Newsletter of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s Flora Group Spring 2003 Dear Flora Group Member We look forward to seeing you at some of the events planned for the coming season. Please let Catherine Chatters (Flora Group Secretary) know of any ideas for future events – training sessions, practical conservation tasks or places to visit. Alternatively, please raise any suggestions at the AGM which this year will be held on Saturday 26 April. If you are interested in joining the Committee, please contact Catherine whose address and telephone number are given at the end of this newsletter. into teams to record in the tetrads contribute to the BSBI ‘Local 53A, 53J and 53W. Relatively Change’ survey. Details of this inexperienced plant-hunters are project are given later in this Saturday 26 April 2003, 10.30am welcome. Bring a picnic lunch. newsletter. The first of these Herriard Estate and AGM For those who do not need to get events will be held on Saturday 3 Leader: Clive Chatters away earlier, we will re-convene at May. Tony says “If you would Enjoy a spring walk through parts the same car park at 4 pm to like to take part, meet at 10.30 am of the Herriard Estate not usually review our finds”. in the Micheldever Wood car park accessible to the public and help at SU 529 362. We will split up record plants in this part of the Sunday 11 May 2003, 10am into teams to record in the tetrads county. Meet at 10.30 am at the Sandy Point and Gunner Point, 53A, 53J and 53W. Relatively entrance to the Park by the church, Hayling Island inexperienced plant-hunters are opposite the sawmill, at grid Leader: John Norton welcome. Bring a picnic lunch. An opportunity to explore the reference SU 664460. Bring a For those who do not need to get varied coastal habitats on Hayling picnic lunch. During the lunch away earlier, we will re-convene at Island with the help of botanist break we will hold a brief and the same car park at 4 pm to John Norton. Meet at 10am on the informal AGM. We are grateful to review our finds”. seafront at Black Point at SZ 750 Mr Jervoise, the owner of Herriard Estate, for giving us permission to 985. (Follow signs for the lifeboat Sunday 21 September 2003, visit these woodlands and to Mr station). In the morning we will 10.30 am. Marsh Clubmoss hunt William Hamer, the woodland visit Sandy Point at the south- at Woolmer Forest/Weaver’s agent, for helping with eastern end of Hayling Island and Down area. Leader: Neil Sanderson arrangements for the day. during the afternoon we will move Following the interesting and on to Gunner Point in the south- enjoyable marsh clubmoss Saturday 3 May 2003 10.30 am west. Bring a picnic lunch if you Recording in SU53 for BSBI intend to stay all day. We are Lycopodiella inundata event held ‘Local Change’ survey grateful to Andy Parfitt of in The New Forest in September Leader: Tony Mundell Hampshire County Council for 2002, it would be useful to re- Tony Mundell has invited Flora giving us permission to visit Sandy survey the Woolmer Forest area Group members to join a couple of Point. If you would like further where large populations of this events which he has arranged to details, please contact John Norton species have been recorded in the contribute to the BSBI ‘Local on 023 9252 0828. past. The Ministry of Defence has Change’ survey. Details of this kindly given us permission to visit project are given later in this Sunday 27 July 2003 10.30 am the military training area during newsletter. The first of these Recording in SU56 for BSBI the morning. In the afternoon we events will be held on Saturday 3 ‘Local Change’ survey will move on to land owned by May. Tony says “If you would Leader: Tony Mundell Old Thorns Golf Club, who have like to take part, meet at 10.30 am Tony Mundell has invited Flora kindly allowed us to use their bar in the Micheldever Wood car park Group members to join a couple of facilities at lunchtime. Further at SU 529362. We will split up events which he has arranged to details re meeting place, etc, will Flora News Page 1 Spring 2003 be provided in the autumn representative specimens of form of botanising). However, it newsletter but we’re letting you mosses and bryophytes from is easily overlooked since by the know now so you can put the date different substrates to demonstrate time the flowers come out in May, in your diary. their range of form. the plants are usually well sub- merged beneath Anthriscus Thursday 16 October 2003 We returned to the college and sylvestris and other ranker plants 7.30 pm. ‘Britain’s Rare and were shown the way to