PTERIDOLOGIST 2010 Contents: Volume 5 Part 3, 2010 Education and the BPS Alison Evans 146 Update on ‘Growing ferns in a challenging climate‘ Tim Pyner 147 Pacific Northwest Ferning Sue Olsen 148 Living Walls Alison Paul 151 Fern diversity in French Guiana Michel Boudrie 153 A Maderian Lady’s Fern Paintings Graham Ackers 157 Book Review : The Victorian Fern Craze Jim Dennison 159 Digital Dryopteris: a new approach to fern illustration Peter Barnes & Niki Simpson 160 A Northamptonshire Fern. A R Busby 164 A day in the Lake District with Derek Ratcliffe John Mitchell 165 Reflections on a Disaster Neil Armstrong 166 Footnote on ‘Reflections on a Disaster’ Sheila Tiffin 169 Messrs. W & J Birkenhead: Ferns a Speciality. Yvonne Golding 170 Fern Deaths Martin Rickard 175 Enigmatic Tasmanian Treeferns Jay Wilson 177 The Benefits of Getting Lost Roger Golding 178 An Unusual Antique Fern Model Bryan Smith 179 News from the rock face in Corrie Fee Heather McHaffie 180 Stegnogramma pozoi in Anaga, Tenerife Andrew Leonard 181 The Use of Scales in Tree Fern Identification Daniel Yansura 182 The Silver-Jubilee Symposium of the Indian Fern Society Chris Page & Irina Gureyeva 184 Book Review: The Benmore fernery, celebrating the world of ferns Martin Rickard 185 The Fernery at Southport Botanic Gardens Michael Hayward 186 Book Review: Illustrated Flora of Ferns and Fern-Allies of South Pacific Islands Graham Ackers 190 Recent monitoring of wild populations of Woodsia ilvensis Heather McHaffie 191 Recent developments – polypodium cultivars. Martin Rickard 193 Book Review: Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Graham Ackers 199 “More Killarney ferns than could be found in Killarney”: The Tropical Ravine House, Belfast Botanic Gardens Sarah Whittingham 200 Recording ferns in the British Isles Fred Rumsey 202 Dryopteris pseudodisjuncta - a new fern for Britain Ken Trewren 205 The Ferns of Flora Danica – Plates and Porcelain Graham Ackers 207 205 Carrying out trials in your garden. THE RESULTS! Yvonne Golding 213 Book review: Searching for Ferns in Lesotho Graham Ackers 215 Dryopteris pseudodisjuncta Pteridophytes in the English Mesozoic. Joan Watson 216 Photo: Ken Trewren Cover Picture: Front A fine specimen of Osmunda regalis ‘Cristata’ taken in Alastair Wardlaw`s garden. Photo: Martin Rickard Cover Picture: Back The back cover is based on the adjacent picture of Athyrium otophorum var. okanum. Photo: Linda Greening Unless stated otherwise, photographs were supplied by the author of the articles in which they appear DISCLAIMER: Views expressed in the Pteridologist are not necessarily those of the British Pteridological Society. Copyright © 2009 British Pteridological Society. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means) without the permission of the British Pteridological Society. Pteridologist 5.3. 2010 145 Education and the BPS Alison Evans Springfield House, Salterforth Road, Earby, Lancs. BB18 6NE e-mail: [email protected] When I first tentatively suggested that I might be interested in this year’s Bulletin. The smile on this young in the role of Education Officer, I was acutely aware of man’s face (Fig. 1) when he won the junior quiz how many people there are in the BPS with far greater at the Manchester Museum made us feel that our knowledge and expertise than I have. Looking again at last efforts had been worthwhile! year’s Pteridologist, with its wealth of useful information, One of my first tasks in post was to investigate has reinforced that opinion. I discussed the idea with Bridget the educational resources that we already have Laue, who was also considering the role, and together we – I think this will be ‘ongoing’ for some time! decided we would go for the challenge. As a result we The website is an obvious vehicle for making now have an Education Sub-committee – Bridget, myself, information available to all. We are working on Yvonne Golding, Heather McHaffie, and Frank McGavigan. an ‘Education’ section that will have some new So why did I think I might have something to offer as material, but importantly will also direct people to Education Officer? Time was an important factor – I have resources that we already have. Our BPS journals recently become semi-retired, giving up my job in medical will eventually be available electronically on the education to work just two days a week as a country GP. I’m website. Presentations from indoor meetings fortunate to live in the Pennines, within easy reach of the will be posted on the website, and ‘tutorials’ on Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, so I’ve been active in important topics. The BPS Archive now has a the Yorkshire and North-West BPS groups for some years. proper home near the Herbarium in Manchester My background in education was