visit to a garden, or the trials and tribulations of getting some precious seeds to germinate. The choice is yours…
Donations: Many thanks to Jennifer Rickards and Margaret Griffiths for raising £127 for Treborth at the plant stall at the open garden day at Llys y Gwnt. We also thank Dr K Barrar and Susannah Robinson for their donations.
New signs: In his Curator’s Report, Nigel mentions the new signs that have been put up in the Garden to mark features of interest. These have been made by Peter Boyd, the sculptor who made the wooden furniture by the new pond. Peter has used oak from the Garden by cutting logs in half lengthways, then carving the lettering in a beautiful script on the flat surface. The logs have then been oiled to preserve them and fixed to the ground with steel bars at the back. The signs look extremely elegant and are in keeping with the ambience of the Garden. We hope you will come and admire them!
Other improvements in the Garden include two large timber compost bins at the back of the arboretum to take lawn cuttings; lawn edging strip at the bottom
3 of the rock garden to make mowing easier and the rock garden edge better defined; and new paths in the Tropical House. Most of the materials and labour for these projects have been provided by the Friends.
Interesting website: Arizona State University hosts the International Institute for Species Exploration. For some time now the Observer newspaper has been highlighting reports from the IISE on species new to science, taxonomic advances and biodiversity. There have been some very interesting articles on all sorts of living plants and animals plus fossils. Recent top new species have included an underwater mushroom, a beautiful new Solanum from Ecuador, a yellow poppy that blooms in the Himalayan autumn monsoon season, a breathtakingly beautiful blue Tarantula that may be at risk due to habitat loss and exploitation by the pet trade, and a nematode from one of earth's deepest gold mines that survives the temperatures and pressures of living almost a mile below the planet's surface. Go to http://species.asu.edu/index for more information.
Busybees - Bangor
Courses in Beekeeping Vegetable growing Fruit tree growing, pruning and grafting.
www.foodskillsforall.co.uk Tel. 01248 361 576
Won't you come into the garden, I would like my roses to see you.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) said to his future wife Elizabeth inferring that she was more beautiful.
4 Curator’s Report: April – July 2012
The involvement of Rosie Barratt as part-time assistant gardener at Treborth since mid April has been the most defining element of the Garden during the last 4 months. In her capacity as the co-ordinator of Friends’ practical activities at Treborth, she has ensured the best use of everyone’s time and energies, skills and enthusiasm including the Curator’s. Rosie’s personal commitment to Treborth knows no bounds and her charming, happy disposition benefits everyone. There is no way in which the Friends could have given the Garden and myself more help than by her appointment and it is earnestly hoped that her contract can be extended beyond the mid October deadline which stands at present. Strenuous efforts are being made to this end and I am grateful once again to Sarah Edgar for her substantial help in drawing together applications for funding. In addition, discussions with the university are on going and, dare I say it, look hopeful.
The other recent significant factor for Treborth is the announcement of the departure of Professor Tom De Luca who is returning to USA in September to take up a prestigious research post at the University of Washington State in Seattle. We owe Tom an enormous debt of gratitude as Treborth’s academic champion, a role he enthusiastically and effectively assumed upon his appointment to the School of Environment and Natural Resources and Geography (SENRGY) 4 years ago. Tom headed up the successful grant application which resulted in the wholesale refurbishment of the Rhizotron and of the house known as Rivendell so that we can now boast the premier soil lab in Europe and a fine support facility with offices, meeting room, workshop and accommodation for visiting researchers. Tom has been a constant source of ideas and encouragement and has ensured that Treborth is fully involved with several University-wide projects including Pontio. He has personally assisted with events such as Wild Science Day and always been on hand to instruct and entertain numerous visiting groups such as Kew Diploma students and VIPs. Additionally, Tom’s wife, Denise, has provided inspiring help both formal and informal related to her own research on biomimicry.
For these reasons and for always being such an amiable, encouraging and generous colleague and Friend we say a big thank you to Tom and wish him and his family every success back home in the States. Tom intends to keep in touch with the Rhizotron project and we look forward to a continuing close academic association – after all, these days one is only an email/skype away and as part of his new post he will be making regular return visits to use the new Rhizotron.
5 And talking of the Rhizotron it is pleasing to report that most of the soil cubicles are now planted and beginning to grow topside and below. The facility has received many visitors this summer, all impressed with the refit and the added dimension which the tubular inserts bring to each window.
Other matters: the period has been a busy one with school classes of all ages (including 10 sessions under the Talent Opportunity Programme) and the successful establishment of the Forest School which has welcomed pupils from Hillgrove School in Bangor. I am very grateful to Jon Steele and Tom Cockbill for their expertise and enthusiasm in establishing and running the Forest School and to Hillgrove for being such willing and enthusiastic ‘guinea pigs’!
While on the subject of schools, it is appropriate to tell you that Ysgol Coed Menai (formerly Ysgol Treborth) has now officially closed bringing to an end 60 years of teaching disadvantaged youngsters. We have enjoyed excellent relationships with the School, its staff and pupils over the years and we are grateful for the help and support they provided for the Garden.
You will have noticed that Treborth is now blessed with 25 outstanding wooden signs denoting major features in the Garden such as the arboretum, rock garden and wildlife meadows. These superb oak signs have been made by Peter Boyd and financed through the Bangor Fund which is managed by the University Alumni Office. To all concerned, my deepest thanks – they are a great asset to Treborth in every sense.
The Plant Collections Committee continues to provide excellent support for my work as Curator, advising on all things botanical and horticultural. Presently it is reviewing all the major collections and also taking an overview of the design of the Garden as a whole to begin to plan for the next phase of Treborth’s development as a botanic garden.
One of the project areas which offers so much potential is the arboretum down the main drive. The new Coast Path has ensured much greater prominence to this part of the Garden, so long neglected. The Plant Collections Committee has given the go ahead for an innovative plan to tell the story of trees in Wales over the last 10,000 years with representative specimens to mark the arboreal colonisation of the Principality both natural and anthropogenic. The aim is to retain existing well -grown trees and plant many new species after careful thinning of weaker and less valuable specimens. We are looking for funding to support this project.
6 I cannot allow the chance to pass to thank everyone involved with the two very successful plant sales in April and May – they proved our most successful yet, raising £3000 in total and it is pleasing to see the level of support they enjoy and the excellent atmosphere on the day which now acts as such a constructive advert for the Garden as well as generating such useful income for Treborth. I hope that you noticed that we were selling Treborth Charcoal for the first time, expertly processed by the Bangor International Forestry Society using Ellis Jones’ remarkable home- made charcoal kiln and his expert tuition. The raw material was cherry laurel and rhododendron from the clearance activities in the woods at Treborth, a fitting finale to a clearance effort which began years ago with Dick Loxton and his stalwart student volunteers and pursued more recently with equal vigour by Gerry Downing.
Treborth Botanic Garden played an important role in Bangor University achieving the highest level of the Green Dragon Award Scheme. The Garden was complimented on its sustainable practices and overall environment-first approach.
Joe Patton, the University’s Occupational Health Practitioner, kindly provided personal health checks freely for Friends and these were widely welcomed and appreciated.
In May, we welcomed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaysia and his Dean of Science who were visiting SENRGY in connection with the establishment of a new degree in Agriculture in Kuala Lumpur. Later that month we were also delighted to welcome two members of Bangor University’s development board, Jocelyne Ridley and John Jones, both former graduates of Bangor, now successful business entrepreneurs and keenly involved with new commercial initiatives within the university.
During the summer, Treborth received excellent help for a week from Ysgol David Hughes’ pupils Leah Bunce and Alfie Stanley as part of their work experience. Additionally the Friends funded students Heidi Jones, Faith Jones, Peter Walton and Matt Kent to provide part-time seasonal help. Thanks to all these individuals for energetic and enthusiastic assistance.
Finally, hearty words of congratulations, firstly to our graduates in 2012. Despite academic pressures, several final year students have managed to maintain their strong commitment to Treborth through STAG and it is pleasing to report First Class Degree awards to Adam Cross, Matt Tebbutt, Belinda Airey, Anna Johncock, Heidi Jones and Pascale Baden, and 2.1s to Sian Thompson, Hannah Wright and Minty Lang. Additionally, red squirrel research at Treborth led to a First for Roddy
7 Shaw and a first class level performance by Dean Ashby as part of his Master of Zoology and Conservation. Likewise Natalie Chivers secured a first class level performance on her way to a Master of Environmental Science. And how pleasing it is to report that STAG gained the prestigious award of Academic Society of the Year – what a well deserved accolade. Congratulations to Matt Kent and Natalie for steering STAG so effectively and happily through another academic year.
Also honoured during Graduation Week in July, Bleddyn Wynn-Jones received an Honorary Fellowship from Bangor University for his services to horticulture and plantsmanship. This award is so richly deserved as Bleddyn and his wife Sue have in a very short space of time established themselves as one of the UK’s most influential and innovative horticulturists. Achieving this position has entailed enormous effort and personal determination and is entirely self-funded and self-taught. Bleddyn is rightly regarded as a world class expert on the taxonomy, ecology and conservation of plants from regions such as Korea, Taiwan and Guatemala. His knowledge has been gained in the most direct way possible, through plant hunting trips in remote, plant-rich areas and by every practical effort possible to replicate natural growing conditions back home at his nursery at Crug which quite rightly has become a Mecca for the aficionados of the horticultural world. After his brilliant success at Chelsea in 2011, his reputation within horticultural and botanical circles the world over has been cemented and there is no doubting the fact that he has become one of the top ten horticulturists in Britain today. Bleddyn and Sue have always supported Treborth and welcomed student interest in their collections at Crug. We look forward to maintaining close links in the future.
