FFlloorraa ooff NNoorrtthh-- west Yorkshire west Yorkshire A botanical newsletter for VC65 Issue 12,, Spring 2020 Dactylodenia x evansii (Fragrant Orchid x Heath Spotted Orchid Many thanks to Sarah Chilton who let us have a look on her land at Preston Scar, unfortunately we only found Early Forget-me-not) (Myosotis ramossissima), Welcome to this our 12th newsletter for v.c.65 which is intended to keep you up-to date with botanical activities but we did find Adder’s-tongue (Ophioglossum in North-west Yorkshire. For geographical details of the vulgatum) and lots of Silky Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla vice county please visit our website at: glaucescens). https://bsbi.org/north-west-yorkshire and click on ‘A brief tour of v.c.65’. Thanks must go to Chris Chapman from the south of the County, who kindly gave me permission to 2019 was the last year of recording for the BSBI 2020 wander on her land in pursuit of old records. We did Atlas, I spent a good proportion of it inputting old records. find Wood Burdock (Arctium nemorosa) and Bugloss The weather put paid to a few of our Field Meetings, one (Anchusa arvensis), both uncommon in v.c.65. was on the day that Reeth and Grinton had serious flooding and the Police advised that nobody should head We visited Mr Browne’s meadows at West Park in down into the Ure catchment. We cancelled another Field Meeting up Gunnerside due to the rain, this was to check Lunedale to try and trace an old NE record of Small out what we thought was an erroneous record which had White Orchid (Pseudorchis albida), unfortunately we been put into the BSBI Database, not by me this time didn’t find it but the habitat looked very promising, thank goodness ! This record did turn out to be an error we will be visiting again. Thanks to Mr Browne for but it was a typo rather than a recorder error. letting us look through his beautiful meadows. Recording in 2019 Upper Teesdale Special Flora and Conservation Trust Many thanks to all the usual culprits who have helped me Dr, Margaret Bradshaw has studied the Vegetation this year, you know who you are, your help is invaluable. and Special Flora in Upper Teesdale since the 1950’s. I also received some really good records via email from Her long-term records show the changes in Geoffrey Hall, Tony Mundell, Dawn Nellson, Jane Morris, population size and distribution of this unique flora. Sue Millard, Robyn Guppy, David Green, Melanie Earle, Margaret now 94, set up the ‘Upper Teesdale Special Lynne Farrell, Phil Taylor and Les and Sue Knight. Many Flora and Conservation Trust’ so that this vital work thanks all of you. will continue. An initial project funded by Margaret from 2017 to 2019, shows a decline in the number of 1 rare plants and their distribution in selected areas Botanical Correspondence in 2019 studied that includes parts of v.c.65. The detailed and accurate figures collected paint a depressing I received an email from Andrew Jones on 13th April picture. There are fewer plants in fewer areas. telling me that he and Fred Rumsey had been looking Something is wrong, badly wrong. The findings through herbaria in search of Myosotis stricta, a european emphasise how vital on-going survey work is to species which may or may not be present in Britain. It is discover what is happening to the very special flora in very easily confused with Myosotis ramossisima. In the British Museum they found two specimens (details below) all parts of Upper Teesdale. Old and new records are that matched M. stricta proving that the species is needed to inform future land management and probably native but has been overlooked in Britain. conservation effort to help the flora to survive Andrew says apart from the microscopic hooked hairs the species is probably most easily recognised in the field by its very upright, unbranched habit (stricta = upright; ramosissima = very branched) and erect flower stalks, shorter than the calyx, with bracteate flowers almost to the base of the stem (ramosissima has longer pedicels and peduncles, at least proximally, almost patent to the stem) - although I should add that these descriptions are based on continental authors and herbarium specimens. “M. collina Hoffm.”, walls in West Burton, Wensleydale, N. Yorks. vc 65, May 1902, T. Foggitt. det. M. micrantha (Pall.), G. Verberne (8/1956), BM. “M. versicolor Sm.”, Sandscale, Furness [vc 69] 6.V.