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#WildEssex New Year Plant Hunt 2023

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

Each year, the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland organises a New Year plant hunt, encouraging botanists and other interested folk out of their midwinter slumber to see what plants are flowering. As has become tradition, we contributed to the national database by arranging a walk around Wivenhoe Waterfront on that day. And we would like to thank the keen, sharp-eyed group who helped us spot things! All data collected in this citizen science project have been fed into the national record of what is flowering on 1st January: for more information see New Year Plant Hunt 2023 – Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (bsbi.org). It is good to be part of a bigger project to aid learning about how British and Irish wildflowers are responding to climate change. 

On our recce a few days ago it soon became apparent that numbers would not match the 35 species recorded last year. The main reason for this, we assume, is the severe frost we experienced for a number of nights in mid-December – this will no doubt have killed off many flowering specimens. However, in the hour on the day with 20 pairs of eyes searching the same route as last year we managed to find 23 species in flower – see here for the full list: NYPH2023

Most of the ‘missing’ species were stragglers from the sea walls and salt-marshes of summer (such as Sea Aster, Cord-grass, Bristly Ox-tongue and Ox-eye Daisy), a few flowers of which had persisted through the frost-free early winter of last year. But interestingly, to counter some of these omissions, a few different flowering plants were noted this year: these included the highlight of the day, White Ramping Fumitory (above), a local speciality and a so-called ‘weed’ spreading its charms in several pots and planters.

Another species not found last year, indeed one we have rarely seen in Wivenhoe before, is Water Bent: this grass is an increasing colonist of the UK, and joins a number of other new arrivals to the Wivenhoe waterfront. That lover of block-paving, Jersey Cudweed, was found in profusion, and indeed in parts of our area where it has not been seen before, though only one had a surviving flower, the rest shrivelled from frost-bite. And Early Meadow-grass was just starting to produce its diminutive flowers: all the above were unknown here up to a few years ago.

Other new flowers for this survey probably relate to their near-invisibility unless you search hard under the leaves. The tiny greenish flowers of both Pellitory-of-the-wall (above)and Annual Nettle fall into this category.

Aside from these, the ‘usual suspects’ included Gorse, Hazel, Red Dead-nettle, Groundsel, Annual Mercury, Shepherd’s-purse and Common Chickweed, but for all, the flowers were much less profuse than last year. This was especially the case with the Mexican Fleabane (below) that has colonized the riverside brickwork: last year like pink and white confetti, this year just a few daisy-like stars to brighten a dull day.

What can we read into the results of our survey? Well probably not much – the real value will come when all the results from all the walks around our islands are completed, collated and analysed. But last winter was exceptionally mild (indeed 1st Jan 2022 was the warmest New Year’s Day on record), whilst this year the pre-Christmas deep freeze cut short many plants’ productivity. It highlights the oft-forgotten (by the all-too-numerous denialists) difference between weather and climate. ‘Average weather’ is indeed warming/weirding but actual weather this winter for us bucked that trend. All interesting stuff though!

Naturally, although a botanical trip, we didn’t overlook other wildlife. Birdsong from the estuary (Curlews), and treetops (Robins) was a feast for the ears, and we were pleased to find a 7-spot Ladybird plus a number of Rosemary Beetles, those mobile jewels, on a Rosemary bush, mostly paired and in the process of making more beetles. All a very hopeful sign for a wildlife-filled 2023!

 

#WildEssex 2022 – our year in books

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2022 has been a busy year publication-wise, although the fruits of most are not expected until next year! 

Planned for next year is Teesdale’s Special Flora (much of which we copy-edited, and more) –  Princeton University Press/WILDGuides now have this in their catalogue for Feb 2023, and its publication will be a huge tribute to a true botanical and conservation legend, one of few to be recognised just by her initials ‘MEB’!

More details here

 

Also from the PUP/WILDGuides stable is the interesting and wonderfully illustrated Edible Fungi – on this one we copy-edited the Danish translation, and this too is  expected in February 2023. This is a book which might even make us feel brave enough to eat foraged fungi!

  see here 

 

There are also a couple of DK offerings on both of which we have acted as consultants. First is a reissue with corrections and updates  of Pocket Nature Wildlife of Britain & Ireland (due April 2023, see here) and secondly a new book How to Attract Wildlife to your Garden (due March 2023, see here) by Dan Rouse.

  

And last but not least is the first PUP/WildGuides volume on which I appear as one of the authors, British & Irish Wild Flowers and Plants, expected April 2023   

 (more details here)

Having seen early pages in development, I really think this will be a game-changer for the identification of commoner plants (but I would say that…), and it is a springboard to becoming a ‘real’ botanist (by which time you might like to buy the three-volume guide to all the British & Irish species in a couple of years’ time.

 

All that has not left a lot of time for other writing, although that was one thing that could carry on while I was bed-bound!

The one article published this year, although dated next, is a bit of a thinkpiece, mulling over the idea of rewilding and connectedness of the landscape. GIBSON, C. (2023) Rewilding the skeleton: A vision for nature’s rebounding on a crowded island. The Ecological Citizen Vol 6 No 1: epub-076-1 to epub-076-4  available here: Rewilding the skeleton

In addition, we have written or contributed to a couple of papers in the forthcoming volume of Colchester Natural History Society’s journal Nature in North East Essex, about the Wivenhoe Green Spaces project and Great Bentley Green ‘rewildling’. And. keeping it local, contributed a short chapter on Tendring Rock Sea-lavender, our local endemic subspecies, to a new book about Colne Point, celebrating the retirement of the long-term warden, Bob Seago. All of these coming soon….

