Nature Notes for September/October 2011

Thurs 1st September Being a sunny morning my wife and I decided to go on a botany ramble on Upton Heath, led by Mike Downing of the BNSS and Nigel Brooks of the DWT, in search of the marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe). We eventually found them after some searching, this beautiful bright blue funnel shape wild flower is local and can be found growing in damp areas on some Heathlands hidden among the grass, but not all heaths have them, I have never found them on Dunyeats. When searching for this wonderful flower you have to be very careful not to tread on them as they grow in small groups hidden among the grass, the flower is also protected so if ever you stumble across any when walking a heath remember NO PICKING. Other flowers found on the ramble were Hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) and the bright yellow flowered Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica), Heath milkwort (Polygala serpyllifolia)with its slender stems and bright blue flowers, Wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia) with its wrinkled leaves and yellow/green flowers and standing no more than 12 inches tall. We also found the violet/blue Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), this pretty wild flower seems to grow everywhere especially in the lawn at home, Greater burdock (Arctium lappa agg) with its hooked fruiting heads that cling to you as you brush past, Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) a common annual but always nice to find, Common cudweed (Filago germanica) and common Dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) a climbing annual that grows in a tangle of red thread like stems and is parasitic on gorse, the small yellow flowered Creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) and Tormentil (Potentilla erecta) two members of the rose family. All these flowers were found growing beside the footpaths. We were also shown a new site where nightjars were seen and heard plus where a pair of hobbies nested. And keeping us company as we made our way across the heath was a beautiful Golden-Ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) and our largest brown butterfly the Grayling (Hipparchia semele) were everywhere taking advantage of the sun.

Thurs 15th Another botany trip this time to Pigbush in the New Forest the weather was perfect sunny and warm. There were eleven of us making it easier to find some of the more elusive flora e.g. Marsh Gentians, Hare-bells (Campanula rotundifolia) and long leaved sundews (Drosera intermedia). We had found fifty species by the end of the walk, including the beautiful pink Centaury (Centaurium erythraea), Coral Necklace (Illecebrum verticillatum), Water-Pepper (Polygonum hydropiper), Hampshire Purslane (Ludwigia palustris), Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale), Bog Pimpernel (Anagallis tenella), Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica), Saw-Wort (Serratula tinctoria) and the very scarce Lesser Skullcap (Scutellaria minor). We also found some Fungi e.g. (Bulgaria inquinans) a Black Rubbery Disc shape Fungi that looked like pieces of shiny liquorice growing on some dead oak.

Mon 26th A Hummingbird Hawkmoth visited the garden today, I watched this wonderful day flying moth hover from flower to flower feeding on Honeysuckle, its proboscis reaching deep into the flower for nectar, it did not stay long enough for me to photograph.

Wed 28th Being a bright sunny morning my wife joined me for a short walk on Dunyeats Hill, there had been heavy dew during the night and on arrival the gorse as always being covered with the silk of (Linyphia triangularis). Add to this the dew decorating the webs with tiny tears of moisture looked absolutely wonderful. This spider should have been named (Linyphia I. k. brunelii) the web when looked at closely is a great fete of engineering.

The evening being mild I decided to switch on my Moth trap to see what species were airborne. The following morning I had taken - 1 Brimstone, 1 Angleshades, 4 Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Barred Sallow, 2 Hebrew Character, 1 Silver Y, 1 Light Emerald, 1 Pine Carpet, 1 Blair's Shoulder-Knot, 1 Mervielle du jur, 3 Sallow, 1 Willow Beauty, 2 Black Rustic plus many Caddis flies and Midges. As you can see there was nothing outstanding, except the Blairs Shoulder Knot and the Black Rustic, which were a first for the garden, plus the handsome Mervielle du jur. All the moths were released and records sent to the Dorset Moth Group.

Sun Oct 2nd "Autumn the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" as the poet John Keats put so perfectly in his poem, seems to be with us now. The horse chestnut started shedding its seed i.e. Conkers in September, Black laurel berries are falling everywhere staining the paths and soles of your shoes when trodden on, but the fox must like them judging by the amount of black droppings I see in the park. The almond has shed most of its fruit which is about the size of a plum and covered in a velvet skin often mistaken for a small peach until you take a bite which I am sure many a school boy has and quickly spat it out. The slightest breeze and leaves fall, starting with silver birch and the Lombardy poplar followed by the many varieties of Acer platanoides and the Liquidambar from North America. This tree is the aristocrat of autumn colour its glossy palmate leaves of red, orange and purple, when fallen decorate the ground perfectly producing a huge collage, and it almost feels a crime having to rake them up.

Fri 7th Went on a field trip led by Margaret Evelyn and Sara Cadbury (a Mycology specialist) to Busketts Lawn in the New Forest to look for fungi. The morning was overcast with a slight chill in the air but later became sunny and warm. Fifteen turned out for the foray including myself and my wife all eager to find as many toadstools and other fungi in the allotted time. By the end of five hours of searching we had found forty species, some large like the Coral Tooth (Hericium coralloides) that looks like an exotic undersea coral, this beautiful fungi is edible but should not be picked because of its rarity, this was the first time I had ever seen one and I hope it will not be the last. Some of the fungi found had wonderful names, e.g. Amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystine), Green elfcup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens) this small fungi stains its wood substrate a beautiful green. Blushing bracket (Daedaleopsis confragosa), Penny bun (Boletus edulis), Blackening waxcap (Hygrocybe conica), Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) and Horn of plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides). One of the smallest fungi found was the Scarlet Caterpillarclub (Cordyceps militaris) this small orange-red club-shaped fungi grows parasitically on butterfly /moth larvae or pupae buried in the soil.

Fri 21st Today we walked across Canford Heath heading east toward Wallisdown. There were areas being cleared of (Rhododendron ponticum) that were gradually taking over parts of the heath and many pines being felled opening up areas to give heather and gorse more breathing space. This work has to be undertaken to keep the heath in prime condition for birds, reptiles and invertebrates to breed. During the walk we counted four Dartford warbler, these secretive long tailed little birds are always nice to see. Their numbers fluctuate from year to year; heath fires and hard winters can reduce numbers dramatically. I found several wood ant (Formica rufa) nests in places I had never observed them before, these were daughter nests which are part of their budding system, but where the mother nest was I do not know, these ants can travel some distance when budding.

Keith Clements - Parks, Nature Reserves & Heathland

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