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THE VASCULUM
APRIL 1975
Vol. 60. No. 1. Price £2.00 per annum, post free.
Edited by
T. C. DUNN, B.Sc.
THE POPLARS, CHESTER-LE-STREET
BY THE WAY
Secretaries of Societies and other contributors to "The Vasculum" are invited to send their
notes to the Editor before June 15th 1975. Subscriptions for 1975 were due on January 1st.
Will subscribers please send their contributions, at the new rates, to the Treasurer as soon
as possible.
NEW SOCIETY.
It is with the greatest pleasure that, for the second year in succession, we can
welcome a new society to the Northern Naturalists' Union. This year it is Haydon Bridge Nature
Club. We hope that the members will be seen at meetings from now onwards, and that they will
take an active part in the functions of the Union. In return we have already offered to help them in
any way that we can.
PONDS.
After writing about the scheme to resurrect village ponds, in Vasculum, Vol.59, No.
1, further information has been gathered during 1974 about the status of Durham County
wetlands. We were asked to look at a number of ponds and marshes to assess their wildlife value.
In most cases partial filling or draining had occured recently and in several instances water had
completely disappeared from the site. For example, three ponds round the village of Ingleton had
all disappeared without trace, the marsh on Stressholme Golf Course, south of Darlington, was in
the process of being filled. A huge marshy area near Hutton Magna had been completely drained,
two marshes near Hurworth Burn Reservoir simply could not be found (they had been filled,
soiled , ploughed and had grown an arable crop during the summer), Leechmire Marsh near
Hutton Henry had suffered the same fate, whilst Coop House Marsh, Elemore Marsh and
Broomyholme Marsh were all undergoing new drainage projects which will account for their
complete demise in a year or two.
This is a dreadful state of affairs, especially at a time when so much publicity about
saving wetlands is taking place. No wonder the Common Frog is becoming a rare animal.
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LEPIDOPTERA RECORDS.
With the increase in the number of light traps being operated for the Lepidoptera
Mapping Scheme, a relatively large number of new county records and re discovery of old
records is taking place. News from Upper Teesdale comes from the Nature Conservancy's trap at
Middleton in-Teesdale where at least 3 new records have been made, with many other
rediscoveries.
Even better results have occured at the Forestry Commission's trap at Kielder Forest,
probably because it has been running for a longer period. It is intended to publish many of the
more interesting records in this journal as space permits. All are with the kind permission of
Rothamsted Experimental Station by whom the traps are supplied.
WEATHER.
The weather men seem to have had another series of surprises this winter. We can
remember, in October and November 1974, the widespread predictions, both by meteorologists
and quacks, of a very hard winter. This, they said, was an absolute certainty on the law of
averages. But they were all wrong, for until March this year, we have had the mildest winter on
record for a long time.
Now we are told that with the increase of the polar ice cap the whole weather system
has moved south, so that the Gulf Stream, which used to flow near Iceland, is now nearer the
north of Scotland. This, they say, has resulted in milder, wetter winters. But we seem to remember
a drought during the 1973 74 winter.
All these unusual happenings make life difficult for the plants and animals. Out pop
hibernating or diapaused creatures during mild spells only to find there is nothing for them to eat.
Others go on multiplying during the mild spelts giving a possibility of pest epidemics later in the
year. There is always something new happening in the great outdoors and this is what makes
natural history so absorbing.
THE SOCIETIES.
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION
The 51st Annual General Meeting was held in the Hancock Museum, Newcastle
upon Tyne on 22nd March 1975, by kind invitation of the Natural History Society of
Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne.
In the preliminary business meeting the Hon. Treasurer and Editor reported on the
state of the society's finances. On the year's working there had been a loss of £94.97, which put
the account in debt by £29.68. This was in spite of a loan of £73.40 to pay for the October 1974
edition of the Vasculum. This state of affairs obviously required a remedy and the members at the
meeting had no hesitation in ratifying Council's proposals to raise the subscriptions for 1975.
These were detailed in the last issue (Vasculum Vol. 59, No. 4). Members who have Banker's
Orders or who have already paid subscriptions at the old rate of £1, please note the increase and
take the necessary action. To help to recover the lost
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position it was once again pointed out that a greater influx of new members would help
tremendously and everyone was urged to help in this.
The Hon. Secretary reported an increase in membership and it was hoped that this
would continue. A special welcome was extended to the Haydon Bridge Nature Club. They will
be most welcome at all future meetings and field outings.
The business was concluded by the election of officers for 1975, after which the
President, Mr. John Bradley gave his lecture on "Cliffs, Dunes and things."
A number of slides showing various cliffs were used to illustrate points of geology
that he wished to emphasize. These were from Cullernose, Seaton Sluice, Scremerston, the Fame
Islands and S. Wales.