[19]14, W.H. Pearsall ex Herb. W.C. Barton det. M. stricta, A.E. Wade (15/3/1939), BM. The record from Sandscale was refound by Pete Burton but unfortunately after visiting most of the Margaret (above) leading a Field Meeting and sites for M. ramosissima in v.c.65 we failed to find examining an Alchemilla any likely looking M. stricta specimens. To fund further survey work over the next five years the Trust needs to raise £100,000 and is looking for donations. If you feel you could help with a one off Recording donation or even better a regular, monthly or annual We record in monads (1x1km squares) but if we stray over donation please email [email protected] or the 1 km border into another monad in the same tetrad take a look at their blog at (2x2 km squares on the even numbered grid) we just https://teesdaleflora.home.blog or take a look at record the extras. If however you cross the tetrad border their Facebook page ‘Friends of Teesdale Flora’ into another tetrad you must make another complete list. where you can contribute. That way if we ever decide to record at monad level for a finer resolution, the records are already in the correct We had five Field Meetings last year which have format. The 2020 Atlas unlike previous versions, will be in contributed to to this Project. We have also made Tetrads not Hectads (10x10 km squares) If you do send our records for the south side of the Tees catchment in records, a list on excel or word will suffice, it needn’t be available to John O’Reilly who has been employed to in alphabetical order, even handwritten lists sent by post are fine. If you need recording cards just let me know, I do the detailed survey work for the Trust. can supply hard copies or email templates for you to print 2 your own. Please remember to put in Recorders names, Carex divulsa subsp. leersii (Many-leaved Sedge). Deborah the date you recorded, GR of monad ie. NY81.11 or for Millward’s last century record was recorded and updated notable plants perhaps an eight or ten figure GR. If you by LR and Jim Parkin just over the packhorse bridge at record Orchids could you send a picture too, this helps West Burton near the falls on the 8th May (SE18.86) reduce erroneous records. We can supply lists of species for each hectad and lists of old records to re-find. We Catabrosa aquatica (Whorl-grass). This was spotted in a have produced an excel spreadsheet with all the tetrads flush on Mickle Fell by LR, Trevor Lowis and Jim Parkin on and number of species recorded in each, if you would like th a copy please ask me, it helps to highlight under-recorded the 13 July bringing a 1980’s record up to date (NY80.25) tetrads. Coeloglossum viride (Frog Orchid). Seven flowering spikes found in the Long Flats field at Low Wanless during a th Notable Finds in 2019 Natural England survey on 4 June by LR, Deborah Millward, Trevor Lowis, and Chris Weaver (SE06.88) Alchemilla conjuncta (Silver Lady’s Mantle) This garden escape was found near the packhorse bridge near the falls Conyza Canadensis (Canadian Fleabane). Found on the rd at West Burton by LR and Jim Parkin on the 8th May edge of the car park at Leeming Services on 23 (SE01.86) September by LR and Sue Morris (SE28.99) Alchemilla glaucescens (Silky Lady’s Mantle). This was Crepis mollis (Northern Hawk’s-beard). This was seen by st found along the Scar and in a field below by LR and Sarah Tony Mundell on a visit to Teesdale on 1 July, welcome Chilton, the landowner on the 10th April (SE06.91) confirmation of an old record (NY90.27) Alopecurus myosuroides (Black Grass). This agricultural Cyclamen hederifolium (white form) (Cyclamen). This was pest of a grass was found on an open access area near found by Frank Morgan naturalised in woodland at the th Crag Bridge near Bowes by LR on 7th September (NY99.15) extension of the Nosterfield Nature Reserve on the 14 October (SE27.80) Anacamptis morio (Green-winged Orchid). One plant was found in Swinithwaite Pasture on the 27th May by LR and Dryopteris affinis subsp. paleaceolobata (Scaly Male-fern). th Yan-Yee Lau, this was the second recent record from this This under-recorded species was found on 19 February site since the 1980’s (SE04.90) by Trevor Lowis near Richmond Old Station (NZ17.00) Anchusa arvensis (Bugloss). Found in two adjacent sites Dryopteris affinis subsp. paleaceolobata (Scaly Male-fern). near Blois Hall and Pilmore Carr, both on the edge of This was found again on Cronkley Scar by Bruce Brown, th arable fields, on 10th August by LR (SE34.72 and SE33.72). Trevor Lowis and LR on 20 July (NY83.29) Arctium nemorosum (Wood Burdock). This was found in Dryopteris expansa. A few plants of this species were adjacent monads at Blois Hall and Hutton Conyers by LR found by Trevor Lowis, Jim Parkin and LR growing in block th on 10th August (SE34.72 and SE33.72) scree on Mickle Fell on 13 July (NY80.24) Atropa belladonna (Deadly Nightshade).