GIBSON, C. (2023)  Unique to our part of Essex: Tendring Rock Sea-lavender. p.206 in Colne Point: Life between Land, Sea and Sky, eds. Marsden. K. & Bain. D. pp 290. Essex Wildlife Trust, Tendring Local Group

 

#WildEssex Book Reviews 2022: Habitats of the World, Essex Rock & The Secret Life of an Arable Field

Reviews

During 2022, we have been asked to review three books. Our reviews below show what a mixed bag reviewing can throw up, from incredibly positive to downright awful, should never have seen the light of day. Presented in order of best first, the first two have been published in the journals as detailed, but the third is published here for the first time.

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Essex Rock: Geology beneath the landscape by Ian Mercer & Ros Mercer. Pelagic Publishing, 2022. £29.99 paperback.

In 2000, I was asked to review the first edition of this book, then authored by Gerald Lucy. My view of it was almost wholly favourable, and indeed it has become a frequent reference point for me over the ensuing two decades.

This new edition simply makes it more indispensable for someone like me without a formal geological background. The larger format and almost four times as many pages allow the ideas in the book the space to breath, and to be supported by a much richer wealth of photos and images. The authors have done a great service to the naturalist community in producing enjoyable, readable text without sacrificing erudition. The simple, clear design also helps, although to my eyes at least the font of the body text is ever so slightly too weak for comfort.

Essex is a ‘soft rock’ county, relatively young, lacking in relief and many of the dramatic landforms found elsewhere, and in which many of the geological sites remain largely, stubbornly sub-surface – in other words, it is an acquired taste. The breadth of coverage is breathtaking, from long before the times of our earliest surface rocks to a distant, conjectured future, all told as a coherent story through time.

The easy writing style also lends itself well to something one might not expect in a book like this: humour. Just go and buy it and read to the end of p374 to see for yourself! Even if you have the first edition, do get this – it has so much more to add, and of course the science has progressed over the 20 years. But don’t get rid of the old one. At only 259g as compared with 1180g, the first is a whole lot more portable, if you wish for example to take the gazetteer of important sites (found in both editions) around with you in the field.

Essential for anyone with an interest in Essex and soft-rock landscapes, this book is also for the person who just thinks they might be interested. After a few minutes you surely will be. I already know many of the key sites in it as I notified a good proportion of them as SSSIs but it has renewed my desire to get out and see them again with refreshed eyes.

Published in  Country-Side, 36 (1) Winter 2022, 32.

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Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists and Ecologists by Iain Cambell, Ken Behrens, Charley Hesse & Phil Chaon. Princeton University Press, ISBN: 9780691197562. September 2021. 568 pages. £28 flexibound.

Hugely ambitious in scope, this guide aims to cover and describe all the main broad habitats of the world, each of the six major zoogeographic zones being allocated some 80 pages. Such a compilation of information, mostly reflecting the experience of the authors, is a remarkable achievement.

However, it does not fulfil the promise of its subtitle. Although ‘field guide’ in format, it weighs nearly 1.3kg, not something one would be lugging to all corners of the world, where in each of which only a small subset of the pages will ever be relevant. Birders (and to some extent those interested in mammals and reptiles) are well catered for; botanists may well be disappointed as, while plants are mentioned, few have images; and entomologists will find nothing. So ‘naturalists and ecologists’ could well feel let down, with good reason.

Well laid-out, with a very readable typeface and flexi-bound, the book looks and feels worthwhile, and the habitat sketches commendably use a female icon for scale. Mapping could be clearer: complex coastlines like western Scotland appear shaded, and so apparently have part of the distribution of Garrigue, for example. And the use of black rather than greyed-out for extra-zonal parts of the maps is simply ugly. Other personal niggles include the punctuation in geographic descriptors (sc. for south-central); internal capitalization in compound names (e.g., Sand-Plover); the over-repetition of organisation names (eg Tropical Birding Tours) in photographic credits; and the subjective and excessively sporadic use of IS for Indicator Species.

Errors seem to be remarkably few but we did spot Viburnum opulus masquerading as ‘Cranberry’ in the plant list, and Northern Bald Ibis erroneously described as ‘extirpated’ in the Palearctic garrigue zone (it thankfully remains in Morocco).

Given the breadth of scope, necessarily and not unreasonably the ‘habitats’ are broadly defined, making it much less useful as a field guide than say WILDGuides’ Britain’s Habitats, but as an authoritative gateway guide to the world’s habitats, we know of nothing which comes anywhere near this volume. We will use it as a home reference if not a field guide.

Published  in British Naturalists Association News Bulletin Issue 11, February 2022 pp 15-16.

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And so to the final book, one that should never have been printed in its present form. Let down by the lack of professional editing, appalling picture research and perhaps the knowledge of the author herself, it is a masterclass in how not to publish a wildlife book. Which is sad – the book has something important to say if one can get past the errors; we have of course offered to send a detailed list of corrections to the publishers if they wish to reprint, but we have not heard from them.

The Secret Life of an Arable Field – Plants, Animals and the Ecosystem by Sophie McCallum. WhiteOwl/Pen and Sword Books (2021). 250 pages, £25 hardback.

First feel of this book is of quality, case-bound with headband and an attractive dust-jacket: it is a book which will last. Sadly, to our eyes, the quality of the package is let down by the overly glossy paper, though we accept this is a personal preference.

The front flap of the dust-jacket lays out the rationale of the book, which is not reiterated elsewhere, rather oddly, as dust-jackets can and do get lost. The book is unpretentious in not having a lengthy introduction or foreword; in lieu of these the first text page covers some of the same ground as the jacket, five short factual paragraphs, each on an aspect related to current farming practice – for example subsidies, pesticide-usage and planning/development. All pertinent, but messages not repeated as often as perhaps they should be throughout the book. Of course, those seeking a ‘celebration’ of the biodiversity of arable life might welcome this; others may see it as a missed opportunity at a time when even highly productive arable land which feeds us is under threat like never before from house-building, developers being desperate to make their money before the stark demographic messages of the post-Brexit post-Covid era hit home.