This has been a selection of Treborth-based happenings in what has been a very busy and successful summer at the Garden. As ever, my thanks to the Friends for the prodigious effort in helping look after Treborth during this time – diolch yn fawr iawn. Nigel Brown, Curator
Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.
Mark Twain
8 Weather and Wildlife April—July 2012
Month Rainfall Temperature °C Number Of Days mm inches max. min. Rain > 10°C > 15°C > 20°C > 25°C April 93.6 3.7 16.75 -0.5 24 2 1 0 0 May 61.3 2.4 25.25 2 13 21 8 4 1 June 139.9 5.6 18.75 6 23 29 17 0 0 July 107.9 4.3 20.5 6.5 24 31 21 2 0
Rain on 84 days out of 122 (69%) and only 6 days (<5%) reaching 20 degrees C spell out an exceptionally wet, cool spring/summer period, with June and July being especially disappointing. After a relatively dry start to the year, Jan – Mar (184.8mm/7.3inches), the current period April - July has produced 402.7mm (15.9 inches) of rain. To compound the effect, sunshine hours have been very low in June and July.
Not surprisingly insect numbers have been depressed with far fewer butterflies recorded and smaller moth catches at night. For the first time in 20 years I have failed to catch 200 moths in a single night by the end of July, the highest catch of the year so far being 187 moths on 22/23 March. One welcome addition to the list of macromoths for Treborth occurred on 26/27 May – Small Waved Umber (Horisme vitalbata). This attractive geometrid moth feeds on Wild Clematis (Clematis vitalba), a rampant native climber which is increasing at Treborth and is mainly to be found festooning trees and shrubs through the arboretum area. It reflects the rather calcareous conditions encountered in several areas of the Garden thanks to the limestone and calcareous sandstone which underlie roughly half the area. Small Waved Umber is predominantly southern in its distribution in the British Isles with records as far north as South Yorkshire. Its occurrence at Treborth represents a significant northward extension of its range in Wales, the only other records being at Llanymynech Rocks south of Oswestry last year, and Gwaith Powdwr at Penrhyndeudraeth in 2006. It will be interesting to see whether we record Small Waved Umber again this year as this species has a second brood in August – if so, that would suggest that it has established and bred successfully.
With the recent publication of ‘Field Guide to Micromoths of Great Britain and Ireland’ by Sterling, Parsons and Lewington there is no excuse to ignore this varied (1627 species in Britain) and absorbing group of smaller Lepidoptera, many of which impact on horticulture more significantly than their larger cousins, the macromoths. The Robinson Light Trap used at Treborth each night attracts good numbers of ‘micros’ and apart from the more obvious species such as Mother of
9 Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis) and Small Magpie (Anania hortulata) I have left them out of my nightly reckoning, quite unfairly.
But that is set to change and from now on I hope to include them as part of the nightly register using this excellent new identification guide. The guide is richly illustrated and includes images and illustrations of larvae and pupae as well as adult stages; it also includes characteristic leaf damage caused by caterpillar grazing. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone considering expanding their knowledge of insects.
It might be expected that poor weather between April and July would have negative impacts for breeding birds but that does not seem to be the case for a number of Garden species. For example, the number of fledgling Blue (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tits (Parus major) has remained high; however the same cannot be said of Robin (Erithacus rubecula), Dunnock (Prunella modularis), Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) and Blackbird (Turdus merula), all well down on recent years. Interestingly however, not just one but two pairs of Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) have successfully bred and by mid July the high pitched and incessant calls of their fledged young penetrate the woodland indicating that the parent birds have been able to provision their offspring bountifully, the chief prey items being a range of small to medium sized passerine birds such as tits and finches.
Another predatory animal that is faring well this year is Stoat (Mustela erminea) judging by the regular sightings of adults in various parts of the Garden. Their chief prey item, certainly of the male which is usually larger than the female, is, of course, Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and in the almost complete absence of Fox (Vulpes vulpes) at Treborth, they play an essential role in limiting rabbit numbers.
Finally it is interesting to report that several Jay (Garrulus glandarius) have bred in the Botanic Garden and their behaviour has been fascinating. Up to 10 individual birds have frequently consorted, a mixture of adults and immature, and the volume and variety of calls has been remarkable. Earlier in spring, lekking was observed regularly, involving several presumed males displaying, usually in a tree, though not necessarily at any great height. Individuals jump purposefully from bough to bough in full view and close proximity of other Jays while emitting mechanical, far- carrying notes and adjusting their plumage to maximise the form of the crest and rump. Sometimes other quiescent Jays are present, presumably female individuals. The behaviour deserves further study as it undoubtedly determines gene flow in this species and may rival other better known lekking species such as Black Grouse and Ruff in which the males are chosen by the females as mates but then play no further part in parental care and territory provisioning. What is uncertain at this stage is whether the males remain on the scene to assist in parental care. The similarity of the sexes in this species makes it difficult to determine the influence of males in the post- mating process of breeding unfortunately, and indeed this lack of sexual dimorphism
10 might suggest that the Jay is not engaging in a classic lekking mating system but simply a deviation from conventional territorial breeding systems due to circumstances such as clustering of individuals around high quality males or habitats. As I mentioned earlier, Jays have become common at Treborth and it may be that their high density prompts lekking type behaviour. One of the factors that might contribute to high population growth is their ability to exploit new food sources including peanut and fat ball feeders. Nigel Brown
Membership Renewal for Annual Cheque and Cash Payers
It’s that time of year again when we’re after your money… The subscription year begins on 31 October so most of you have about a month of membership left. Members who joined after 1 May 2012 will have another 12 months in addition.
As you already appreciate, the Garden at Treborth needs constant attention - collections are tended with loving care, and propagation and maintenance work goes on all the time. Volunteer groups undertake much of this, but they need tools and other materials to carry out this work. There are a number of projects coming up, involving extra work and needing more resources. The Friends are dependent upon your membership contributions to provide a steady income for improving the gardens and facilities. The Garden has never looked better, and many people arriving at Treborth for meetings etc comment on what a great asset it is for the local community. This is in no small part due to the careful spending of precious income from you. Unfortunately, this year, we have had to do without the boost of income from Botanical Beats, and so far, from Horticultural Harmonies, so we really do need your money!
So for those of you who pay on an annual basis, please would you fill in the enclosed form and return it to me with your cheque or cash. Alternatively, you may like to complete the Standing Order form so that you can ignore my reminder next year!
On the subject of Standing Orders, you may remember our plea to those of you who made out mandates to pay our Barclay account to cancel these and set up a new mandate to pay our Co-op Bank account. There are a number of members who are still paying to our Barclays account – please could you print out a membership form from our website at www.treborthbotanicgarden.org, complete the standing order part and send it to Treborth. We will do the rest – thank you. Angela Thompson
11 A Request for Rust Records Please! (Pictures page 13)
Readers may have seen my article in the last newsletter about rust fungi and I would like to make a request for gardeners to look out for two particular rusts this year.
Heuchera Rust
A few weeks ago, Frances Lynch who lives at Halfway Bridge brought a sick Heuchera leaf in to Treborth for advice as to what was infecting her plant and how to treat it. Luckily for me Dave Shaw happened to be there and intercepted the specimen. He recognised that it might be infected by a rust fungus and gave me the sample. I was very excited as this was indeed a rust called Puccinia heucherae, one that I hadn’t previously seen and it will be a first record for North Wales. (I have now been told of the only other reported Welsh record, which was from a Machynlleth garden centre in 2011).
I visited Frances’ lovely riverside garden with Dave the following week. There are several Heuchera plants of different varieties and colours of leaves, but only a single plant called “Southern Comfort” was infected. This plant was bought from Seiont Nurseries about 3 years ago and I suspect it was carrying the infection when purchased but has only now showed any symptoms (perhaps due to the weather conditions?). The symptoms are small brown pustules visible on the underside of the leaves with corresponding pox marks on the upper-side. The infection can be quite heavy and needs to be dealt with to avoid losing the plant or infecting other ones.
This rust only arrived in Great Britain in 2004 probably from the USA, the first official report being in 2006. It has been spread via plant nurseries or garden centres and I’m sure there must be other infected plants around. Please take a few moments to check any Heuchera plants in your gardens for signs of the rust. The advice for treating affected plants is to remove all the foliage rather than just the infected leaves. This may seem drastic but even leaves showing no rust pustules may be infected. Importantly, avoid damaging the crown of the plant which should quickly sprout new leaves. The crown needs to be sprayed with a proprietary product like Roseclear or similar containing the active ingredient Systane and again if infection returns to the new growth. The removed foliage should be bagged and disposed of or burned, not composted. OR preferably given to Debbie please!
I would very much like to have records of this rust and if any gardener thinks they have it on their plants I would be happy to check either by visiting or via a good picture sent by email. A leaf sample can also be preserved for me by pressing between sheets of kitchen towel, newspaper or similar absorbent paper.
12 A Request for Rust Records Please! (p12)
Top left: Rust 2 Gymnosporangium confusum aecial horns on Medlar leaf Top right: Rust 11 Puccinia heucherae telial pustules on Heuchera leaf Bottom left: Rust 4 Peach Leaf Curl Bottom right: Rust 7 Quince leaf showing Quince Leaf Blight caused by Diplocarpon mespili
13 What tree is that? (p18)
Top left: Low-power micrograph of Tilia (lime tree) root in cross-section; shows typical patterns in wood and bark. Top right: High-power micrograph of Betula (birch) root in cross-section; shows bars of scalariform plates across vessels. Bottom left: Low-power micrograph of Hedera (ivy) root in cross-section; shows typical patterns in wood and bark. Bottom right: Low-power micrograph of Acer platanoides root in cross-section, showing typical patterns in wood.
