Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Mindful Minute

Wildlife-Friendly Gardening Jobs

Wordless Wednesday: The Importance of Ivy as a Food Source

Calne Tree of the Year 2022

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫!

We know that trees are essential to our health and well-being and can be beautiful and interesting as in the case of the Indian Bean trees planted in Calne town centre to celebrate Twinning.

Nominate your favourite tree or group of trees in Calne for the Tree of the Year competition and be in with the chance winning a prize - including a tree planted in one of Calne’s public spaces.

Your chosen tree can be growing anywhere – a street, park, or garden but must be visible to the public. It can be old or young, large or small, and to nominate it you don’t need to know the species.

Calne Town Council’s Amenities, Conservation and Sustainability Manager will inspect all nominations and the winner will be decided by the Calne in Bloom Working Group judges.

The aim of this special competition is to help people take more notice of their environment with special emphasis on trees.

To make a submission, and submit a photo visit https://www.calne.gov.uk/tree-comp/

alternatively, scan the QR code.

Find us on Facebook to learn more about our work and how to get involved:

Calne in Bloom Calne Community Nature Reserve

Earth Day 2022: Calne Community Nature Reserve

 

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 #𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚.

Whether it's a window box or a whole acre, every space pledged helps us understand where the spaces for wildlife are and the connections between them - helping us to identify urban dead spots and discuss improvements with landowners.

You can pledge your space regardless of where you are in your journey. Just fill out the form to let us know the habitats you are providing.

Join the other wildlife-friendly gardeners and pledge today:

https://docs.google.com/.../1twp2iVm8RQIUPrtSY5vBRdG.../edit

#Nature #Wildlife #Gardening #WildlifeGardening #Earthday #Earthday2022

Wordless Wednesday: Bee

Calne Tree of the year Winner 2021

Well done to our inaugural Calne Tree of the Year winner.

In 2021, I designed the Calne Tree of the Year competition, which is delivered through Calne in Bloom. The competition closed in January 2021, with our very first winner. The winner's tree will be planted in during the 2022-2023 tree planting season. Like this page to keep updated!

If you'd like to submit your favourite Calne tree for the competition this year, head over to: https://www.calne.gov.uk/tree-comp/

When you've filled out the form, please submit a photograph of your nominated tree via email to calne@calne.gov.uk

Spring into action with Plantlife: Ash dieback and lichens notes

Ash Tree along Abberd Brook, Calne

Dave Lamacraft (Plantlife) and Demelza Hyde (National Trust, Lydford Gorge) presented a lecture on Ash dieback and the lichens that rely on them. 

What lichens grow where:

• Climate and microclimate (Light, Temp, Humidity)
• Growth medium (Chemistry, Texture, Porosity)
• Environment (Nutrients, salinity, air pollution)

Elm trees and Dutch elm disease: Orange-fruited elm lichen required elm bark (PH7) and sensitive to pollution. This used to be a quite widely distributed lichen, however it is barely recorded since the 2000s. Similarly Eagle's claws lichen and sap-groove lichen have been hit hard with the loss of Elm. However, sap-groove lichen has faired better due to less Elm-specific requirements.

Why was Elm so important to so many species of lichen?

• pH - alkaline bark
• Rough texture and water retentive bark
• Big, long-lived tree that was widespread
• Tendency to acquire wounds that led to sap runs and wound tracks, which were a niche habitat for lichen.

Ash trees in Britain have over 100 species of lichen associated with them. This includes red list species, which historically were Elm specific species.

• Important for lichen due to being:
• Big, long-lived tree that was widespread
• High pH
• Poor resistance to fungal damage.

We are expecting around 80% loss of Ash in Britain, so what will happen to the lichen species that rely on Ash - what can we do?

Funding by Natural England and National Resources Wales has enabled Plantlife research into ways in which people can manage sites to mitigate impact from loss of Ash. One outcome was the publication: Ash dieback and Lichens in England, which you can download. This short publication looks at the risks and alternative species that could replace Ash as a host. In addition a list of particularly vulnerable lichen are assessed. This document, when followed can help land managers understand how to improve the situation before the Ash is lost - allowing species such as lichen to transfer to the new species or to prosper in dead wood that is left stacked.

We then moved onto a case study at Lydford Gorge, entitled Lichens, Ash Dieback and Lydford: Putting Theory into Practice.

Lydford is an SSSI temperate rainforest on the edge of Dartmoor with over 80,000 visitor each year, with ancient Hazel and Oak woodland on steep slopes. They now know that the 120 acre site is also important for lichens and bryophytes, when Tree Lungwort was discovered around 2019/2020. Since then a Rapid Woodland Assessment and a recording visit from the British Lichen Society has enabled a deeper understanding of the site and much data forming a foundation of knowledge.