The main pages highlight 120 species, or species groups, of plants, animals and fungi, listed alphabetically (by English name) for easy reference. There is no index, which might have been helpful to accommodate alternative names, for example ‘Blackthorn’ as well as ‘Sloe’. Each tries to be a mini-essay about the subject, telling some of the stories associated with these organisms, and explaining their interconnectivity and importance, and does indeed provide a lot of useful and interesting information – even the expert is likely to learn something. But there is a bit of a disconnect between successive paragraphs, and sometimes even between sentences within a paragraph, such that it reads a bit like bullet points, without the bullets…

Each subject is illustrated with a single photograph, we presume by the author, although we cannot find any reference to this. Some are excellent and evocative, while others are less successful, for example those of Corn Marigold, Ragwort and Primrose, where the visiting insects are sharp, but the flowers themselves are largely out of focus or poorly exposed. Unfortunately the varying length of the mini-essays with a single photo leaves a number of awkward blank half pages, which could perhaps have been filled with additional photos.

The choice of ‘species’ to include has taken an unfeasibly broad view of ‘arable’, of landscapes rather than strictly the habitat, thus permitting the inclusion of grassland species (eg Meadow Buttercup), woodland species (eg Sweet Chestnut) and heathland/upland (or garden) species (eg Juniper).

Typos and textual errors are almost absent (thankfully). There are however too many factual errors in the text. For example, Birch bark is said contain high concentrations of ‘botulin’, while it actually contains ‘betulin’, two very different chemicals with very different properties. The second introductory paragraph ends with a nonsensical sentence: in it ‘pests’ should read ‘predators’. And some of the photos do not actually show what they purport to: the ‘Goat Moth’ is actually an Early Grey moth; the ‘Small Emerald’ is a Large Emerald; the ‘Dog Rose’ is a semi-double garden Rose cultivar; the ‘(stinging) Nettle’ is a ‘White Dead-nettle’; the ‘Daisy’ is a mayweed; the ‘Cow Parsley’ is Hogweed, and there are several others. Such errors seriously let the rest of the book down: facts matter!

Setting aside the errors, who might this book appeal to? Certainly its geographic focus is primarily the UK, although anyone from here would be surprised (as Defra would be concerned) to find Colorado Beetle on our shores, and the butterfly above the ‘Daisies’ would raise eyebrows anywhere this side of the Atlantic and/or outside the sub-tropics. It is not a book for the expert, and the errors we have found suggest it could not be relied upon as a reference book. However it is undeniably attractive, and will help to raise awareness of the importance of the wildlife of farmed landscapes, especially perhaps to those faced with the impending loss of their own local valued patches. This is the case for the author: the fields she looks over while writing, watching the Red Kites, now have planning permission – to provide more homes for people but at the expense of homes for the creatures who have traditionally been there. Therapy for the author perhaps, and a rallying call for others we hope.

Notwithstanding its failings, the fundamental message of this book is very apt for our times – ‘our havens of nature are being destroyed’. Enjoy it while you can…

 

 

 

 

#WildEssex: review of 2022

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, WildEssex

At the start of 2022, ‘with a little help from our friends’ (you know who you are!), we rebranded our nature and wildlife activities as #WildEssex, with the banners above and below, and even tee-shirts!

So from these aspects alone, it has been an interesting year, a time of change and innovation. As always, wildlife walks have been our mainstay, with one or two in most months, apart from the late summer period when first it was simply too hot to meet safely out in the open, and then when my mobility was severely impaired by a femoral nerve problem. Blogs of all our regular walks are available – just filter these blogs for ‘WildEssex’ and all will appear, or pick and choose them from the drop-down List of Blogs.

Those walks we did do were of course a mixed bunch. As always, several were around Wivenhoe, though we have started branching out further afield around Brightlingsea, Mistley, Wrabness and Harwich, trying so far as possible to make them convenient for those who wish to travel by public transport.

In response to increasing numbers booking, we ran several of the walks twice in quick succession, itself a challenge when one was warm and sunny, the other being cold, damp and windy (April in Cockaynes Reserve comes to mind). Indeed weather is always a concern, and never more so than at Wrabness in May, the first time we have tried a four-hour walk. And for all but 15 minutes of those four hours it rained, sometimes heavily (see below)! And then of course there was the October fungus foray in Wivenhoe Park when preceding drought meant there were almost none to be found. Such is life and the lot of wildlife guides!

Another innovation was planning the walks around food and drink. Mistley (February and June) benefitted from the zero-waste (but serious quality!) coffee kiosk outside Mistley Station, our June charity walk around Alresford made a welcome stop for a drink at The Pointer, and around Brightlingsea East End in July, we went the whole hog and ended up with a delicious lunch at The Rosebud. We intend this model to feature in future years!

And on the a similar theme, we also ran our first multi-day, overnight-stay event, at Burnham-on-Crouch. During two half-day and one full-day walks, we explored thoroughly around Burnham, and across on the ferry to Wallasea Island, all interspersed with two excellent evening meals, one in our hotel, the other in The Ship Inn, and (for some of the group at least) two comfortable nights in the historic waterside Ye Olde White Harte Hotel. Again, we hope to arrange similar elsewhere in Essex this coming year.

So much for the food and drink, but what of the wildlife? Well, as always it was rich, varied and often surprising, such as an unexpected flock of Pyramidal Orchids at Brightlingsea.

And it is far from only the commonplace things we find. Also at Brightlingsea, the very large, gold-ringed black weevil Liparus coronatus showed itself to us in July – the only other times we have seen this scarce insect anywhere have been two previous occasions within a radius of less than a kilometre.

Our Burnham awaydays produced a bracket fungus on Sea-buckthorn, Fomitoporia hippophaeicola, for which the National Biodiversity Network maps show no previous records in Essex.