14 Gymnosporangium Rust on Medlar
In my article I mentioned an interesting group of fungi called the Gymnosporangiums, which are unlike any other rust fungus. I was recently working at Henfaes, the University Farm, and went to inspect the Medlar tree, Mespilus germanica, in the walled garden there. I managed to find just a few leaves infected with Gymnosporangium confusum. This is visible by a small, orange spot on the upper-side of leaves and initially a similar area on the corresponding under-side. The latter later develops “aecial horns”, small brown projections coming out from the leaf surface, (see picture and the infected hawthorn picture in the newsletter). This was the first record of the rust on this host for north Wales.
Medlar trees are not commonly grown in gardens but I was aware of the two trees at Treborth and on investigation of the “healthy” tree there two weeks ago, I found a few infected leaves on this tree as well. The infection is absolutely minimal and these rusts will rarely have any adverse affects on trees but are very interesting to record. Please can I ask anyone with a Medlar tree in their garden to take a few minutes to scrutinise the leaves for orange spots and the aecial horns and let me know if you find any. (Similarly I would very much like to hear of any suspected infection on pear leaves as described in the newsletter article. Pear rust is as yet un-recorded in north Wales but is probably out there in someone’s garden).
….And finally, another striking fungal infection was present in the Forest Garden at Henfaes. An Almond tree, Prunus dulcis, was showing the striking signs of Peach Leaf Curl caused by a fungus called Taphrina deformans. This as its name suggests is more commonly seen on Peach trees but also occurs on Almond. (See pictures of leaves).
Another species of Taphrina, T. pruni, causes “Pocket Plums” on Blackthorn and some other Prunus species. It causes a galling of the fruit to form an elongated bladder-like structure. I have been told that it is more common this year in parts of Britain, again probably a reflection of the wet spring weather. Records would be of interest.
If you have any interesting records of any of the above or other rusts, (e.g. Comfrey Rust, Runner-bean Rust), please contact me at [email protected]. Thanks.
Postscript (August 2012):
Following my request for records sent out to FTBG members by email in July I received just a couple of replies but these were interesting and informative – quality if not quantity!
15 One member, Kate Mortimer, works for a nursery and produces thousands of Heuchera plants each year which go in to the supply chains. We had an interesting discussion by email as to the origins of Heuchera Rust infections and speculated about the reason for its increase in recent years. My theory has always been that plants showing symptoms in a garden like Frances’ were probably already carrying the infection when purchased from a Garden Centre rather than contracting the infection in situ, unless other infected plants nearby could act as the source. Kate told me that all her thoughts were based purely on “Grower Observation” and infection in gardens was still uncommon unless the plants were in containers. She told me that she had seen infected plants in Garden Centres last year and I have now visited some local outlets myself, both on the mainland and on Anglesey, and to date have seen infected plants for sale at three places, all on different cultivars. These plants would have been bought in by the Garden Centres, rather than produced by them.
Kate commented: “My guess is that in production conditions, they are grown under protection, watering is well-regulated and usually done in the morning. Heuchera are usually grown where ventilation and air movement is good, by use of fans and or vented structures. This combined with a spray programme will prevent rust developing. Rust is quite easy to eliminate if evidence is found and growers regularly inspect. As infected stock is unsaleable, all of this is given quite a high priority. It’s not so easy in a retail environment, where plants are often displayed close together and may be open to high rainfall or become over watered. Stock is obtained from many different growers and so the origin of disease is not easy to establish. Rust spreads so quickly and not all staff will be trained or experienced.
The breeding of Heucheras over recent years has lead to some great colours but less robust varieties in some cases. Heucheras have been bred and quickly tested with every colour and growing situation in mind and after a few more years some of the newer ones will disappear because of their weakness.”
Kate’s Heucheras are produced by micro-propagation and I have also used this method to produce potato plants for Dave Shaw. The technique enables the production of many plants which are all clones of each other (identical to the parent material) and is widely used in the horticultural industry to rapidly multiply up numbers of new plant varieties. The stock plant material used is disease-free, sterile methods are used throughout and the resulting new plants are thus also disease-free. This technique combined with a regular spraying regime ensures that all her plants will be free of rust and other diseases, viruses etc, and after preparing thousands of plant orders this season she has not seen any rust disease at her nursery.
16 Heucheras in all their new colour forms are attractive plants and very popular but the advice when buying, from our experience, must be to check all plants carefully for signs of rust infection. As Kate advises: “Look for something fresh, with new-looking compost and roots. That way at least you know it hasn't been around all season, picking up pests and disease.” Finally if you are unfortunate enough to have Heuchera Rust it is still possible to treat the plants (see article). They should then be monitored and, as Frances has recently found, the rust may recur requiring further treatment, removing leaves with symptoms and spraying. … And please let me know!
My other reply came from Sarah Edgar and I visited her lovely riverside garden at Pontrug in July. Sarah’s Heucheras were all happily rust-free but there were other “goodies” for me to discover. She has two Medlar trees and both had a few leaves showing the aecial horns of Gymnosporangium confusum. This is my third record of the rust on this host and all trees examined have shown just a few infected leaves with no Juniperus sabina, the rust’s alternate host, growing nearby. A Conference Pear tree had a single leaf with Pear Rust, Gymnosporangium sabinae. This is another rust to check for at the Garden Centre when buying a pear tree and I recently saw one lightly infected tree in a local outlet.
Sarah has a Quince tree which every year shows extensive spotting on the leaves and early leaf drop and she suspected this might be caused by a rust disease. I examined the lesions and diagnosed instead Quince Leaf Blight caused by a fungus called Diplocarpon mespili. The complex spores of the fungus, complete with appendages, were amazing and different to anything I had seen previously. The disease can over-winter, explaining why Sarah has seen it in successive years and it is worse in wet seasons. Possibly the damp/humid conditions in the garden due to the proximity of the river may cause the disease to be severe every year even when it's not as wet? Apparently it can affect hawthorn, pyracantha and pear but on these hosts it is only sporadic and causes a lot less damage. There is more information and advice on the RHS website.
To complete the picture, Sarah had a rust called Puccinia chaerophylli on her Sweet Cicely, Myrrhis odorata. This rust can also affect a couple of wild members of the Carrot Family including Cow Parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris, but I've never seen infected plants locally. I have recorded the rust on both species in Northern England where Sweet Cicely is a common verge-side plant. Her chives, Allium schoenoprasum had the dark pustules of the rust Puccinia allii on the old flower stalks. This rust infects other members of the onion family, both cultivated and wild. And finally the wild Willowherb, Epilobium species, in Sarah’s garden had the common rust Pucciniastrum epilobii. This is the same rust as occurs on garden Fuchsias and I expect wild Willowherbs act as a reservoir of infection for Fuchsias.
17 My thanks to both Kate and Sarah for their responses and for allowing me to use the information obtained for this postscript. Thanks also to Angela for sending my original article and request to FTBG members.
Finally if you are unfortunate enough to have Heuchera Rust it is still possible to treat the plants, (see article). They should then be monitored and as Frances has recently found the rust may recur requiring further treatment, removing leaves with symptoms and spraying. ….And please let me know! Debbie Evans
What Tree is That? The Evidence Underground! (Pictures page 14)
Quite close to Treborth, a small team of people is busy using microscopes to identify trees! The occasional twig or piece of timber is examined – but most of the samples are roots. This unusual pursuit begs the question “why?” The reasons are ones of economics, tree preservation – and sheer curiosity! The results support a successful business, the management of potentially problem trees and a constantly fascinating study. The team works in Parc Menai; EPSL (the European Plant Science Laboratory) is an independent section of Marishal Thompson & Co, an arboricultural business based in Northumberland. Each of the team has been on the staff of the University of Bangor at some time; two of us were students, then colleagues, of Pat Denne who established this work in Bangor and is still our mentor and consultant at EPSL. We use our expertise in timber identification, to analyse roots from trees and identify them to family or genus.
Why do we need to identify tree roots? Some of the roots examined at EPSL have come from archaeological projects such as the recreation of historic gardens; a few are curiosities from artefacts or birds’ nests. Most of the business however, is based on contracts with loss-adjusters and insurance companies investigating subsidence in the built environment. Roots are vital for sustenance and support of most plants, but being underground they are usually out of sight and out of mind. People are often unaware of just how extensive root systems can be: in the case of trees, a common misconception is the rule-of-thumb that root extent below ground mirrors crown spread above. In fact, the roots can extend far further whilst acting as anchor and collecting water and water-soluble minerals to sustain the tree. Active, water-absorbing roots of some species (notably oaks, poplar and willows) can be growing over 30 metres away from the trunk of the tree, and in dry
18 weather, trees with big leafy crowns will extract large quantities of water from the soil. Such widespread root activity becomes significant to people when the water extraction causes changes in ground structure and cracks appear in buildings due to soil movement. This occurs typically on shrinkable clay soils, following seasons of drought. There could be a number of causes – but investigations of subsidence damage will consider the possible influence of trees. In the past, removal of all adjacent trees and shrubs was often required when surveys found tree roots near damaged buildings, or a cracked drain was invaded by roots. Now, identification of the roots provides evidence of which tree species are rooting in the problem areas, and this allows more informed decisions to be made in management and blame. Above ground, the culprit may be standing far beyond the property affected! Resolving the problem involves engineers, arborists, lawyers, insurance companies – and EPSL.