Sadly, is has also been discovered that around 320 Ash trees need felling, with many other trees needing work. However, the new understanding has enable Demelza to create a plan for each tree, which has reduced the amount of trees needing to be felled immediately. This is allowing the NT to apply for a translocation licence to enable lichens to be moved to healthy trees.

An action plan was created with Plantlife to understand what the NT could do locally and nationally. This means that the Lydford Gorge team understand the trees that are important to their site and ensuring a favourable environment for those species, such as removing competition.

View the whole talk here:

Wordless Wednesday: Mindful Minute at The Courts Garden

Spring into action with Plantlife: An introduction to grasses by Sarah Shuttleworth

Here are my notes from the fantastic presentation by Sarah Shuttleworth, hosted by Plantlife:

Why are grasses important?

The are one of the most diverse group of plants, ranging from annual to perennial. They spread from grasslands, to woodland, rocky shores and everything inbetween!

Grasses can regenerate after being eaten (of cut by lawn mowers), they also have the ability to store a lot of carbon. Up to 30% of carbon is actually stored in grasses. They also make up the majority of our diet.

Grass Anatomy

Stems, sheaths, ligules and auricles

The main part of the grass is called the culm (the stem) and is often uses to identify the species, such as if it's hairy or thick or has an interesting colour.

Node is a solid joint or region along the main stem and often thicker. They can be straight, or act as a 'knee' with the upper culm going off at an angle after the node. Sometimes the nodes can be much hairier than the culm.

The leaf blade can often be measured in aid of identification (particularly width). Do the leaves have ridges, or narrow parts, do the leaves curl in or are they hairy or shiny?

The leaf sheaf is the basal part of the grass leaf that encircles the stem. Can the culm be seen, or does the leaf sheaf cover the entire the culm (is it fused or partly fused or does it overlap?).

Ligule, a thin membranous outgrowth from the base of the blade that is present in most grasses. Sometimes the ligule is a ring of hairs instead of a membrane. Along with being either long or short, ligules can be smooth at the edge, rough, or fringed.

Auricles are an ear-like projection that appears from the leaf blade, where it meets the stem. 

Inflorescence is the group of flowers, with specific styles that help with ID. These include, panicle (Quaking grass), spike (Italian rye grass), raceme, and the spike-like panicle. 

Pedicel, a small stalk holding an individual flower within an inflorescence.

Spikelet, a flowering unit of two glumes and at least one floret.

Glume, two membranous bracts that surround a spikelet of a grass from the base. Sometimes stripy!

Floret is an individual flower of a grass spikelet.

Lemma is the lowermost of two chaff-like bracts that enclose the grass floret organs. It often bears a long bristle called an awn.

Palea is the interior chaff-like bract. Not often used for identification.

Awn, a hair-like / bristle-like projection. Awns can be on glumes, lemmas, or both.

Another fantastic presentation by Sarah, backed up with some fantastic videos, homemade models grass parts, and quizzes. If you get the chance to take part on one of Sarah's presentations, you'll come away with a lot of new knowledge!

Sarah Shuttleworth is a botanical specialist involved with the NPMS and botanical training across Plantlife. An experienced trainer with a talent for helping us all learn.

Spring into action with Plantlife: A comparison of meadow surveying and monitoring methods available at Plantlife

This talk covered 3 different ways you can monitor your meadow.

Host, Lauren, discussed how to understand how management is makes a difference for wild plant diversity. 

It focussed on the different methods Plantlife currently uses: Every Flower Counts, Rapid Grassland Assessment and NPMS+. 

Here are my notes on the presentation:

What is a meadow and meadow types

Poppies

Lucia Chmurova, Magnificent Meadows Cymru Manager, introduced the concept of meadows. Typically understood as either:

Native, largely perennial wildflower meadows, including grasses

or

Pictorial meadows of cornfield annuals, such as poppies, that are re-sown each year.

However, only the perennial type of meadow is considered as a meadow by ecologists.

Species-rich meadows are important as living space for wildlife, to store carbon (below ground), to increased flood resilience, for our wellbeing, and as an important space for farming. Overall, this makes meadows a valuable space for a variety of reasons.

Carbon storage for unimproved grass and scrub at 230 tonne per ha, is actually higher than woodland at 200tph.

Ragged Robin

Within succession, annual plants, such as nettles and poppies take over bare ground. Perennial
meadows are the next stage of succession before scrub, softwood trees, and finally hardwood trees take over.

To ensure a good plant species diversity, wildflower meadows need ongoing management to prevent succession - important as we have so few meadows.