And September at Harwich we came upon a new locality for the nationally scarce Dune Villa fly, while Wivenhoe Park in October gave us a new gall, a very recent arrival in these parts, the cowrie gall of Neuroterus saliens on Turkey Oaks.

What else? WildEssex entered the modern era with a Facebook presence (Wild Essex – Bringing Nature To You) and a WhatsApp group to keep in regular touch, in addition to our website and Twitter. We started running free monthly Zunday Zoom talks in the winter months, all of which have been recorded and are available on request to anyone who wants to watch them (thus far, Summer by the Stour Estuary, Coastal Plants, the Magic of Mushrooms and Review of 2022).

Jude has relaunched her free monthly newsletter to very positive comments, and there have also been several bespoke walks on request (Wivenhoe Wood in April, a symphony in blue, was particularly memorable) together with talks now taking off after the enforced break of Covid19. Although sadly fewer this year as people are once again looking abroad for wildlife travel, we have provided walks for Naturetrek, both locally and further afield, including Hockley Woods and even Somerset.

We have continued to work closely with Beth Chatto Gardens, advising staff (and, by extension, visitors) on wildlife and sustainability, with a monthly staff newsletter, moth trapping and survey work on the show-gardens designed to demonstrate the mantra of ‘right plant, right place’ at nearby Chattowood. And begun to work with Great Bentley Parish Council in trying to improve the second largest village green in the country for wildlife, among other engagement with local authorities, particularly Wivenhoe Town Council.

All that, and then the writing, with three big book projects which should come to fruition in 2023 and several other pieces, including book reviews (see specific blogs on these – Reviews and Books – now posted…).

A busy year, not without its frustrations, but plenty of fun and excitement. And as we generally do, we have been pleased to make charitable donations. Buglife, our regular charity of choice, saving the little things that run the planet has been sent £400; Essex Wildlife Trust, owners of some of the sites we visit, £50; and the Ukrainian appeal, trying to mitigate the effects of the war crimes being committed over there, £120. All very deserving causes, and we wish it could be more.

So here’s to 2023, with a full programme being planned, starting with our traditional New Year’s Day Wild Flower Hunt. Thanks everyone for your support!

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: A Wintry Wonderland

Beth Chatto Gardens, WildEssex

Frost sprinkling crystal magic on every surface. Light and shade from the low, low sun. Vistas speared with surprising shards of colour. And signs of hope: green shoots and a few flowers promising that pendulum of the year has only a week to go before it swings inexorably back, offering light and life…

No more words, just pictures , save to say that if you want to see this (and better, after the forecast low of -5 degrees C tonight), get there tomorrow. Saturday is the last day before the gardens hibernate until mid-January, and on Monday the temperatures are soaring to spring-like highs…

 

Coventry: city of hope and reconciliation, architecture and art – and wildlife

Britain's Wildlife, Travel by Rail

Why Coventry? The question we were often asked when we said we were going away for a couple of days there. Pretty much the same as most people’s view of our home, Essex. But always with an open mind and a sense of urban adventure, we went…and loved it! Helped by two days of glorious winter sunshine and cloudless cobalt skies, good food and drink, welcoming locals and a tangible Christmas spirit as the first hard frosts of winter were unleashed.

Of course the two cathedrals were always going to be a centrepiece, the old, bombed one embracing the modern in a much-needed gesture of reconciliation. Particularly beautiful and poignant in the sunlight were the remnant fragments of stained glass in the mediaeval window tracery…

… but the ruins exuded a tranquility that transcends its troubled past, a great place to contemplate the sculptures and watch the Peregrines on the still-standing steeple.

The new cathedral was no less stunning, with a warm welcome and the ever-changing play of light, shadow and colour from the amazing stained glass and internal architecture:

Elsewhere in the city, an array of unexpected treasures, buildings old and new, the Art Deco interior of our Premier Inn, and even guerrilla shadow-art…

As so often in urban areas, it was the waterways that provided the green arteries of life. The Canal Basin we sought out would probably have merited more time (and a few extra degrees Centigrade!)…

… while the River Sherbourne we stumbled upon by accident, apparently a project area for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and partners to bring nature into the lives of the city residents. How thankful we should be for such initiatives, giving us the chance to see the surprising (to us) sight of a Little Egret flying out of the shallows into a riverside tree. All very unexpected so close to the city centre, and rendered even more magical with its early morning tracery of frost.

Great Bentley Village Green: a once and future Essex heathland?

Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex

Back in August, we were asked by the Chair of Great Bentley Parish Council (and a member of their newly-formed Environment Working Group) if we would mind advising them on the ecological value of the Village Green and the potential to improve its biodiversity by reducing mowing frequency.

What an opportunity! Reputedly the second largest Village Green in the country, extending to around 17 hectares, from my previous knowledge of the site it was clear it has an interesting remnant flora despite the incessant mowing of the past. Or at least ‘had’ an interesting flora – my last wander on the Green was 20 years ago… but I well recall the excitement of finding two special grasses, Heath-grass and Mat-grass there:

While both these species are widespread in the UK, that is far from the case in Essex, and especially in Tendring – indeed for these two species, Great Bentley Village Green is probably the only site in Tendring District. Almost the same could be said for the plant growing alongside them, Common Heather: despite the frequent appearance of the name ‘Heath’ in local settlements (and its superabundance down most of the Suffolk coastal Sandlings), the Tending Heather population away from Great Bentley was restricted to a few sprigs in a few woodland rides. One of these, Cockaynes Wood in Alresford, has been nurtured and managed while all around it the trees came tumbling down through gravel extraction; the population there is now amongst the finest Essex has to offer.

Back at Great Bentley though, no such recovery (yet), even though the heathery area has long been recognised, valued and not over-managed. All those years ago I was drawn to the rare grasses by the obvious presence of those few Heather bushes, and when I returned this year, the same few bushes were still standing, sentinels of a heathland history. Clearly here was somewhere we might be able to make a real difference on the ground, so we readily agreed to the Council’s request.