The zonation of plants and animals on the seashore was then dealt with. The lecturer
first divided the foreshore into zones; splash zone, littoral, eulittoral and sublittoral. The
conditions influencing life in these zones were discussed and illustrated by means of slides
showing growths of different species of seaweeds, molluscs, coelenterates etc. A similar treatment
of dunes followed and the lecture ended with a few photographs of natural but artistically
beautiful patterning that Mr. Bradley had come across from time to time during his investigations
along our sea coasts.
A short vote of thanks was given by Mr. Dunn and we all adjourned to the adjacent
laboratory for the tea provided by Mrs. Hall and Miss Vincent. In this room were several
interesting exhibits set up by members, which were discussed during tea. Mr. Bradley showed
several examples of the seaweeds that had been mentioned during the lecture. Dr. Taylor
produced a series of photographs of the Linnaeus Garden and Museum at Uppsala, Mr. F. Stubbs
exhibited a gall and an example of fascination in Daphne mezerium, Mr. Derek Hall put out a
number of enlarged photographs of parts of a snail, a beetle and its larva. Dr. Todd a number of
Natural History books, Mr. Dunn a number of moths new to the Durham County list, a much
admired specimen of the orchid Pleione limprichti, and leaflets concerned with the Vasculum, and
Mr. Hird showed a large number of pressed plants. There was so much of interest that members
had some difficulty in tearing themselves away.
ANNFIELD PLAIN AND STANLEY NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB
A very full programme of outings has been arranged, starting with a trip to the Lake
District on March 8th. From March 29th field meetings occur regularly at fortnightly intervals for
the rest of the summer season right up to October 11th, when we end with a local walk from
Stanley to Bumhope (via Causey Arch, Stanley Banks and Craghead Woods.).
DARLINGTON AND TEESDALE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB
The Annual Report for 1974, as usual, is an extensive summary of the activities
throughout the year. These have been both varied and interesting. Joint meetings with Durham
County Conservation Trust have continued, as have film
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evenings with the R. S. P. B. and the Wildfowl Trust. The lecture programme covered a wide
field, quite a few of the talks being by the Club's own members.
During the summer the accent was on getting out into the field, in spite of the
weather. Support for the smaller sections has been encouraged and an after noon with Mr.
Harwood on Barnaby Moor was a high spot and certainly re awakened interest in the entomology
section. Two Tuesday evening "pond dipping" visits were arranged with splendid results.
NOTES AND RECORDS
NOTES
Bird Notes. Autumn 1974 was outstanding for waxwings, there being press reports of flocks along
the east side of Britain from Norfolk northwards, and of a large flock within the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. Mr.
L. Rugg advised me of a party of about 30 feeding on Cotoneaster berries in a garden at Jarrow on November
21st., one flew up into a tree at Berkeley Square, Gosforth on December 20th and three alighted briefly in a tree in
my own garden on the 29th. On January 5th., Mr. E. Turnbull telephoned to say that there were about 30 stripping
the berries off a white beam in his garden in a built up part of Gosforth, and when on my way to see them I
observed a party of 12 fly out of some trees in the Old Grammar School grounds. Subsequently on January 9th I
saw a party of 9 alight shortly before dusk in a hawthorn bush in the Heathery Lane, Low Gosforth.
For some years there has been a regular movement of starlings from the Gosforth area towards
Newcastle in the late afternoon, with a corresponding return flight each morning. Whilst these movements have
continued during the present winter there has also been a westerly flight in the late afternoon.
The increased breeding numbers of goosanders in Northumberland has been reflected in the
number occurring on inland waters during the winter months. There were 8 on Gosforth Park Lake and 20 on the
"Big Waters", Seaton Burn on February 20th.
Other records which may be of interest:—
Heron, 2 Gosforth Park, January 10th.
Whooper Swan, 8 Cresswell Pond, February 17th, 23 Hartburn Lough, February 28th.
Marsh Tit, 1 in song at Guyzance, February 17th.
Golden eye. Immature drake Exhibition Park Lake, Newcastle upon Tyne, November 24th.
C.J. Gent.
Northern Rustic Moth, Ammagrotis lucemea L. First let me quote Robson's Catalogue of the
Lepidoptera of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne:— "I found this moth flying in the sunshine
in considerable numbers, at Kyloe Craggs, on 1st. August, 1895, attracted to the flowers of the Wood Sage, along
with another good species, Plusia interrogationis, (G. Bolam, Trans. Ber. F. Club, Vol. XV, p. 305). I have no
Knowledge of its occurance elsewhere.." . No further information about this species in our counties appears to
have been discovered in the last eighty years. Its capture in Sun Wood, Forest in Teesdale, in August 1974, is
therefore both remarkable and of the utmost importance. The capture was at light and the operator Mr. I. Findlay,
Nature Conservnacy Warden in Upper Teesdale. Apparently this is an entirely new record for Durham County.