Between April-July meadows should remain uncut to see what is present, before being cut.

Acid (less species rich, marshy/upland area), Neutral, Calcareous (most species rich grassland. Thin, free draining soil), and Improved (plain green fields, often due to modern technology, fertilisers and herbicides) are the four different types of grassland.

Meadow Monitoring

Why monitor a meadow?

• Species 
• Type of community of plants
• Whether management is working - is this increasing or decreasing species?
• Discovery of problem species
• Discover how rare or introduced species are managing
• Changes to the grassland over time

A survey would be a species list, done either once or intermittently.

Monitoring would include a regular survey, showing abundance of species, change over time, and habitat characteristics. It is important to stick with the same style of monitoring, so that the same method is used and comparisons can be made.

Very simply, we can look at species presence or absence. DAFOR - abundance. DOMIN is percentage cover.

There is the need to assess habitat characteristics, such as ratio of flower to grasses, extent of scrub, litter, etc, also extent of bare ground (and the reason why, such as grazing).

Sampling methods include using quadrats, linear plots, or transects.

Fixed squares or plots are often around 5x5m, with the survey repeated in the same spot each visit. 

Randomised or semi-randomised sampling can be 1x1m squares placed around a field, but the square are not fixed and can be changed each survey.

Indicator species can tell you whether the conditions are good or poor and are often divided into positive or negative indicators. Wild thyme and bird's foot trefoil are good indicators, whereas creeping thistle and common nettle are negative indicators as they tend to dominate (indicating too many nutrient, for example.)

Monitoring Projects

Every Flower Counts

Oliver stepped into discuss the monitoring method of Every Flower Counts.

This is a citizen science survey that takes place in May and July each year in gardens, parks, or other domesticated grasslands.

This survey provides engagement by providing a 'Nectar Score' based on species and flowers discovered by a semi-random square is placed and a count of flowers for each species.

National Plant Monitoring Scheme

A scheme launched in 2015 to give a national overview on trends on meadow habitat. This provides a lot of data on plant abundance providing data on what is happening with Britain's grasslands.

This uses a fixed 5x5m plot that is surveys twice each year, with much online support provided, with data feeding into UK-wide data and statistics.

NPMS+ is being developed for landowners to do this survey on their own land in the next couple of years.

Rapid Grassland Assessment

Used to monitor grassland condition, done of a regular basis (at least annually), using indicator species to inform site management. It is useful for detecting short-term changes in meadow creation or restoration.

Step 1: Create a recording sheet template specifically for your site

Step 2: Place quadrats at the site

Step 3: Record the data in the field

Step 4: analyse results.

More information can be downloaded.

Comparison of schemes

A fantastic overview from Plantlife

Watch the lecture for yourself for the full story:

Spring into action with Plantlife: Spring into action with Plantlife with Sarah Shuttleworth

The aims of this webinar:

• Learn the basic parts of a plant
• Be able to recognise these parts in some flowers
• Provide a strong foundation for learning more about plant identification

Why do we need to learn this?

• Terminology can be intimidating
• Foundation of knowledge to go further
• Transferrable skills for learning about other aspects of nature

To begin with, we looked at the anatomy of a generalised flower. Here's a diagram I crew a few years ago:

The base of the flower is the receptacle, between the end of the flower stalk and before the flower organs. The T-shape at the base of the diagram is the receptacle.

Sepals are the whorl of outermost flower organs, their role is to protect the flower when it is bud. A group of sepals are called a calyx. Sepals can be free, fused together as a calyx/calyx tube (eg. Ragged Robin), or partly fused (eg. Bell flower).

Petals are the second whorl of floral organs. As a group, known as the corolla, consisting of free petals (eg. cranesbills), or a joined tube (eg. harebell). Petals can be whole or various depths of notched petals.

Another old diagram, this time focussing
 on petal and sepal terminology.

Pistil consists of the ovary, style and stigma, also known as a carpel. Where a pistil and carpel differ is when there is internal division with multiple carpels within a single pistil, this can be seen when multiple styles and stigmas are showing from a single ovary, such as in members of the carrot family.

The ovary can be either superior, above the other flower parts, or inferior, underneath the flower parts. There is also an intermediate version going by the name of semi-inferior. My diagram shows a superior ovary. The ovary is the ovule-bearing (immature seed bearing) organ. The ovary may contain many ovules.

The stigma, which can vary massively from feathered to multiple prongs, such as trident structures, is the receptive tip of a carpel, or of several fused carpels.

The style is the structure that supports the stigma and provides a route for the pollen tube to develop after pollination. Styles can be very long, pushing the stigma outside of the whorls, or very short.