Unfortunately, as the pictures show, the height of last summer’s drought was not the best time to assess the botanical riches of the site, but there were still some signs of green (and even flower) from Yarrow, Autumn Hawkbit, Common Knapweed and Mouse-eared Hawkweed for example, all signs of the relatively natural state of at least parts of the Green.

A very simple walk-over allowed time to evaluate it and make recommendations as to the best areas for managing more of the site as an autumn-cut hay meadow rather than as the overmown, lifeless green carpet typical of most municipal recreation areas. The map below shows a rough apportioning of the blocks of the Green into areas of greatest priority for conservation, based upon their naturalness, apparent history of recreational use, topography and richness of the flora.

We look forward to at least some of our recommendations being implemented, to the benefit not only of the flowers, but the insects that are dependent upon them, and carbon sequestration as well – a good grassland stores as much carbon from the atmosphere as woodland. All that … and it would save the Council money as well!

May 2023 update

What a transformation! The whole Green was actually green, and a whole lot more plants of interest were recognisable in May.

Interestingly, and reassuringly, none of what I found this Spring led me to reassess significantly the priority rating of the various sectors. Clearly the most important sections for biodiversity are A and B, as evaluated previously, the only difference to my previous assessment being that the north-western section of area B is clearly of equivalent value to A, lacking only the Heather component.

After a damp spring, this subsection of B is already becoming highly droughted, bare patches are forming, and grass growth is insignificant, no doubt because they are on pure sand/gravel deposits. The most important species found, in abundance, were Early Hair-grass and Bird’s-foot, neither of which is at all common in north Essex, together with lovely reddened patches of Sheep’s Sorrel and occasional rosettes of Buck’s-horn Plantain.

Such naturally droughted habitat, grass-heath at its most extreme, is of such value lately that I would class this site (particularly areas A and B) as of county-wide significance.

#WildEssexWalks: The Naze and Walton Backwaters

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, WildEssex

Our annual exploration of the shore at Walton-on-the-Naze was as enjoyable as ever and we thank the group for getting as excited about the geology and shells as us! Some interesting finds included a piece of fossilised whale bone, a 50 million year old shark’s tooth, and several left-hand coiling whelks Neptunia contraria, fascinating as most gastropods coil in a dextral way.

Modern shells were to be found too, including the attractive Piddocks, or Angel’s wings, which bore vertically in the soft London Clay, making perfectly round holes as they do so.

We were lucky with the weather: although dull it was dry, a welcome contrast to the very heavy rains of the previous few days.  This year we also offered an afternoon walk, atop the cliffs, to check out the wildlife away from the shore as well as the expansive sea views.

The whole area, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is one of the finest geological sites in Britain, comprising layers of London Clay topped by Red Crag. The stunning redness of the Crag due to oxidisation of the sand and shell layer laid down over 3 million years ago when Walton was, as now, at the edge of the sea, just prior to it being engulfed in the turmoil of the last Ice Age.

Recent landslips were apparent. A combination of rainwater downwards, lubrication of the clay surface, and storm wave pressures make the whole area vulnerable – although exciting for geologists and fossil-hunters, nevertheless is extremely worrying for the buildings atop the cliffs, for example the famous Naze Tower, a 300 year old landmark built by Trinity House for navigational purposes, which year by year inches its way to the cliff edge (although now slowed by the creation of the Crag Walk).

Immersed in beach-combing as we were, we occasionally raised our eyes seawards to admire the bird-life. Many Dark-bellied Brent Geese were seen and heard, maybe 400 in total, all recently arrived from Siberia, with in amongst them a couple of Pale-bellied individuals. The Essex Coast is a vitally important place for Brent Geese and a fifth of the world’s population use our shores for winter feeding.

Other shorebirds included Grey Plovers, Turnstones and Redshanks, while in the cliff scrub Robins ‘ticked’ (probably  Scandinavian migrants), families of Long -tailed Tits and a Cetti’s Warbler or two, in atypically subdued song.

After a restorative lunch we spent the afternoon ambling around the grassy areas atop the cliffs, and walking the seawall. We were struck by the amount of vegetation in flower – Narrow-leaved Ragwort (new arrival in these parts from South Africa), Sea Mayweed and Yarrow were easy to spot.

Less surprising, but very welcome to insects, was lots of Gorse in full flower (it is said to flower when ‘kissing is in season’ ie all the year round!). Its beautiful coconut scent and bright yellow flowers a real tonic on a dull winter’s afternoon.

The Sea Hog’s Fennel was a point of conversation – lots of these have been deliberately planted at the Naze, and for a specific purpose: it is an Ark population outside the reach of rising sea levels, for the moment at least. A very rare plant itself, it is the only food plant of an even rarer moth, the Fisher’s Estuarine Moth (shown below although not seen on the day!), which was first discovered in the area by Ben Fisher, a friend of ours and by chance also of one of our group.

As always, there is so much to discover in nature once you get your eye in.  An as-yet-unidentified (but interesting-looking) small bug on the fencing by the seawall, Spangle Galls on oak leaves, Witches’ Brooms (also a gall, but caused by a fungus) on  Silver Birch, plus some rather attractive grassland fungi and hedges laden with the fruits of the season. Autumn is really penetrating into the depths of winter this year!

Hopefully everyone enjoyed their time on the Naze, a place definitely worth returning to throughout the year as the seasons change.

So that’s about it for walks with WILD ESSEX for ’22. Still on our agenda is a free Zunday Zoom session on Sunday 11th December (see our next newsletter for the link) and then we hope to kick off next year with our annual Wild Flower Hunt on 1st Jan.  Thanks to everyone who has joined us this year for events.