How do we identify tree roots? Most samples we receive are short pieces of root around 1mm to 3mm diameter. Thin slices are cut by hand, using razor blades, and the first clues are gained. Roots may have a distinctive smell: coconut heralds Ficus (fig tree), potato suggests Fraxinus (ash), ammonia a legume, and bay- leaf ... bay! Disappointingly, Eucalyptus roots have no smell at all. Clematis roots are brittle, elm are sticky (from mucilage in the bark) and Euonymus has fine threads of unlignified bark fibres which stretch unbroken from the section. Colour, whilst variable, can add to the picture: Berberis and Mahonia have sulphur yellow wood, Euonymus has a purple inner bark, and legumes are often tan with butter-coloured wood. The sections we cut are mounted on glass slides and microscopes are used to examine the wood and bark with transmitted light, at magnifications of x100 to x500. Many different features contribute to the overall identification; characteristics of both wood and bark are important. Low-power views (photo 1) show general shapes and layout of cells; we look for vessel groupings, ray widths, bark-fibre patterns and extra features such as secretory canals. High-power views (photo 2) discover further details which can add the definitive feature; for example, bars across vessels, helical thickening of cell walls, or patterns of pits between cells. Polarising filters show up crystals in the wood and bark: clusters, colourful solitaries, crystal sand or needle-like raphides may be seen. It is crystals in the bark which help us make the distinction between roots from the genus Prunus (cherries, laurel, various stone fruits) and those from the Pomoideae group (apples, hawthorns, sorbuses, many garden shrub species): clusters like pom-poms in Prunus, square solitary and paired crystals in the Pomoideae. Most samples we encounter can be identified to genus (for example: Acer/maples, Fagus/beech). The roots of some trees however, are so similar in character that it is not possible to identify them so nearly. For example, we do not distinguish between conifers within the cypress family, nor between leguminous species in the family Fabaceae. Therefore, part of the work done at EPSL is research into the microscopic features of roots of known
19 species, which will enable us to separate these reliably. A recent success has been the ability to distinguish between roots of Populus (poplar) and Salix (willow), both in the family Salicaceae.
We have had less success finding a name to describe our work. Do we rootle? Most certainly, when digging about under uprooted shrubs for type specimens. Are we xylologists? Sounds good. Should we be radicle or radical? Whatever it is called, and however rootine, the work is very rewarding. Questions are answered which help arborists solve problems, research is done alongside routine analysis, and on even the busiest days in the lab there is time to appreciate a shared view of a particularly beautiful cross-section. Siân Turner (plant scientist at EPSL), photographs by Mark Mitchell (lab manager at EPSL)
Field Cow-Wheat (Picture back cover)
There are four species of cow-wheat in Britain, but only one of these is found in Wales. This is the common cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense, which is widespread in Welsh upland oak woodlands in July. The other three species are all rare. Small cow-wheat (M. sylvaticum) is more northern in its distribution. Crested cow-wheat (M. cristatum) and field cow-wheat (M. arvense) are very rare and scattered in southern Britain. They are also the most beautiful.
My first introduction to the spectacular field cow-wheat Melampyrum arvense was the account of its demise in Essex, from the 1974 ‘Flora of Essex’ by Stanley Jermyn1. If there is a more heart-rending account of the slide into extinction of any plant, I’ve yet to read it. Melampyrum arvense is also exquisitely illustrated in life-size full colour on the frontispiece of the book, back in the days when colour reproduction was expensive. It lures one onto the description of the plant as being ‘so abundant [on a farm near Little Waltham] that it was rogued out by hand from the growing corn’. Even before the book went to press, the ‘drastic measures employed in modern farming’ had eliminated it, and it was pronounced extinct in the county.
Neither is it a plant you can easily reference in a botanic garden collection. The cow-wheats are hemiparasitic; that is, they attach themselves to the roots of neighbouring plants (particularly grasses) and rob them of water (a true parasite would delve deeper into host tissue and steal nutrients as well). This means that they cannot usually be grown in isolation without host plants present. (I say usually, because I notice that Conwy Nurseries sometimes offer the American genus Castilleja on its own in a pot. This is a related and superficially similar plant, with the same
20 growth strategy and equally difficult to cultivate2). Indeed, as the last Essex colony succumbed to progress, local botanists tried without success to grow it from collected seed.
So I acquired a wealth of scientific and folk knowledge about this plant without ever having seen it. For example, it used to be called ‘Hogmiteg’ by the Essex farmers who were plagued by it – a term still familiar to the pig farmer I worked for in the mid-eighties, a generation after the plant had disappeared from the area. The extant common name of cow-wheat, applied to the whole genus, refers to the seeds, which bear a remarkable resemblance to a grain of wheat. Apparently, though, they are extremely bitter, and the need to remove them from the crop was on account of the taste they imparted to the bread flour. Such large seeds don’t travel very far without a clever strategy, and closer examination of a seed reveals that it possesses an oil gland irresistible to ants, which gather the seed and provide a convenient means of dissemination. These symbiotic relationships with ants are termed myrmecochory. Interestingly, it has also been suggested that field cow-wheat itself is not a British native, and that it came here with wheat imported from Europe, possibly by the Romans. This is entirely plausible, and a riposte to the rhetorical question ‘what did the Romans ever do for us?’ but I do not know the term for such a symbiotic relationship with humans (although I rather like the made-up word homocochory!)
Field cow-wheat does still grow wild in Britain: it has long been known from the Isle of Wight, and there are maintained colonies in Buckinghamshire. However, its centre of distribution is in Eastern Europe, and I first saw it from the window of a car in Poland in 2006, growing on a roadside verge.
I acquired about 30 seeds in 2007. Knowing that it was not easily cultivated, I split this investment with Ian Bonner, the botanical recorder for Anglesey, because his garden resembled the typical habitat of the wild plant. My own garden rather more resembles Essex boulder clay, and is more intensively worked. Ian’s seeds failed to germinate, but mine did. I had six plants in 2009, nine in 2010 and eleven last year. In 2011, I did not collect any seed for safekeeping, and at time of writing in 2012, I have counted twenty-six young plants (although not all of these are likely to reach flowering), representing a sustained – if highly localised – colony. It is interesting to note that plants appear in the same place year after year, and indeed ants, generally, are noticeably uncommon in lowland north-west Wales, so the normal method of seed distribution may be less effective here.
Why is any of this important, especially as the plant is not native to Wales? I would suggest that arable weeds (an artificial term for a large range of genera that were well suited to non-intensive agricultural practices) are amongst the most endangered group of plants in Europe. While I would not pour scorn on the packets of cornfield weeds sold in the horticulture trade, when did you ever see any that contained some of the less showy but equally threatened plants like Darnel (Lolium
21 temulentum) or Mousetail (Myosurus minimus)? To this end, it would seem that anywhere where these plants can be grown, they should be grown, including the gardens of those who would make the effort to cultivate them. I will make available a proportion of seed to Treborth Botanic Garden this year (it would look well on the rockery, if the rabbits leave it alone), or to anyone who thinks they would like to accommodate it, or perhaps confirm its bitter taste! Long live the cow-wheat!
Dr Richard Birch References 1‘Flora of Essex’ Stanley T. Jermyn. Essex Naturalist Trust Ltd. Fingringhoe (1974). 2‘Castillejas in the garden’ Guppy, A. Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society 73 (2005)
Volunteering Taster Day
The Friends of Treborth have continued to expand their membership over the last few years, and we now have more supporters than ever. However, the number of active, regular volunteers has not increased in the same way, and more volunteer involvement would allow us to achieve more in the Garden. Perhaps you could help? If you would consider coming and spending some time with us in the Garden, read on!
FTBG volunteer days take place every Wednesday and Friday, usually from 10am. Our regular volunteers range from students to stalwarts who are still coming in their 70s and 80s. We can generally find jobs suitable for all comers, including those with mobility issues or no previous experience of gardening. The main building serves as the hub and canteen on volunteer days, with hot drinks and biscuits available all day, and most volunteers breaking for lunch at about the same time, meaning that there are plenty of opportunities to chat as well as work!
We plan to host a New Volunteers’ Taster Day in the New Year, which will be a great opportunity to try out volunteering alongside plenty of other newcomers. Look out for publicity relating to this in the next issue of the newsletter. However, there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t join us before then if you’re keen to get your hands dirty; feel free to come along on any Wednesday or Friday. It would help us if you could let Sarah (FTBG Secretary) know that you plan to come ([email protected]). We hope to see you soon! Jamie Stroud
22 Welsh Historic Gardens Trust
The Welsh Historic Gardens Trust (WHGT) is a national organisation campaigning to save historic gardens, parks and designed landscapes from neglect, indifference, and insensitive planning and planting, for future generations. Gardens are as much part of the Welsh heritage as the buildings or towns they were designed to complement.
The origins of Welsh Historic Gardens Trust date from the late 1980s when a small band of enthusiasts interested in historic houses and gardens in Carmarthenshire were becoming very concerned about the state of Aberglasney House in the Tywi valley. They eventually formed the Aberglasney Restoration Trust and in 1995 an American benefactor donated the purchase price. Today the gardens are among the best in Wales, and very much a success story. During the struggle it was realised that throughout Wales there were many parks and gardens that were in a similar state of neglect or equally at risk, and in 1989 the WHGT was formed with branches throughout Wales. Each branch is dedicated to the preservation and rescue of historic sites in Wales from the smallest cottage garden to the largest urban or Estate Park.
