Newsletter Issue 39 Winter 2011-2012 WILTSHIRE BOTANICAL SOCIETY In this issue River Avon and Kennet and Avon Canal ---1 Bentley Wood Fungus Foray------------------3 The Cholderton Estate -------------------------3 Passed Friends-----------------------------------4 Protected Road Verges ------------------------5 Wiltshire Atlas Recording Project------------7 Mistletoe-----------------------------------------9 My Garden Weeds------------------------------9 Tim’s Crosswords-----------------------------10 The Back Page---------------------------------11 Website: http://www.wiltsbotsoc.co.uk Sunday 16th October 2011 River Avon and Kennet and Avon Canal Leaders – Tom and Jean Smith This was our first go at leading a field trip for the Wiltshire Botanical Society and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, helped by having the company of nine other members for this trip, good weather and a variety of habitats. The idea of this trip was to combine a general interest walk with a pub lunch. From the station car park at Photos: Tom Bradford-on-Avon our route was Dipsacus fullonum discussing judaica and Ivy-leaved Toadflax though Barton Farm Country whether this might have been a Cymbalaria muralis. Park almost all the way to … good long-headed hybrid (developed Avoncliff with the last 100 yards weather and a for use in the wool industry). We moved on to cross the river or so along the canal towpath. variety of by the packhorse bridge but habitats. Our attention was drawn to a before we did this we explored We began by making our way to plant with a red/purple tinge the adjacent ford where we found the path beside the River Avon, which was floating on the river, it Ivy-leaved duckweed Lemna but before we got there John transpired this was Water Fern – trisulca – a non-native species Presland pointed out a Winter Azolla filiculoides; we saw more doing very well in this Heliotrope Petasites fragrans, of this along the river and it environment. which was flowering a few weeks seemed really quite abundant. ahead of its appointed flowering Once on the northern side of the period. We stopped at the edge A stone wall offered another river we found a Welted Thistle of the river and inspected the habitat for species such a Carduus crispus. The Council seed heads of Wild Teasel Pellitory of the wall Parietaria has planted a range of trees and shrubs in this area so there was a good display of autumn colour from the Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus, Spindle Euonymus europaeus and Dogwood Cornus sanguinea. With not very much still flowering, we were pleased to find Common winter cress Barbarea vulgaris flowering strongly. Once back over on to the southern side of the river we continued our walk at a quicker pace (mindful of our lunchtime reservation at The Cross Guns). However, we couldn’t help ourselves stopping to look at a log with some interesting bracket fungi. My first thoughts were Ganoderma spp. John Presland thought it could be a Maze gill fungus Daedalea. We were Page 1 Wiltshire Botanical Society Winter 2011 - 2012 towpath. We didn’t have time to try the Willow Maze which has been planted here, so we … Becky continued on our walk identifying Addy Woods, both Marsh Stitchwort Stellaria an area of palustris and Water Chickweed shady Myosoton aquaticum along the way. deciduous woodland. We had a very pleasant lunch at the pub (The Cross Guns) at Avoncliff. They were very busy (even at 12 noon), but were well- organised and managed to serve Blushing Bracket Daedaleopsis us relatively quickly so that we confragosa var. intermedia were on our way again by 1.30 p.m. by which time there was a lucky that John had his camera G. australe. All the pores of lengthy queue just to get in to the with him and took some good Ganoderma are small and round, pub. photos to aid subsequent helping distinguish this genus identification; the most prominent from Daedaleopsis. After a brief detour to the bracket on the log turned out to aqueduct to admire the view, we be a rare variety of the Blushing On the opposite bank of the river retraced our steps to cross under Bracket Daedaleopsis confragosa we saw a row of mature the aqueduct and made our way var. intermedia. This variety has Caucasian Wingnut trees up the hill to Becky Addy definite areas of roundish pores Pterocarya fraxinifolia with their Woods, an area of shady and definite areas with very long impressively long, hanging deciduous woodland. In the pores. The popular name derives catkins bearing seeds. wood we found another bracket from the reddening of the fungus – Many-zoned Polypore underside when pressed. On The far western section of Barton Trametes versicolor. We also closer examination there was Farm Country Park is quieter, found a Nettle-leaved Bellflower, indeed also a species of being away from surfaced paths Campanula trachelium that had Ganoderma present on this log: and further from the canal just finished flowering. Small