 

#WildEssexWalks: autumn in Wivenhoe Park

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

When the day dawned for our annual Fungi walk at the Uni, we were slightly less than optimistic….the rain was beating down on our velux windows, and we knew from a recce a couple of days previously that the fungi were not going to be at their best this year, no doubt due to the long, hot, dry summer and subsequent lack of rain.

However, we need not have worried!  Our fantastic group of friends old and new cared not about the weather (no such thing as wrong weather, only wrong clothes) and still enjoyed a couple of hours in Wivenhoe Park, happy to learn about the trees/galls/leaves and history of the park as well as searching for fungi.

The trees never fail to delight at this wonderful place – specimen trees from all continents of the world, selected for the parkland when Wivenhoe House was first built in the 1750s and added to ever since then – plus many natives including Pedunculate Oaks, Beech and Silver Birch, including a few specimen oaks which probably predate the Park and Hall by half a millennium.

The vast quantity of acorns on the ground was noticeable, this year having been a ‘mast’ year, when the trees put lots of energy into producing fruit, a mechanism to ensure survival of the species by periodically swamping all the seed eaters such as Jays. (Rather overkill as it only takes one acorn to replace a tree!). However, it is an interesting phenomenon, and one that is happening more frequently (three times in the past four years when just a short few years ago, once a decade was more expected), due to the climate chaos encircling us all: the venerable trees are crying out for help, sensing perhaps a premature end as droughts and other stresses make them vulnerable to disease.

A Tree Trail has been put together to take in some of the best examples in the Park, well worth a look…University of Essex Tree Trail – Walking Route in Colchester, Colchester – Visit Colchester. Here are just a couple of the trees – Cork Oaks brought back from the Peninsular Wars by the Park’s owner Major General Rebow, and a couple of Swamp Cypresses growing in the lake, and using snorkel roots to breathe.

But once again, weather conspired against us: the lack of any frost in October means that the sometimes vibrant autumn colours have simply not developed. Compare these two pictures of the leaves of North American Red Oaks in Wivenhoe Park – first in 2019, and then this year, on almost the same date: from autumnal fire to subdued embers…

As expected the fungi were not great (no Fly Agarics this year for example), but other favourites were discovered including Parasols, Beefsteak, Chicken of the Woods and Birch Bracket, as well as lots of ‘LBJs’  (Little Brown Jobs!). Here are a few photos of what we did find:

Galls are a particular interest of ours, and we were pleased to have discovered a couple of days ago Neuroterus saliens,  a rarely seen gall on Turkey Oak. Discovered in UK only in 2006 it has spread in the south east, although we think our record is the first for this part of Essex (probably just that nobody has looked for it, as all Turkey Oaks we saw were covered in it).

Oak trees are particularly blessed/cursed with galls, over 50 different types can be found on these species, though galls, caused by a variety of minute wasps/mites/flies etc do not generally damage their hosts. But again it was noticeable just how few spangle-galls there were: these are normally very obvious at this time of year – once again the suspicion has to be that the freakish weather of 2022 is to blame. Weather that may be responsible for other anomalous sites on a dreary day at the very end of October, Chicory in flower and a welcome beacon of colour.

For those interested in finding out more about which fungi are edible (some are, and delicious, whilst others are deadly poisonous), we would recommend a book coming out early in the New Year Edible Fungi of Britain and Northern Europe | Princeton University Press.  We have had a minor role copy-editing it, and so we know just how beautiful – and useful – it is. We are also hosting a free zoom session ‘The Magic of Mushrooms’ on Sunday 6th November at 7pm.  If you would like the link contact jmgibson1959@btinternet.com.

Thanks to all who braved the weather today, and hope you all enjoyed as much as we did.

 

 

 

Chattowood: putting ‘Right Plant, Right Place’ into action UPDATED FOR 2023 & 2024

Beth Chatto Gardens, Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

Beth Chatto was, of course, a gardener ahead of her time. Inspired by her ecologist husband Andrew, she pioneered sustainable horticulture, neatly captured by the aphorism ‘Right Plant, Right Place’. Simply, if you plant the plant where it wants to be, then the less you will need to do for it, in terms of inputs.

The culmination of this approach is the Gravel Garden in the Beth Chatto Gardens. A naturally droughty site, it was planted with Right Plants – tolerant of drought, visually attractive to us and, almost universally, attractive to visiting insects, providing nectar and pollen resources throughout the year. The only inputs these plants have received are just a bucket of water as they were planted and what the skies have produced in this semi-arid corner of Essex. Little water and no chemicals: that is ecological gardening, enjoyed by thousands of people and a myriad of insects each year. Over its 20-year existence it has experienced deluges and droughts, increasingly so with climate breakdown, and still it thrives.

So when a local opportunity arose to spread this word in a practical way, Beth’s grand-daughter Julia and all the Garden team were well-placed. Just a few hundred metres down the road, a developer Lanswood had permission for a new housing estate, and they called it ‘Chattowood’….taking that name, they could hardly refuse to cooperate!

It was agreed that at the entrance to the estate, the estate landscaping and front gardens would be planted in the ‘Beth’s Gravel Garden’ style. What’s more, it was further agreed that those front gardens would be retained as part of the estate fabric and be looked after by the management company, so giving assurance that the initial investment in ecology would not be wiped out at the whim of a new householder.

With plans, supervision, help and plants from the Garden, in April 2022 the gardens were created. First the topsoil was stripped and taken away: a good move as plants that need fertile loam will also need water, fertilizer and pesticides to keep looking good.  30cm of local sand then laid on top, and the potted plants planted in, each with their last bucket of water. And apart from sporadic hand-weeding, that’s it.

I first visited in late June when, despite the very dry preceding months it was looking wonderful – and buzzing! Salvia, Gaura, Verbena, Lavandula, Buddleia, Santolina and many more blooming away, feeding the masses and starting to fill the space.