The Gwynedd branch activities are planned to meet the aims of the Trust. A programme of garden visits and study days raises the understanding and appreciation of historic designed landscapes. Throughout the summer, local visits and coach outings are arranged, and members have recently been to Glandovey Castle in Ceredigion, Erddig near Wrexham, and the Cowbridge Physic Garden. Study days are always well attended and have included titles of ‘Picturesque Landscapes’, ‘Historic Garden Restoration’, ‘Public Parks’ and ‘Traditional Orchards’. There are also relevant lectures and discussions at other times, and there was a talk and debate at this year’s AGM regarding the problems at Parc y Dre, the small Victorian park in Caernarfon.
The Branch Committee monitors local planning applications for gardens at risk. A very good rapport with Planning Authorities in North Wales was established when planning and conservation officers were invited to a seminar jointly hosted by Clwyd and Gwynedd branches last December. The proposal in the County Council’s Unitary Development Plan of 2005 to build a Centre for Advanced Scientific Technology in the Grade 1 listed parkland of the Vaynol Estate, made it necessary for WHGT to raise an objection at the Public Enquiry. WHGT had legal representation jointly with the National Trust, and our case was upheld. Such cases require funds, and the cost is met from the National ‘Fighting Fund’, which consists of money put aside from the membership subscriptions and donations from the branches.
23 Gardens can be protected by research, recording and practical conservation. We have within WHGT local and national expertise to advise on garden restoration. Each WHGT branch is responsible for its own funds, and Gwynedd is able to maintain a healthy bank balance with annual fund raising events such as the plant fair and garden party. This enables the branch to help with conservation and restoration of historic garden features by giving occasional small grants. The Kate Roberts garden, Cae Gors, at Rhosgadfan, trees to fill the gaps in the Avenue at Glynllifon, and apple trees for the orchard at Plas Tan y Bwlch have been gifted by the Gwynedd branch.
The Trust produces regular publications with details of activities and events, as well as articles on individual parks and gardens. The Gwynedd branch also publishes a Newsletter twice a year with information about events and local issues.
Membership of the Welsh Historic Garden Trust will help support the work to protect this invaluable yet vulnerable part of our heritage. To join, contact the local branch secretary or go on line at www.whgt.org.uk
Olive Horsfall Gwynedd Branch Secretary Tel: 01766 780187 [email protected]
ABERCONWY NURSERY The Welsh Alpine Plant Specialists
Interesting home grown alpine plants, including dionysia, androsace, saxifrage, gentians and dwarf ericaceous subjects as well as other choice plants all grown on our attractive hillside nursery in the Conwy Valley, overlooking the Carneddau
On a minor road just off the A470, about 2 miles north of Bodnant Gardens we’re open in the Spring, Summer and early Autumn but never on a Monday.
Graig, Glan Conwy, LL28 5TL. Tel. (01492) 580875
24 Julian’s Adventures in Pakistan: a goody bag of observations and experiences (Pictures page 31)
Time fades away, and it seems astonishing that it is now fifteen years since John Gorham was good enough to ask me to accompany him to Pakistan for fieldwork associated with the ODA projects on which we were then working. We spent two weeks in September in Pakistan in 1996, 1997, and 1998, visiting the ‘Min of Ag’ Central Cotton Research institute in Multan, the University of Faisalabad, and the University of the North West Frontier Provence in Peshawar. Quite a lot of this tale will contain bits of ‘fuzzy logic’, because I can’t accurately remember places and dates. However, it’s an attempt to portray my impressions of my only venture outside the comfort zone of credit cards and easily available toilet paper in which we live in Western Europe. I really enjoyed the whole experience, it generated within me a great fondness and warmth for the people we met and a huge sympathy for the chaos and confusion in which they live, and also a deep anger at the appallingly narrow and prejudiced way we in the west have now been taught to view the entire Muslim world.
Transport First time for me to have a go in a 747, and the first time to suffer the confinement of a nine hour flight. Sitting in the back of the plane, where the fuselage starts to curve in beneath you and you can see comfortably downwards to the dark of central Russia with widely spread tiny groups of lights being the only evidence of humanity. The editing of a crass American comedy film for the Muslim audience – the girl in a skimpy top gets something from the fridge, and the predictable effects of the cold are pixellated out. Doing some yoga stretches in the gangway to keep the blood flowing and avoiding setting completely. On one flight, being able to upgrade to the upstairs, a cosier environment of about thirty seats, and – pre September 11th of course - asking the steward if I could see inside the cockpit. It’s about the size of the cab of the Treborth transit van, and no less utilitarian and scruffy, full of gauges, dials and switches, some of which had their functions named with strips of Dynotape, because the original labels had worn away from use. Discussing with the pilot the fact that extremists might fire SAM missiles at us and being reassured that we were well above their range. Looking all the while out of the driver’s window, at the massive, dry and heavily eroded mountains of Iran rolling slowly past underneath us. Pakistan Internal Airlines was much more fun, the distances we travelled were not much greater than those flown within the UK, but it was deemed far more sensible to fly rather than go by road or rail. On a smaller jet, noticing that the signs were all in English and Spanish, which must have
25 been very useful on the Islamabad to Multan run. Being served the complimentary in-flight tetrapak of mango juice, with the option of drinking straw or plastic cup. Looking out of the window of a high wing Fokker Friendship as a slow but steady drip of engine oil made a small pool on the runway prior to take off.
And then the roads. We were important westerners, so we were mainly picked up and driven about like minor royalty in various departmental vehicles. A little like jumping into a cold swimming pool, after the first shock, one could actually enjoy road travel, as long as the prospect of imminent death could be kept at bay by trying to work out how the equivalent of the Highway Code worked. On dual carriageways, about 90% of the traffic on each side would be going in the same direction, while of course the traffic would include everything from four by fours with tinted windows showing only the merest hint of glinting weaponry in the hands of the bodyguard of the ‘high-up’ in the back, to flocks of goats herded by old men or children. Ordinary roads were far less straight laced in terms of discipline, and the three main types of animal powered vehicles mixed with the beautifully painted and gloriously adorned motor trucks and buses, decorations which could have been created by Gaudi if he had also been a narrow boat owner, and on strong hallucigens at the same time. Animals powered the two wheeled donkey carts, with the donkey’s rump sporting a circular pattern similar to an RAF roundel, an outer circle where the fur had been worn away, and an inner circle, which was red raw and bleeding, where the switch landed almost every time. Then ox carts, two oxen, plodding slowly, and the kings of the organic side of road transport were the camel lorries, occupying the niche of HGVs. Transporting people involved a wide variety of ways to overload mopeds, cars, and minibuses with as many passengers as possible, the powered rickshaw toc-tocs were omnipresent within urban areas, and, judging by the illustrations on their backs, of handsome dudes with small arms shooting down American or Indian fighter planes, their drivers came from a similar political viewpoint to taxi drivers here. One of our ex-students, a young post doc with a family of small children, came into work on a small motorbike, similar to one which I owned when all of my hair was there, and was only one colour, so I had to have a go on it, ‘it’s alright John, only in the institute grounds, not on the road outside’, and its brakes were predictably almost non existent. At one point we missed being collected by our keepers, and had to get a taxi from the rank in front of the airport. It was only when we got out at the hotel, that I noticed that not only was there no tread on the tyres, but that one of them was so worn down that the wire carcass of the tyre was showing. Finally, as John and I sat outside our accommodation one evening, looking across one field to the main road, we were delighted to see a truck roaring past, with red lights on the front, and white lights on the back.
26 Religion I’m no fan of religious fundamentalists, so I have no sympathy at all with the idea of marrying your daughters off when they are ten, or keeping girls out of school, but then Christianity has done a lot of people, especially women, no favours over the years either. What I saw in Pakistan, in addition to the occasional extremist – we were asked to keep our heads down in the car when passing some form of religious parade but you might have had to do that in Northern Ireland not so long ago - was a people who had a much higher level of piety and devotion to their religion than we do. The most memorable image was one morning as we left from the hotel to go to the airport to come home, and, as the sun broke the horizon, the small groups of day labourers waiting at each street corner were all on their hands and knees for early morning prayers - I can’t see that happening here with groups of builders. At the university farm just outside Faisalabad, busy working in the field as the time came for midday prayers, and, from all of the villages around, and from the suburbs of the city, came a number of crackly distorted calls for prayer from the minarets of the local mosques. I’m sure that it must have been the same here a couple of centuries ago, hearing the bells of all the churches within earshot. In a rough translation - ‘In four things does Multan abound, heat, dust, beggars and burial grounds’. The burial grounds in this instance are stupendous tombs of historical saints including that of Shah Rukn-e-Alam and many others. We visited a couple of them, not quite kept up to the standards of CADW, but very impressive. Most of our students from Pakistan would include a religious aspect in their dedication pages of their theses, which we would not see from a western student nowadays, but I’m sure that Newton would have mentioned that his work was achieved by the grace of God.