Teasel We found an interesting meadow on the other side of the wood. A number of plants had finished flowering but were still evident: Bath Asparagus Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, Ladies Bedstraw Galium verum, Restharrow Ononis repens, Salad Burnet Sanguisorba minor. However, still flowering were: Black Knapweed Centaurea nigra, Lesser Hawkbit Crepis Capillaris, Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Yarrow Achillea millefolium. From the meadow we descended in bright sunshine to the canal, passing bush vetch, Gipsywort Lycopus europaeus, Water Figwort Scrophularia auriculata and much Small Teasel Dipsacus pilosus (gone to seed). It was a short walk along the canal to the Tithe Barn which added diversity to our visit, then back to the cars to end an enjoyable trip. Tom and Jean Smith Winter 2011 - 2012 Wiltshire Botanical Society Page 2 Sunday, 2 October 2011 Bentley Wood Fungus Foray This year the Salisbury Natural History Society, Wiltshire Botanical Society and Friends of Bentley Wood fungus foray on 2nd October found us in Compartment 11, Beechways Copse. Collection of any specimen from this SSSI, for any reason, has to be agreed by the Trustees in advance and, in addition, this year the Trustees requested that we should collect as few duplicates as possible. To this end the participants formed three groups, each with a leader who supervised the collecting. Thus we were able to cover different sections within the Examining the catch agreed area in the 1.5 hour foray. However it is The number of fungal fruiting Mycena pelianthina, the From an account by Ailsa bodies seen was fewer than on not Blackedge Bonnet (gills with McKee, originally published some previous years because of dissimilar to black edges). A piece of dead in Bentley Wood Nature the dry conditions. This year we the Panther wood contained not just the Notes are very grateful to Malcolm Cap which is distinctive turquoise coloured Storey again and to Paul deadly wood but also little “Green Elf Sunday, 20 November Howland and James Macpherson poisonous! Cups” of Chlorociboria 2011 for identifying the collection. aeruginascens. This "green" wood was, and still is, a prized The Cholderton Some 47 different species were find for wood carvers and turners identified. These included two as the fungal hyphae invade all Estate members of the Agaricus genus, of the wood leaving it this in which some of our edible distinctive turquoise colour. In Leader: Henry Edmunds mushrooms belong, but both the past it was used to great fungi found were poisonous. effect in marquetry with inlays of Eighteen members met on a mild They were Agaricus different coloured woods in but misty morning to take a stroll xanthodermus var lepiotoides, the pictures and boxes etc. and and find out more about the Yellow Stainer, and Agaricus known as Tunbridge Ware. workings of this remarkable farm. placomyces (moelleri) the Inky Other different-looking fungi We met with owner, Henry Mushroom both of which bruise included two types of Coral Edmunds, who took us on a short yellow, but the latter has a light This "green" wood was, Fungi, Clavulina cinerea & journey to the site of his Water cap covered with tiny dark scales, Company, a reservoir that was and still is, a Clavulina cristata, the Grey and denser and darker at the centre. White Coral Fungi respectively, dug out by his great grandfather. prized find Other fungi found belonging to and also the more slender but The chalk grassland area around the Amanita genus, and therefore for wood similar-looking Ramaria abietina the reservoir was surveyed by likely to be poisonous, were carvers and which was ochre-green coloured. members of the Society on a Amanita vaginata, the Grisette turners as The last is classed as uncommon rather wet morning in 2010. The and Amanita rubescens, the the fungal to rare, found in soil and leaf botanical interest was not so Blusher which is poisonous raw hyphae litter most often in conifer obvious on this morning but we but said to be edible after invade all of plantations. were able to identify a plant of cooking. However it is not the wood Rosa micrantha, one of the dissimilar to the Panther Cap leaving it Our grateful thanks to Sue downy roses with glands which which is deadly poisonous! this Shears who yet again provided give the characteristic apple distinctive tea and great cakes at the end of odour. We learnt a great deal Some of the more robust Mycena the foray. It is much appreciated about the area: the gentle control species were found, Mycena turquoise colour and always makes a happy of scrub and the possible pura, the Lilac Bonnet, Mycena ending to this event. archaeological interest. In sharp rosea, the Rosy Bonnet, and Page 3 Wiltshire Botanical Society Winter 2011 - 2012 contrast to the many chalk-loving plants we also saw a few Passed Friends specimens of Wood Sage (Teucrium scordium) which are Christine McQuitty much more common on acidic soils.