A plan was hatched for me to assess the value of these gardens for insects, in comparison with the conveniently situated next door estate, a place of new-laid turf, a few robust hedging plants and ‘lollipop’ trees. Then came the record-breaking heatwave and intensified drought. I deferred my surveys until the climatic turmoil subsided, and managed to return in mid-August. It was still warm and dry, but not too extreme either for the insects or for me to be out… Very pleasingly, almost all the new plants had survived, even though some had lost their flowers earlier than would have been expected in a more normal summer. A second set of visits in September came after the drought broke, but as the season was fading so fewer insects were evident.

I opted for simple walk-past census of the gardens, which at a very slow pace took some 15-20 minutes. Any longer and the survey would have been more subject to the issues of double-counting. Insects were assigned to major groups; only those which are readily identifiable at a glance were identified down to species level. A similar length of time was spent searching for insects in the front gardens and public areas of the adjacent estate immediately after each Chattowood survey.

A table of the results for anyone interested is available here: Chattowood survey. As hoped (and expected), the Chattowood plantings attracted a greater number of individuals and species of visiting insect. The headline summary of 120 insects recorded in Chattowood versus just 6 in the adjacent estate for the same observer effort is very telling, 20 times more insects in the purpose-planted garden areas.

Here are a some of the insect highlights (admittedly not all taken here and this year: I was too busy counting!)

Another significant point was that half of the insects recorded in the adjacent development were attracted to ‘weeds’ (specifically Bristly Ox-tongue) that dared to push their way through the drought-scorched turf. Needless to say, those flower resources were not available due to mowing after the second visit.

It will be interesting to continue this study next summer, in hopefully more normal weather conditions. It may then also attract some interest or comment from the houses that will no doubt be occupied by then. Although a very simple survey, it has produced hard data in favour of this planting approach from a biodiversity perspective. It would also be interesting to look at other measurables from the project, including costs, public perception and approval, including saleability of the new houses.

Chattowood – a tribute to Julia’s vision and persuasiveness, the hard work of the Beth Chatto and Lanswood teams, and a vision of a sustainable future for gardens and housing developments, especially living in the global greenhouse. What an antidote to the ecopathic trend for ‘plastic grass’ and the like…!

[ Also published on BNA website, see here]

Update for 2023

Monitoring of the Chattowood front gardens was continued for a second summer in 2023. Only those gardens which were originally planted in in April 2022 were included in the comparison ie those which have additionally been planted since then and were thus less mature were not surveyed.

Methodology was exactly the same as last year (see appendix, last year’s report above) except that surveys were undertaken at approximately monthly intervals throughout the summer, rather than just in August and September.

The results tabulated below indicate a similar picture to 2022, except that the imbalance between the Chatto-style gardens and the adjacent traditional front gardens was less marked. There were 233 insects counted in our gardens compared with 28 adjacent, a eight-fold difference, compared with the twenty-fold difference in 2022. The full results are available here Chattowood survey 2023. As far as the plants are concerned, I noted at different times in the season the following all being one of the focal points of interest to insects: Bergenia, Lavandula, Teucrium, Salvia yangii, Gaura and Verbena.

I would suggest that the reduced differential compared with 2022 is due to two factors:

  1. the early months of summer 2023 were notoriously poor for insects everywhere, and it is very difficult to demonstrate differences in value to insects when there are simply almost no insects to record, and the very few found next door assumed a magnified importance in relative terms.
  2. Since 2022, some of the front gardens in the adjacent comparison site have had a degree of positive planting, with for example Lavandula and Escallonia in a couple of them. Those plants (plus the occasional lawn ‘weed’) were responsible for attracting most of the insects next door.

I therefore have no concerns that the Chatto-style planting is having reduced attractivity to insects and that this in any way invalidates our faith in this approach to gardening in new estates. Indeed, I would expect the gap to close still further (subject to vagaries of the weather) as the ‘adjacent gardens’ continue to be gradually diversified.

Update for 2024

The results tabulated here Chattowood survey 2024 indicate a similar picture to previous years, except that the imbalance between the Chatto-style gardens and the adjacent traditional front gardens was less marked in both 2023 and 2024.

High-level comparison between the years:

year surveys Total # insects BC-side Total # other side Ratio BC:other
2022 6 (19 Aug-22 Sept) 120 6 20:1
2023 6 (17 Apr – 4 Sept) 233 28 8.3:1
2024 7 (7 Apr – 17 Sept) 240 25 9.6:1

I would suggest that this reduced differential is due to two factors:

  1. For reasons perhaps related to spring/summer weather (dull, damp, often breezy) and the lack of frosts in the previous winters, the early months of summer 2023 and most of summer 2024 (until September) were notoriously poor for insects everywhere. It is very difficult to demonstrate differences in value to insects when there are simply almost no insects to record: the very few found next door assumed a magnified importance in relative terms.
  2. Since 2022, some of the front gardens in the adjacent comparison site have had a degree of positive planting, with for example Lavandula and Escallonia in a couple of them. Those plants (plus the occasional lawn ‘weed’) were responsible for attracting most of the insects next door.

I therefore have no concerns that the Chatto-style planting is having reduced attractivity to insects and that this in anyway invalidates our faith in this approach to gardening in new estates. Indeed, I would expect the gap to close still further (subject to vagaries of the weather) as the ‘adjacent gardens’ continue to be gradually diversified.

It is also interesting to note the arrival of ground-nesting insects in the older Chattowood sand gardens, I suspect as a crust has developed on the surface, so the holes don’t collapse. Three species at least have colonized this summer, Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum, Ivy Bee Colletes hederae and Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa. The first two are not too surprising given that they have undergone significant spread from southern regions in recent decades due to climate change, but the Sand Wasp has always been here, just restricted to heathlands. It is common on the Suffolk coast, and also around Tiptree/Layer Breton and Fingringhoe Wick, but I have never seen it closer (Cockaynes Reserve would be a good candidate). Clearly, these creatures must be moving around our landscape searching for spots they can thrive.