another factor – for most Museum. It contains a wealth of educational of my career I’ve been teaching or organising education material, and members will be able to obtain for medical students, GPs, or medical teachers, and as an access to this soon. If you have any suitable academic I had to write for publication. My own learning educational material of your own that we might about ferns has been fairly recent, so I think I can relate be able to use, please let me know. to the problems that beginners might have. Last year I Websites and journals can present information, completed a certificate course on Biological Recording and but for me the most important educational Species Identification, run by the University of Birmingham resource is our ‘fern community’ – our members, and the Field Studies Council. This included the excellent local groups, and other fern enthusiasts. When I course on ferns that Heather McHaffie runs at Kindrogan. applied for my last job in medical education, I had I passed the module, so I can claim some qualification to give a presentation on how I would go about in Pteridology! Above all though, I feel that I can offer improving consultation skills, and the teaching an enthusiasm for learning about these fascinating and of them, in Yorkshire. I used the analogy of my beautiful plants, and communicate that to others. early lack of success in identifying ferns, despite The Education Sub-committee have already found a having a life-long interest in botany and a good variety of ways of engaging with the public and attracting knowledge of flowering plants. What made the new members to the BPS, through presence at garden difference was joining the BPS and going on shows, and in museums and botanic gardens. Yvonne has field meetings, where knowledgeable people produced attractive promotional posters and leaflets for gave freely of their time and expertise to help me use on these occasions. There is a report of our activities learn. I used this picture (Fig. 2) of a field meeting to illustrate my point about the importance of ‘communities of practice’. You can only learn so much by reading a book. I believe that there is no substitute for working Fig. 1. The winner of the junior quiz at the Manchester Museum Fig. 2. A North-West Group field meeting ‘Big Saturday’ 146 Pteridologist 5.3. 2010 Education and the BPS with others, and sharing knowledge and expertise. I’ll probably spend quite a lot of time working on educational materials, but it is the ‘networking’ aspects of the job that I think will be most productive. So whether you are new to ferns and want to learn more, or you already have experience, please make the most of your local group, come to the AGM and the national meetings, contribute to the fern forum, and please let me know what you would like to see the BPS doing to further education about Pteridophytes. r Update on ‘Growing ferns in a challenging climate’ Tim Pyner 182 Southchurch Boulevard, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. SS2 4UX e-mail: [email protected] Further to my article in the previous edition of the with winter damp may have been responsible. I also Pteridologist I have had several enquiries about how think that the creeping rhizome of this species may also my ferns fared during the winter of 2008/9. be naturally short-lived. I would expect this species to The weather during January and February 2009 was the have survived better had I given some protection from most severe for several years. Temperatures dropped moisture. to at least -7C for a couple of nights in January and Rather more unexpected damage to my ferns occurred heavy snow fell in early February. These conditions later in the year. This was caused by the extremely dry may appear fairly benign compared to some parts of weather experienced from March until October. During the country, however they can be very damaging to this period hardly any rain fell apart from a few summer tender plants. showers. This was particular damaging to hardy However, I am pleased to report that all the species dryopteris and polystichum species. Despite artificial mentioned in the article have survived although some irrigation several did not send out any new fronds at all have been slow to recover. Several woody plants were and some died away including a D. wallichiana. Others severely damaged and a few were lost that have have produced some small fronds late in the Autumn survived well during the previous run of mild winters. but will probably not survive another cold winter. I These were damaged mostly by the low temperatures assume that the cold winter followed immediately by in January and some plants could not survive once the drought and low humidity in the Spring was particularly temperature fell below -6C.