The Country I felt that Pakistan was in some ways a bit like the English Tudor state must have been. There is an elite led by the military and the ‘Feudals’ and ‘Industrials’ or landowners and industrialists, with an army and police force in immaculately laundered uniforms to support them, ruling over a great mass of the ordinary population. Our imperial influence is still very obvious, the children of the elite, boys and girls, go to schools with a dress code recognisable to Just William, or the inmates of Mallory Towers. Of course the children of the poor don’t go to school. Various levels of literacy rates were given, the average being about twenty percent. Even back then it was an exciting place to be - one of our collaborators had been involved with negotiations with kidnappers who had abducted a relative. They thought that putting him in a shipping container for six months would provide a good revenue stream opportunity from the Swedish water development company for which he was working, and our man was instrumental in getting him out. On one trip, John’s case had been damaged in transit, so we set out for the out-of-town
27 shopping centre to the west of Peshawar, fine selection of retail opportunities if you wanted small arms, military uniforms or interesting bricks of stuff that looked quite like Oxo. The security guard had the compulsory henna dyed hair and beard, which most men of a certain age believed made them look young and virile, rather than as ridiculous as David Dickinson. Only marginally less ridiculous was the antique, verging on blunderbuss, First World War era, rifle he was carrying. The same day, we went into central Peshawar to order JG a new safari suit for 24 hr delivery. While he was being measured up, I asked our host for the day, a senior member of the university and long ago student in Bangor, now possibly equivalent to the head of the college of Natural Sciences in Bangor, if I could go to the bookshop across the road. Yes, that was fine but don’t go anywhere else, and come straight back here. The bookshop failed to come up with a coffee table picture book of Pakistan in English, but they assured me the other bookshop 100 m down the road would probably have one. I could see across the road that the tailor was still involved with JG’s inside leg, so walked down to the second shop, had a chat to the assistants and bought a lovely book. Stepping out into the sunlight I found our man, John, and the driver standing in the middle of the road. Serious beard stroking was going on until they spotted me, and our man was uncertain whether to be extremely angry with me or be extremely grateful that he was not going to have to explain to the university Senate how he had managed to lose one of his guests. It also appeared that if you wanted the intermittent and unpredictable electricity supply, the best way to get it was to know someone who was an electrician who could then connect you with large crocodile clips to the overhead supply without any tedious account numbers or direct debits to worry about. The sparking lighting effects from the poles during torrential thunderstorms were as good as the natural lightning at times.
Science My main job was to assist the Great Gorham in physiological measurements on cotton plants under differing water regimes, some being only rainfed, while others were fully irrigated. The differences in treatment were dramatic: the rainfed ones barely above the knees, while the fully irrigated ones were head high. We did once hear something moving through the foliage with the air of a large Labrador but saw nothing and have no idea what it might have been. An escaped paper kite floated down over the plots, and I managed to retrieve it, and get it home, and it has only recently been killed by our cats. Using a porometer, I was looking at the transpiration rates and gas exchange of leaves, a slow steady job in the hot sun and occasional mists of pesticides, probably declared illegal in the west and sold to the developing world, drifting across the fields. John had the more advanced and hideously complex infra red gas analyser, both items which the
28 customs and security officials found extremely interesting and entertaining. At least the porometer did not contain visible columns of white granules of dessicant which were obviously opiates, and getting the message across that they were scientific instruments rather than explosives was very difficult. There were large scale showpiece bits of analytical instrumentation in all of the labs we visited, usually donated by European, Australian or Japanese development agencies, but they were also usually still in their wrappings, as no staff had been trained to use them. Good way to impress other vice chancellors at conferences I suppose.
Social John and I were seen as important visitors, so we got invited out to people’s houses, sometimes as trophy visitors. One evening we were guests at a dinner party, which involved lots of yummy food, and fizzy drinks, coke or sprite being the drinks of choice, but the great difference was that the wife of our hosts, and the wives of the their friends and colleagues had a parallel evening to the men, but one course behind – a buffet in one room for us before we move into the dining room to sit down to the main course as the women moved into the room with the remains of the buffet. And so on, with the equivalent of port and cigars for us while the women remained in the drawing room, as if we were all Victorians. I had to add childminding to my job description one evening when one of our collaborators came to our accommodation to discuss writing reports with John, and I was left to entertain a ten year old boy with limited English and excellent manners. We drew pictures, mainly of fast cars and jet fighters, which I suppose is the just the same as any ten year old boy. A Chinese meal is a big treat in Pakistani society, and we met up with the brother of one of our students in Bangor, and his wife, for an extremely welcome break from Pakistani food. In the round of greeting and handshaking I made the error of putting my hand out to shake the hand of the wife, which was politely declined with a ‘that’s not how we do it here, thank you’ body language air, ‘I’m not offended because you are only a gora, (westerner) but I’m not having any of that’. After ten days of living in this world of new conventions, it was also a shock to have access to a television and to see that that not only that there was a woman reading the news but that the blatant hussy had her headscarf halfway back showing her hair. The surprise was as great as it would be turning on the news here to find Fiona Bruce… no, probably best not to think about that. I was also shocked by three MSc student girls in Faisalabad, who came up to me with much giggling to ask who I was and what I was doing - I think they must have dared each other to do it. Out in the field we were asked not to approach a group of rural women harvesting the cotton. They were bareheaded and dressed in colourful dress, with lots of jewellery, and looked at us and laughed amongst themselves just as Tony Archer’s potato harvesters would, enjoying any break in the tedium of their work.
29 One evening on the outskirts of Faisalabad we saw major roadworks as a main road was upgraded into a dual carriageway, with women labourers carrying baskets of hardcore on their heads, and their children with lump hammers packing it down in the dark to form the roadbase.
Accommodation and Food In transit we stayed at the Holiday Inn at Islamabad, and I felt genuine shock and dismay when it was bombed a couple of years ago with the loss of over fifty lives. There was a small arcade of gift shops in the basement, and their friendly if insistent salesmen would surely have had most of the building landing on their heads. It was a very sobering fact when it came that close to home, and of course, that was just one bomb in one city on one day. In Peshawar, on my first night in Pakistan, we stayed in the University guest houses on campus, going to sleep listening to the armed security guards whistle calls to each other every ten or fifteen minutes. Multan also had guest houses on site, with the cotton institute providing half a dozen bungalows for guests, and a cook to take care of us. Meals were a mixture of spicy mainly curry-style food in the evening, (hints for the preparation of chicken or any other meat, 1. remove feathers, fur, and guts, 2. use a cleaver to chop into small pieces in the style of the Muppet chef, 3. serve to guests so they can entertain themselves removing small shards of bone from their mouths throughout the meal) and a not-so-impressive version of fried eggs and toast in the mornings. When we went to Faisalabad, our host arranged for us to stay in the wonderful Chenab Club. This was an institution built by, and for, the British colonial service. It could have been in Tunbridge Wells rather than the Punjab, although I am not sure how the Telegraph-reading ghosts of its former members would view the old place now. It has transformed into the equivalent of a country club for the elite of the city and area, and it was amusing to see the boards with lists of presidents and secretaries etc, changing from Major Double-Barrelled before independence to Khan family names afterwards. One evening was film night, and a screen made of white cotton cloth was stretched across part of the tennis courts for us to enjoy, with sprite and cola, a Bollywood style epic, even containing the wet sari sequence, allowed probably because the audience was of the higher echelons of society. The only major error I made with food was buying some sweets from a roadside stall. They were halfway between coconut ice and fudge, and were delicious. However in a world that has yet to learn about environmental health officers, or alternatively where environmental health certificates can be bought rather than earned, the effect was predictable. Two days of fieldwork involving sprinting for the cover of the mulberry trees at the edge of the field followed, much to John’s amusement. However a disgusting fish curry provided for us one evening had the same affects on him, while the Imodium digestive cement I had taken gave me immunity from further ailments.
30 Julian’s Adventures in Pakistan (p25)
Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan
Women Working in a Cotton Field
31
Recording the Meadow Patches Patches Meadow the Recording
(p34)
32 Geography We saw only a small portion of the landscape of Pakistan, and I am sorry not to have had the chance to see more. The area of Punjab province that we spent most time in is as flat as the fens, with the discharge of the Indus flowing down from the Himalayas. Dry as dust except where irrigated, where an abundance of crops grew very well. There is a major problem with soil salinity as the constant evaporation from the soil brings natural salts to the surface, and part of John’s history has been developing traits to allow crop plants to survive in this inhospitable environment. From Peshawar, we visited a site where salinity had increased to such an extent that there was a white crunchy surface to the soil, as if there had just been a heavy shower of hail. One leisure visit was to Trimo Head, a piece of imperial history, where a colossal civil engineering project had tamed three of the five great rivers of the Punjab, and provided the head of water for the complex system of irrigation canals, which went from this, almost Netherlands, scale of water management, down to the individual foot wide channels to allow water out between rows on the fields. The first year we were there saw the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the beginning of rule of Afghanistan by Islamic fundamentalists. Watching the news on the Pakistani English television service was like watching a mediaeval war in progress. Only as far away from us as London is from Bangor, Mohammad Najibullah, the ex-president of Afghanistan from the era of Soviet support, was dragged behind a truck until dead, then his body was hung from a traffic light gantry.
And Finally In the misty dawn chaos of Islamabad international airport, after fighting our way through interminable bureaucracy, to the departure lounge, (think Rhyl bus station) I was astonished at how pleased I was to see the jumbo coming in with the union flag on the tail fin, and a pilot in charge who owed his position to the fact that he had passed exams in flying aeroplanes, rather than having a brother-in-law in Personnel. Pakistan was an intense colourful experience of total sensory overload, and a country in which I am pleased to have been able to visit and to work.
Julian Bridges
Nothing is more the child of art than a garden.
Sir Walter Scott
33 Recording the Meadow Patches (Picture page 32)
One of the unusual features of Treborth is the inclusion within the main lawn of a series of so called ‘meadow patches’ : areas in which the standard regime of regular mowing has been suspended to allow the plants to grow naturally and flower, instead of being continually chopped off close to ground level.