Cathy Butcher also reported finding earthworm casts on the pure sand in autumn, and fungi growing out of it. Both are significant, indicating that organic matter is collecting in the upper layers (perhaps related to the crust that allows bees and wasps to nest). The bare sand is developing an ecology: what lies beneath the surface is adding complexity and life.

 

 

The Wild Side of Beth Chatto Gardens: the colours of Autumn

Beth Chatto Gardens, Britain's Wildlife, WildEssex, WildWivenhoe

A wonderful day to rediscover the Beth Chatto Gardens after my femoral-nerve-induced absence: cobalt blue skies, barely a whisper of a breeze and really quite warm for mid-October….

The last blooms of summer mingled with the autumn specialities, all providing food for the numerous bumblebees and Hornets patrolling the borders.

Autumn colours though were a bit more subdued than we hoped for, no doubt because there has hardly been a sniff of a frost. After such a worryingly ridiculously hot summer we can perhaps hope for the equinoctial fires to be well stoked – but of course that is always uncertain, depending on what comes first: foliage-painting frost or leaf-stripping wind…

But one thing that can be guaranteed is the low angle of the sun, there to throw everything into relief; shadows and light, whether coloured or not, bring out the best of the garden…

And of course, the wildlife. It may be late in the season but life is still out there. All very expected, from Red Admirals and a laggard Holly Blue, to Common Darters and Willow Emeralds taking the opportunity for a meal and a mating before their world is closed down by winter. Always a poignant moment, wondering ‘will that be the last one I see this year’, never knowing until the moment has passed.

There are few better places to spend a fine autumn day…and this year it is open until mid December! Plan your visit to the Gardens (bethchatto.co.uk)

#WildEssex on Tour: Burnham and the River Crouch

Britain's Wildlife, Bug & Botany Walks, Travel by Rail, WildEssex

A first for #WildEssex – a few days away to a place far enough away to make it seem like a holiday, but not too far, with the necessities – both good wildlife and pleasant pubs 😊.  What more could we have wanted?  Well, Chris’ leg being in better shape may have speeded up the whole thing, but actually a slow pace with frequent opportunities to stop, look and listen fitted perfectly with the whole ethos of Wild Essex. The weather played ball, our group of ladies gelled brilliantly and made the whole experience a lot of fun. So thank you all!

Burnham-on-Crouch is a pretty place with maritime running through all its veins. Some of us resided in one of the ancient waterside pubs, Ye Olde White Harte, complete with lots of beams and quirkiness. Others chose to set up camp together ‘The Camper Van Three’ in their delightful touring vans.  The weather was pretty kind to us – one evening having the best sunset ever (even by Wivenhoe standards)…

… and that on the second evening was almost as impressive!

The ever-changing tides gave us constantly shifting views of the River Crouch – both for the birdlife and for the yachts and other boats moored along the riverside and at the yacht harbour.

Our amblings took us both east and west from Burnham and on the final morning we took a short but very enjoyable boat trip over to Wallasea island, now an RSPB reserve fashioned out of Crossrail spoil on top of a low-lying island previously used for intensive agriculture.

The birdlife here was somewhat disappointing, although we know that come the wintertime it will be teeming with birdlife. We were hoping to spend a whole day there but that was thwarted by the ferry not running the day we had planned; as it happened, the lack of a ferry was serendipitous given the dearth of birds.

On other days, Riverside Park, part of which is a brownfield site (so important for invertebrate life especially) and a de facto Nature Reserve, provided us with lots to admire, and we were impressed with Burnham Wick Farm, a working farm which strives to promote and help wildlife along with their daily raison d’etre of growing food.

During Chris’ ‘Sit-down Sessions’ we had the chance to think about and discuss tides and the moon; the importance of oysters, both in the past and now trying to restore Native Oyster stocks; the conflicts about how best to use our land – food, solar power, wind power, wild spaces, housing? – plus a lot else besides.

So what did we actually see?  We have compiled a list (see here Burnham lists)…., but some of the highlights included:

PLANTS – Sea Buckthorn with its cacophony of Starlings, the berries of the plant now sometimes used in superfood cooking (as an interested passer-by told us) which we tasted but were not particularly impressed with; Sea Aster in all its forms on the marshes; the ‘menagerie’ of plants, Bristly Ox-tongue, Common Fleabane, Goat’s Rue, Slender Hare’s-ear, Buck’s-horn Plantain, Autumn Hawkbit, Dogwood and more; many other fruiting species, often abundantly, including Buckthorn and Holm Oak; whole swards of Strawberry Clover and Narrow-leaved Bird’s-foot-trefoil; plus the beautiful Common Reed, its leaves showing the Devil’s teeth marks – and one of the few plants you can actually identify from the sound it makes in the breeze – known as ‘psithurisim ‘  (thanks Annie!).

INVERTEBRATES – Garden Spider, an amazingly bright Clouded Yellow butterfly, burnet moth cocoons, plus Ivy Bees homing in on the abundant Ivy flowers, Long-winged Cone-head, Forest Bug and Parent Bugs in a variety of colourways.

BIRDS – shore birds including Little Egret, Black Tailed Godwits and Ringed Plovers, Sandwich Terns, gulls and Cormorants; woodland species including several kinds of tit, Meadow Pipits and Swallows migrating through, noisy Cettis Warblers plus overhead Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel.

OTHER wildlife delights included fungi (the bracket fungus on Sea Buckthorn proved to be Fomitiporia hippophaeicola, with no previous Essex records shown on the National Biodiversity Network map) and lichens, galls, a Harbour Seal bobbing about, a Brown Hare, a Harvest Mouse nest and various kinds of poo!

So all in all, although things didn’t go entirely to our original plan, we had a great time and really hoping we can organise another Wild Essex On Tour trip next year. Please let us know if you would be interested in being kept in touch about this.