Stamen consists of a filament (stalk), with anthers at the end. The filament pushes the anthers out into the world, making the pollen-filled anthers available.

Looking at the wider plant, there are leaves (or blades), stems that have nodes (such as leaves) and internodes, the parts in-between.

If a leaf is not fixed to the stem, it will have a structure called a petiole in-between the stem and leaf. Some plant have stipules at the base of the petiole, which can sometimes be used for species identification.

Sarah's teaching style is fantastic, comprehensive, and yet easy going. Her homemade giant flower was a great learning aid. The presentation had two quizzes, which were useful for recalling the terms given. 

Much advice was given about progressing with studies, with some books and apps recommended. 

This webinar can be viewed here:

The follow up webinar can be joined here: An introduction to plant identification: 5 families (tixoom.app)

Spring into action with Plantlife: How storytelling can change the world

This fascinating talk was given by Lisa Schneidau, storyteller, conservationist and author of Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland in conversation with Plantlife's CEO Ian Dunn.

Ian provides the detail of Plantlife's connection with the plant and ideas of each story that Lisa tells.

Juniper

The focus of the first talk is the tree that provides a key ingredient for gin, that of the Juniper. Plantlife have had much success in increasing the population of Juniper trees over the past decade.

Lisa goes on to give us a tale of gossiping Juniper trees near the road on a chalk downland.

The trees, lacking anything to gossips about, get bored, with two trees actually caving in.

Eventually a shifty man with a bag of corn hides among the trees, giving the Junipers something to talk about. They summise that the bag is stolen, and pass the information on from bush to tree to bush.

The local constable hears of this theft, arrests the theif and miller who accepted the bag of corn. Both men are hanged, giving the trees much to discuss for a long time.

Ian connects this idea of gossiping trees, to the tree root network that may indicate much more communication between trees that we had ever perhaps imagined.

The Land

Lisa then tells us of the land remembers, even as far back as King Arthur. This particular patch of land, this field in Devon, which nobody has ever been owned. Land grabs and laws have never been able to put the land in the ownership of any human. 

Lisa describes a wonderful ancient hedgerow and the species growing along and within it. The farmer, Farmer Oak, that owns this hedgerow, believes he owns that piece of land.

On the other side of the field, a modern and productive farm, owned by Farmer Ash, who also feels that he owns the fields.

Neither farmer gets on with the other, with no communication for decades.

Farmer Oak walks through the field covered in plentiful species, he happens to bump into Farmer Ash. Finally, a chance to talk, after all these decades. Both farmers tell the other to get off their land!

Farmer Oak says that if he let Ash have the field, he'd destroy the last remaining wildlife meadow in England. Ash says he has no time for flowers, he needs to drain it and get his cows on the fields. This leads to fisty cuffs between the two, ending up down into a boggy end of the field, both with hands around the others neck.

This continued through the night and into the dawn, hands around necks. 

Only the squelching sound of boots led to them looking around, at the same time, at a woman standing their asking, "What are you two doing?".

After hearing both saying that it was their land, she kneels down and listens to the land. 

The land tells her that the farmers belong to it.

The Curse of Pantannas

Ian tells us that Plantlife are just as concerned with fungi as with plants and recognise the importance and deep connection between plants fungi.

Heading west to the Vale of Glamorgan, Lisa tells us of when farmers began to increase their land ownership.

The story tells us of a field of fairy rings, and loud fairies, that bother the farmer that 'owns' the field.

Getting fed up of the situation, the farmer visits the wise woman at the edge of the village. She questions the logic of removing the fairies from 'his' field, as the fairies will not take kindly to being evicted.

The farmer does no care and takes her advice of ploughing the field with iron, to remove the fairies.

A clean and tidy silence follows, he sows a crop. Just when the crop was about to be ready to harvest, a little man with a red coat and silver sword declares "vengeance will come", to the farmer as he stands at the edge of the field.

The ground rumbles and shakes as the field is ready to harvest. The ground is black and desolate. No crops.

The little man appears to tell the farmer that this is just the beginning, with more vengeance to come, even as the farmer cries and declares that he didn't know what he was doing.

The little man returns to his king to tell him of the sorry state of the farmer. However, he returns to say that vengeance will come, but to a future generation of the farmer's family.

As the generations come and go, the family joke that 'vengeance will come'. It doesn't come until after WWII to a man named Madoc, returning home as a war hero to the farm where he grew up. The future to him looked ever-so bright.

The the voices came, "vengeance is here", disrupting a part being held by Madoc. After leaving Teleri, his betrothed, with the safety of her parent, he turned to head home. 