The idea came from the recognition that the area that we now treat as a lawn was the product of a long period with little or no intervention other than regular mowing, and that it might contain floristic riches that we couldn't detect when the grass was kept short. Historical records of management are mostly lacking, but we can assume that the lawn area has remained uncultivated at least since Bangor University acquired the site in the 1960s and probably before that, which makes it very likely that most, if not all, the species found in the grassland are wild plants of local origin. [Nigel Brown points out that there are actually some signs of past cultivation in the SE corner of the site, with faint traces of ridge and furrow revealed by the fact that daisies (Bellis) tend to grow in lines corresponding to the slightly higher ground. Nevertheless, in Nigel’s view, the ground had not been cultivated for some years before the University took control – perhaps even to a time before 1950].
However, with a regime of constant mowing in which plants were being chopped before they had a chance to develop fully or flower, it was hard to know exactly what species were present, and it was this thought that led to the idea of relaxing the mowing in certain parts of the lawn as a way of revealing some of the hidden treasures. The first such areas were created in 1980, but the number has increased since then until there are now about 20 of them around the garden. Cutting in these areas has been discontinued except for a one-off autumn cut using a strimmer, with removal of the cut material. This last precaution is important, for at least three reasons. First, to guard against low-growing plants being smothered by lying hay; second, as a way of depressing the fertility of the soil so that some of the more aggressive species, grasses especially, lose their competitive advantage; and third, so that the shrubs and trees that inevitably arrive are prevented from reaching a size where they might affect other plants – either by shading or by smothering them with leaf litter. In fact, this last point is an issue in several of the patches that already contain specimen trees, or lie close to the woodland fringe. This is inevitable and unavoidable except by felling trees which is unlikely to happen.
One problem with the operation of a no-cutting policy is that it might be seen by some as sign of neglect, but this should not be the case bearing in mind that the patches are clearly separated from the lawn proper by rope barriers, and are
34 obviously there by design rather than by default. In any case, there is certainly no suggestion that the function of the lawn as a central part of the garden design will ever be compromised.
Until recently our list of native species recorded from wild areas of the garden had been an amalgamation of all the patches, but this disguised a lot of variation, and we have now begun to record separate lists for each patch, and within each patch to estimate species abundance. This involves a more concentrated look than had been attempted before, and opens up the possibility of detecting species that may previously have been overlooked. Even so, the existing species total for the meadow patches, estimated at around 150, turns out to be quite close to our recent count, although we do now have a better idea of their distribution and abundance. A key aspect of the new data is that with regular repeat surveys we shall be able to detect changes from year to year and, if there is a process of natural succession in train, we shall be able to follow its progress. At present, there is no plan to record invertebrates within the patches, but there is an opportunity to do that, and it would make a very nice complement to our long- running record of moth species in the garden.
Differences between patches are often striking, and may arise for several reasons. The most obvious one is that regular mowing has ceased at different times in different patches, so that the process of natural succession is not always at the same stage. Some patches have been released from mowing for as little as four years, and they do look very different to those of 30 year vintage: the former dominated by species such as Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) and Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), and the latter by taller vegetation containing species such as Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) and tall grasses such as Dactylis glomerata, Arrhenatherum elatius and Holcus lanatus. From the evidence so far, it does appear that some of the more attractive and interesting species are already losing their grip because of natural succession. Orchids in particular seem to be in retreat, with Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera) having declined from abundance to near absence in two patches. The same trend is also seen in the Spotted Orchids (Dactylorhiza species). This is a natural process of course, but whether it is acceptable in the context of a garden is perhaps questionable.
A second factor, and an important one, is soil condition, pH and wetness in particular, both of which do vary around the garden. There is for example an increase in moisture content as one descends the slope from the railway to the woodland edge, and there are local variations within that, possibly even related to Joseph Paxton’s activities in the 1840s.
A third variable is the ease with which incoming seeds arrive at the site and germinate. They tend to fall at random, and some may be poorly adapted to a rapid
35 takeover, possibly existing for years as small colonies. Hedge Bedstraw (Galium mollugo), occurring in just a small part of one patch and persistent there, is a striking example (and rather a rare species in north Wales). Generally, it seems unlikely that the taller-growing plants that we see now would have been lurking in the sward when regular mowing was the norm, and their presence now may be explicable only in terms of this kind of colonisation from afar Apart from the Galium, other examples of species appearing that would not be present in short grassland might include: Carex muricata ssp lamprocarpa (in the Rhizotron enclosure), Dactylorhiza fuchsii, Epilobium angustifolium, E. hirsutum, Galium odoratum, Leucanthemum vulgare, Lotus pedunculatus, Listera ovata, Mentha arvensis, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Ophrys apifera, Polystichum setiferum, Pteridium aquilinum, Silene dioica, Tamus communis, Vicia sativa, and there are many others. [Nigel’s view of the Ophioglossum is that when it was first noticed in 1978, the strength of the colony suggested that it was already venerable – possibly dating back at least to the 1940s].
There has been a suggestion that our meadow patches are of sufficient importance to qualify for SSSI status, although only partly because of their floristic interest. Another reason derives from their role as a buffer between the woodland area, which is already an SSSI, and the outside world. Woodland edge does have value in its own right - as a zone attractive to butterflies for example – and having a transition based on natural plant communities contributes to that. The patches at the woodland edge are particularly important in that respect. However, recent enquiries at CCW about the prospects for designation are not encouraging, although it has not been ruled out entirely. The fact that CCW is about to lose its identity in a merger with the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency may mean that there will be a cut-back in the number of new SSSIs for years to come. David Evans
To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.
William Blake
36 The Life and Times of Treborth’s new Horticulturist, Rosie Barratt (Picture front cover)
It has been five months since I started as the Horticulturist at Treborth and they have been the most amazing, rewarding and exciting five months of my career so far.
I fell in love with Treborth as a first year student in 2006 at a Sunday work party. I found myself spending more and more time there over the 2nd and 3rd years of my degree protesting, organising and volunteering. I was inspired by the place, the plants and the people to focus my study towards plants and botany. After graduating in 2008 with a degree in Ecology, I managed to get work as an ecologist with an environmental consultancy here in north Wales, which enabled me to remain on the Friends of Treborth Committee. I came to realise that working with plants and people is what makes me the happiest and so I applied for a place on the Botanical and Horticultural Studentship at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses. This proved to be an important, valuable and steep learning curve which really pushed me. The studentship was well-structured and a lot of time was put into the students’ gaining knowledge and experience through lectures, workshops and plant identification exams. I won a bursary that enabled me to go and work with the team at the Durrell Wildlife Centre, Jersey, for two weeks. Whilst there, I worked on the landscaping of a new Chough enclosure. I also took my RHS Level 2 exams and with the practical experience I had gained on the studentship, I was able to gain a place on The Historic and Botanic Garden Bursary scheme at Tresco Abbey Garden on the Isles of Scilly. My nine months on Tresco were amazing. I was inspired by some of the most incredible, weird and wonderful plants I had ever worked with. I carried out four assignments over the year, one of which was an experimental project on the germination rate and success of Leucospermum following different treatments. I was also lucky enough to travel to the south of France and Italy on a gardens tour and whilst there did some work in the Hanbury Botanic Garden on a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean.
I moved on to finish the studentship at Ness Botanic Garden on the Wirral. Ness was another totally different gardening experience. There I was able to develop my practical skills as well as developing my plant knowledge. When I had finished the studentship, I stayed on at Ness, working on a climate change research project based on native plants in Buxton that had been subjected to 18 years of summer drought conditions. I helped to set up the experimental plants at Ness to test for species dominance and adaptations as a result of the prolonged dry conditions.
I ended up back in Cornwall where I started out. I volunteered full-time for a few months as part of the National Trust Ranger team on the Lizard. Here I built dry stones walls, improved Chough breeding sites, put up fences and stiles and helped organise educational events whilst I looked for work. I knew that there was the
37 possibility of a job coming up at Treborth and knew that there was nowhere else I would rather be. I wanted to give something back to the Garden that had shaped my career and turned my life around. It felt like coming home in a way.
My role as horticulturist at Treborth began in mid April. It is part-time (3 days per week) and presently scheduled to run until mid-October. On a day-to-day and week-to-week level at Treborth I do the watering in the glasshouses, open and close vents when needed, feed the plants, weed and edge borders, record the weather, generally tidy and organise people and tools, and show visitors around. I am currently supervising a team of four students who are working here over the summer. I also help to organise and assign jobs for the volunteers on Wednesdays and Fridays.
A few of the bigger projects I have worked on or supervised include re- landscaping in the tropical glass house, on-going weeding of borders, helping organise two plant sales, and generally preparing the Garden for important visits. I have been propagating, planting out, rabbit-proofing, and have done some work on the Rhizotron project.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Friends of Treborth (who kindly fund my post) and Nigel for giving me the opportunity to work at Treborth. I have enjoyed it, learnt a lot, and gained invaluable experience and am looking forward to a bright future for Treborth. Rosie Barratt STOP PRESS We have just heard that the contract for our horticulturist, Rosie Barratt, has been extended for a further 6 months with funding from The University. We are delighted that the University has recognised the need for additional professional expertise at Treborth.
How miraculous that growing on my own little plot of land are plants that can turn the dead soil into a hundred flavours as different as horseradish and thyme, smells ranging from stinkhorn to lavender.