a lounge and the flowers are usually Localised Plants’ – a talk by Brian Lainey. The Harris Hall, Church where we could eat our lunches in difficult to see. Close, Andover comfort. After that we went to the John Moon The Wildlife Trust’s North West well-equipped lab where Rod gave Area Group has invited Flora an introductory talk and then A Field Guide to the Group members to attend a talk by showed us how to examine the Identification of Difficult Brian Lainey titled ‘Britain’s Rare specimens using dissecting Aquatic Plants of the New and Localised Plants’. The talk instruments and microscopes. He Forest will be held in the Harris Hall showed us how to distinguish The Wildlife Trust has a limited (opposite Andover Museum) in mosses from liverworts and to use number of spare copies of the Church Close, Andover. keys to identify the wide range of above field guide written by R V Refreshments will be served species. For some, it was their Lansdown and T J Pankhurst. If during the interval. Details will be first experience of bryophytes and you would like a copy, please send included in the autumn edition of they were left with a clearer an A4 envelope (marked Aquatic Flora News but we are letting you impression of the diversity and Plants) to Catherine Chatters know now so that you can put the fascination of this branch of whose address is given at the end date in your diary. botany. of this newsletter. We are grateful to Rod for giving Yew Hill Butterfly Reserve up so much of his time, to Like Magdalen Hill Down, which Would you like a free copy of Catherine Chatters for organising featured in the Autumn 2002 issue Stace’s ‘New Flora’? the day, and to Cricklade College of Flora News, Yew Hill (SU Flora Group member, Martin (particularly Libby Evans, the lab 455265) is a Butterfly Rand, is offering a free copy of technician) for the generous use of Conservation reserve actively Stace’s ‘New Flora’ (First Edition) their facilities. managed for the chalk downland to “any deserving cause” as it is Dr Roger Veall Lepidoptera but is much smaller in languishing on his bookshelf now extent, being nine acres. Parts of that he has purchased a copy of the Note on Ornithogalum the reserve have old parallel Second Edition. If anyone would angustifolium trackways running from north to like it, please contact Martin at 21 The Hampshire Flora states that south with extremely thin soils and Pine Road, Chandlers Ford, this plant is probably a garden it is these areas which are the Eastleigh, SO53 1LH, telephone escape in every case. However, I richest botanically. 023 8036 0395. Martin can be would question this statement as contacted via e-mail: far as northwest Hampshire is The smallness of the reserve has [email protected]. concerned. The plant is quite undoubtedly impacted on the plant widely distributed on the verges of community, principally the Report on moss identification the rural lanes southwest of cessation of regular grazing since training day – 5 October 2002 Andover and where it occurs it is the 1950s resulting in dense scrub Once more, Rod Stern gave a generally well away from houses cover (mostly now removed) and group of Flora Group members the and, in fact, I have not found any the change over to arable farming benefit of his expert knowledge of instances of this plant on verges and modern farming techniques in bryophytes. actually within villages. The the surrounding area. characteristic clumps of bright We met at Cricklade College green narrow leaves with a white Similar plant assemblages exist where we were given permission vein down the centre are visible in within the chalk downland sites of to park. We divided into groups to March and easily spotted from a St Catherine’s Hill and Magdalen share cars for the short trip to bicycle or even a moving car once Hill, although differences are Anton Lakes Local Nature one gets one’s eye in (but I would apparent, for example Reserve. We collected sufficient not necessarily recommend this Helianthemum nummularium does not occur at Yew Hill. Altogether, Flora News Page 2 Spring 2003 124 species of higher plants have would like to receive a copy of the If any members of the Flora Group been recorded. Since regular latest edition (winter 2002), please are interested in undertaking recording/monitoring began in the send an A4 envelope (marked survey work on Holmsley then late 1980s, additions are still being Flora English Nature) to Catherine please contact Ian Stone at noted, which is surprising for such Chatters whose address is given at Hampshire & Isle of Wight a small area as this.