He never did return home. There was no sign of Madoc. Only Teleri believd Madoc had not gone. 

A wise man tells Madoc's parents that Madoc will not return in their lifetime. However, Teleri awaits Madoc's return from the top of the hill observing the landscape.

As she watches, the land changes. Hedges ripped out, chemicals sprayed.

Eventually, Teleri is buried at the local church. 

As Madoc was walking home that fateful night, he heard some magical music in a raven's rift. That music enchanted Madoc, he stood and listened. As hours passed, then music stopped, and he eventually made his way out of the cave, to a landscape unrecognisably changed. 

The only familiar building is the old farmhouse. When he walks into his home, he is confronted by an old man, who knows no Madoc, apart from a century old folk tale.

The old man tries to touch Madoc, who turns to dust, which is blown down to the river.

As Ian comments, we can only ever be custodians of the land, never the owners, as the changes we make can be too devastating.

Janet and Thomalyn (TamLane)

A couple who have known each other since childhood. Tamlane goes missing for a year, with Janet searching the woods for him.

One morning, Janet is picking berries when suddenly TamLane appears after being taken away be the Queen of the fairies. 

Janet desires to have TamLane back for good, but after spending the night with him, he has vanished again. Upon returning home, she is kept in her room by her parents for her safety. However, she soon discovers that her is pregnant by TamLane. 

She escapes and TamLane appears after she picks three broom flowers. TamLane fears being sacrificed to the underworld by the Queen.

On the border between England and Scotland, as the crossroads, she follows TamLane's instructions and yanks him down off his horse to reclaim him. The Queen casts a curse, turning TomLane into a ball of ice, then fire, then an adder, then a swan, but Janet holds on. Finally, TamLane is turned into a red-hot piece of iron. Janet throws him into the river.

The Queen gives up her claim to TamLane. The two lovers, expecting a child, are free to live their lives free.

Lisa is a fantastic storyteller, who truly draws the listener in. The wonderful versions of these folk tales inspire a greater responsibility towards the land and the many species that need the land to live - as we do. She makes the case that perhaps fairies, within the stories, are acting as agents for plants and other species that cannot speak for themselves.

Lisa makes the case that storytelling can change the world because it is such a powerful method of communication, allowing us to see that pathway through to the positive changes that we can make in the future. Lisa challenges us to look at our own pathways and what difference we can make an individuals, on a personal level.

Get your copy of Lisa's fantastic book below (free to read for those with Kindle Unlimited at the time of publishing this post)

Now a Registered Member of British Naturalist' Association

Recently I applied for Associate membership to British Naturalists' Association.

I was over the moon to receive a phone call from none other than BNA president, Roger Tabor himself with the news that I'd been graded at the higher level of Registered Member instead.

Quoting from the BNA website, this means: "MBNA those naturalists that have established an expertise in the practice and understanding of natural history, and have become skilled and experienced in identification and other field skills, may gain recognition. Becoming a Registered Member carries with it the status of being a proven field naturalist; it is an acknowledgement of gaining a high standard of competence in natural history."

Thanks to all involved in the grading process. To find out more about the BNA, head over to their website.

#naturalist 

Seedlings or emerging safely

Seeds are an excellent vehicle for allowing the growth of new plants. Many methods of dispersal; a couple of examples include seeds carried by wind or those dispersed by birds after they have eaten the berry, enabling the producer of the seeds in one location to have offspring in a wide geographical range.

One of the many problems seeds face in their journey is that of the initial stage of growing. Many obstacles, for instances rocks or heavy soil, may get in the way of the seedling as begins it's great adventure upwards into the world. 

The main stem of a plant is called the shoot apical meristem, in the beginning stages damage to the shoot apical meristem would mean death to the plant.

So how does a seedling protect itself?

In monocot seedlings, such as grasses, the coleoptile acts as a sheath-like covering to protect the shoot apical meristem.

In dicots; those plants that have two cotyledons, or embryonic leaves, the stem grows in a hook like formation with the cotyledons protecting the shoot apical meristem. as you can see in the photos below, the seedling is showing the hook like formation and the when it is clear of the soil it opens up the embryonic leaves.

Shortly after opening up the embryonic leaves, the shoot apical meristem begins to grow.

Then the first set of true leaves begin to grow and the plant much better placed to survive.

The roots also have an apical meristem, but it protects itself in a different way from the rocks, dirt and pathogens that it will encounter throughout its life. It is protected by a root cap. 

The cells of the root cap produce a mucilage to ease the way as the roots grow and are continually sloughed or shed, as they are destroyed, to be replaced by new root cap cells.

(Updated and reblogged from 24/01/2013)