John Seymour
38 Pensychnant: A Semi-Natural History
Now, in August, the Sychnant Pass is resplendent in magenta and golden yellow. Surely one of the best expanses of Ulex gallii / Erica cinerea heathlands in the area, it is a blaze of colour when the Western Gorse and heathers flower together, and well worth a visit. (Parisella’s ice-creams at the top of the Pass J)
It is an ancient landscape. Bronze-Age and Iron-Age settlers, and the constant grazing of their livestock over millennia. denuded the mountains of trees. It is a myth that the British Navy felled all the oaks to fight the Armada. Probably by the time of Christ, the vista was fairly recognisable as it is today. Throughout history this now-peaceful upland landscape was a centre of activity: Penmaenmawr stone axes have been discovered throughout continental Europe; and the Pensychnant Historical Trail includes a Bronze–Age stone circle and burial cists, several Iron-Age roundhouses, and mediaeval homesteads, villages and field systems. It is salutary to know that the footpath up through Pensychnant Ffridd and beyond was a main thoroughfare here for thousands of years before it was superseded by the A55.
Atop the Sychnant Pass is the walled Pensychnant Estate: an archetypal Victorian creation. Here, the ancient woodlands may originate from the original primaeval woodlands which would have once dominated the area, but much of the woodland now is Victorian or greatly influenced by the Victorians. Oaks (sessile and hybrid), Birches, Rowan and Holly are native here, but the Victorians planted Scots, Black and Corsican Pines, a Lime Avenue, Snake-bark Maple, Black Poplar, Sycamore and Horse Chestnut to beautify their Estate. Interestingly, it is known that the trees were planted in the early 1870s, before they built the big house; as if they recognised that the trees would take time to grow.
The original house at Pensychnant dates from about 1690, but the main house and really the whole character of the Estate dates from 1877 when it was built as the country home of the Stott family. Abraham Henthorn Stott and his brothers and sons were eminent architects of the Lancashire Cotton Mills. They built about one-fifth of the spindles in Oldham at a time when Oldham had one eighth of the spinning in the world. The house was modern and innovative when built. It has ‘Arts and Crafts’ features ahead of its time; it had central heating from new; it had its own electricity in 1923.
39 Pensychnant was set up as a Nature Reserve and Conservation Centre in 1989 by its owner Brian Henthorn Stott. Mr Stott is dearly remembered in all that we do at Pensychnant. Mr Stott wanted to share his heritage with local naturalists and conservation organisations. So, Pensychnant is now the venue for many guided walks and talks for and about the conservation of nature, both by the Pensychnant Foundation (registered charity) itself (see www.pensychnant.co.uk), and by other local and national wildlife organisations. This week there is a national Forest Schools training course, teaching teachers to teach about the environment. Other events include botanical walks with the Caernarvonshire vice- county recorder, Wendy McCarthy, Pied Flycatcher walks, historical walks, and the excellent programme of the Cambrian Ornithological Society. All welcome J. The 150 acre Estate is managed as a nature reserve for the benefit of its wildlife and for the public’s appreciation. I usually jest that the nature reserve is managed by ‘wilful neglect’: limited intervention seems to suit its wildlife.
It is its rich history which has bestowed Pensychnant with its wildlife riches. Nothing in Britain is entirely natural. Every habitat is a product of Mankind’s use of his environment. Left to nature, the mountains, to the summit of Tal y Fan at 2000 ft would be wooded where now there are the plagio-climax heathlands which we prize today, and which are designated as an SSSI (in part). It is a tight mosaic dominated by European and Western Gorse, Bell Heather, Ling, Cross- leaved Heath and Bilberry, with Bog Asphodel, Lousewort and Cotton-grasses in the wetter peat; all of which would have been uncommon in the original woodland. Surprising rarities are found amongst the pteridophytes with Oak Fern on the scree, Lanceolate Spleenwort on the Craig Melyn at the summit of the Sychnant Pass, and Pillwort in a pond by Conwy Mountain. However, the greatest diversity is amongst the invertebrates. Sychnant has been famed by Lepidopterists as the home of two endemic moths, Ashworth’s Rustic and Weaver’s Wave, since at least 1856 when Weaver’s Wave was discovered here. This is the oldest known moth record in Caernarvonshire. Weaver’s Wave had been discovered new to Britain only the year before, and with this and Ashworthii, Pensychnant became the most visited moth site in Victorian and Edwardian north Wales. There was quite a tourist trade in Penmaenmawr, just for moth hunters! Both species are heathland specialists, and although Ashworth’s Rustic in particular is a strong flyer, it very rarely strays from the heathland habitat to my moth trap at the house just 100m away. Both feed on heather but also a rather catholic variety of other plants so it is not known why they should have such a restricted distribution, but clearly they are dependent on traditional heathland
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Pensychnant circa 1937
41 grazing and burning.
Even the bracken is part of the cultural history of Sychnant. Bracken, which was probably widely harvested for animal bedding, was harvested at Sychnant, and burned to produce potash which was sold to the soap industry at Port Sunlight in the late 19th Century. It is perhaps partly the cessation of bracken harvesting, and of cattle grazing, which has led to the recent spread of bracken which is now considered a threat to pasture, heathland and to some more sensitive wildlife species.
The woodlands around Pensychnant are perhaps closer to the original natural vegetation. However, though their history is largely unknown, (there is no evidence of coppice management), clearly the woodlands will have been used by Man throughout the centuries. By the Middle-Ages, woodland extent in Britain was not dissimilar to that now and woodland would have been a valued resource, not only for fuel and timber. Legend says that Edward I sat at Pensychnant to watch the royal hunt. No, I don’t believe it either! Climbing Corydalis is common in more open areas of the woodland (and under bracken), and Broad-leaved Helleborine where the soil has been lightly disturbed. Bluebells are abundant on deeper woodland soils but they are susceptible to being over-shadowed by Bramble where a sparse tree canopy allows enough light for this rampant species. Mr Stott remembered that Wood Anemones were abundant until the 1950s when there were chickens in the woods so it is presumed that the chickens ate their rhizomes. Just a few remain. Clearly the fortunes of many species have waxed and waned through history in response to woodland use. Pied Flycatchers, which are now one of Pensychnant’s more numerous spring migrants, were apparently not here in Mr Stott’s youth in the 1930s.
In Victorian times the woods near the big house were managed (or gardened) to cultivate a Victorian romantic impression of naturalness, with boulders set like grottos and paths for the ladies to promenade, even a tennis lawn with pavilions. However, though conservationists tend to disdain Victorian secondary woodland, time has mellowed Victorian excesses, and it has added much diversity to Pensychnant. Many woodland bird populations respond more to woodland structure than to its species composition (though Pied Flycatchers do prefer oakwoods). For instance, the Lime Hawkmoth is common at Pensychnant, perhaps because of the Lime Avenue; Goldcrests and Siskins breed in the conifers.
42 Despite the importance of its heathlands and rarity of its moths, it is the spring migrant birds which most people come to see at Pensychnant, birds which are iconic of the Welsh oakwoods such as Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Wood Warbler. Spotted Flycatchers faithfully nested on Pensychnant’s gables every year until 2010. We took them for granted until twitchers started coming with their long lenses. Now, for three summers, they have forsaken Pensychnant. Nationally, Spotted Flycatchers have declined by 87% in the 25 years to 2008 (BTO figures). When a species which was once considered to be ubiquitous in every farmyard in Britain has declined so dramatically, it is time to realise that all is not well in the countryside. Cuckoos have declined by 58% in the 25 years to 2008 (BTO figures). Pensychnant is now one of the few places along the North Wales coast where Cuckoos can be reliably heard and seen. Cuckoos are part of the British psyche! Could they disappear as completely as have the Corncrakes which not so long ago kept Anglesey farmers awake at night?
Pensychnant is a time-warp place, somehow apart from this modern clamouring world. Pensychnant and its environs somehow epitomise the link between our history and natural history, our culture and landscapes, and the importance of these to our quality of life. It is one of our charitable aims to encourage people to really appreciate this heritage.
Mankind has always altered his environment, with unwitting consequences for wildlife. Now Mankind is so very capable that change is wholescale and swift. With such power comes great responsibility. If we do not act to conserve that which we hold dear, it will surely be lost.
Julian Thompson Warden at Pensychnant Conservation Centre and Nature Reserve, Conwy 01492 592595 [email protected]
A garden is the best alternative therapy.
Germaine Greer
43 That Time of Year
They're not too bad in twos or threes or in their millions, still on the trees. But when autumn comes and the wind doth blow then the occasional leaf-fall becomes a flow.
They come in shades of yellow and brown. They're in your garden and all round the town. But most of all when the temperatures fall that's when the people with rakes get a call.
It's an all-day job from ten until three with a break for coffee from bending the knee. Then return to the back-breaking chore again Oh! The agony! Oh! The pain!
When the borders look tidy and leaf-free once more by the next week they look the same as before. So out with the wheel barrow, black sack and rake (I don't know how much more of this I can take!)
It comes once a year around late October and continues unabated til mid-December. If you are 'lucky' the rain will be falling but work in the greenhouse will then be calling.
'Why do you come?' I hear you ask when every job seems such a task. 'Ah' I reply with a nod of my head, 'it's the fellow workers, as I've always said.'
'They're jolly and friendly and know lots of stuff about plants and mosses and if that's not enough they know about fungi, birds, moths and the weather and whatever we do, we do it together.'
Thank you to Treborth for new things to do on a Wednesday and a Friday, for some, too. Christmas is coming it's time for a rest then back in the New Year with vigour and zest.
Chris Howard
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