T.C.D
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The Brindled Ochre Moth, Dasypolia templi Thunb. This is another species with very few
records in Robson's Catalogue and not seen by collectors in modern times. I quote Robson:— ".......... on a lamp at
Old Elvet Durham, T. Maddison; on a lamp, Darlington, October 1862, John Sang. Mr. Wade found it at Barnard
Castle, and Mr. Gardner has found the larva about Hartlepool and bred the imago. I never took it myself but at
Huddersfield in Yorkshire."
Its capture in UpperTeesdale at more than one station during 1974, again by Mr. I. Findlay, is
therefore of equal importance to the previous species.
Collecting at night by means of a portable M. V. Light, in the National Nature Reserve in Upper
Teesdale has not been attempted before, to my knowledge. Already several discoveries of some importance have
taken place and there is little doubt that with continued research, more are to come. Our knowledge of the
distribution of the Lepidoptera has been extended con siderably during recent years by the stimulus of the
mapping scheme, helped along by the distribution of Rothampsted Insect Traps. Their operation in places where
no such work has been done before, could be expected to produce fresh records. We congratulate the Nature
Conservancy on their discoveries and look forward to many more. T. C. D.
The Bog Pimpernel, Anagallis tenella (L.) L. During my wildlife surveys in Durham County in
1974, the Bog Pimpernel was discovered in two areas. In both the plant was quite plentiful so that the only reason
for the paucity of records in the past can only be that the areas concerned must never have been visited by
competant botanists at the right time of the year.
It was in full flower in all the flushes along the North and South Grain Becks on Pikestone Fell and
in similar places along the Nookton Burn, particularly on the Nookton Fell side to the north west. Both areas are
very remote and seldom visited.
A 1932 record for Waldridge Fell exists in the Vasculum but I have not seen it there since 1946.
Two other records exist as spots on the B. S. B. I. map. These are in such unlikely places that the actual presence
of the plant should be confirmed again. Generally speaking, the plant is of western distribution and stations east of
the Pennines are very few.
T. C. D.
RECORDS
LEPIDOPTERA BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.
Aricia artaxerxes F. (Northern Brown Argus) 66
A small colony, previously not identified, near Pig Hill, Haswell.
Odezio atrata L. (Chimney Sweeper). 66
In several grassy places by the Houselop Burn, 11-7-74.
Xanthorhoed designata Hufn. (Flame Carpet). 66
Common in Westernhope Burn Wood, 22-7-74.
Eupithecia sobrinata Hubn. (Juniper Pug). 66
Common in a thicket of very old Juniper along the upper reaches of the Bollihope Burn, 24-7-74:
Lyncometra ocellata L. (Purple Bar Carpet). 66
Disturbed from bracken and other low growing vegetation along the upper reaches of the Bollihope
Burn, 24-7-74.
Zygaena lonicerae Sheven. (Narrow bordered Five-Spot Burnet). 66
Common in Pespool Quarry, Haswell and on Knitsley Fell, July 1974.
Entephria caesiata Schiff. (Grey Mountain Carpet). 66
Flying with many more common species in the beechwood at Pennington's Hamsterley Forest, 31-7-
.74.
Venusia cambrica Curt. (Welsh Wave). 66
Common in its well marked barred form, very beautiful, in North Carr Wood, hear Hamsterley, 6-8-74.
6
Epirrhoe tristata L. (Small Argent and sable). 66
In clouds along the North and South Grain Becks on Pikestone Fell, 9-8-74.
Lasiocampa quercusc callunae L. (Northern Eggar). 66
Caterpillars of the current brood and hundreds of old (dead) pupae in cocoons on parts of the heath
where the heather had been burned off by the keepers, Pikestone Fell, 9-8-74.
Amathes castanea Esp. (Grey Rustic). 66
Middleton in Teesdale and Sun Wood, 1974
Antitype flavicincta Schiff. (Large Ranunculus). 66
A single specimen at Middleton in Teesdale, September 1974.
Ammagrotislucemea L. (Northern Rustic). 66
Captured at light in Sun Wood, Forest in Teesdale in 1974. A new County record for Durham (vc 66).
Atethmia xerampelina Esp. (Centre barred Sallow) 66
Several at light, Middleton in Teesdale, 1974.
Dasypolidtempli Thunb. (Brindled Ochre). 66
A rare species east of the Pennines. At Middleton in Teesdale and at Sun Wood, 1974.
Nudaria mundana L. (Muslin Footman). 66
This lichen feeder was very common at light both at Middleton in Teesdale and in Sun Wood in 1974.
Stilbia anomala Haw. (Anomalous Wainscot) 66
Very rare in our counties. Only taken once before in Durham and that was by Gardner about 80 years
ago. Several at light at Middleton in Teesdale.
Xanthorhoe munitata Hubn. 66
Several at light , Middleton-in-Teesdale, 1974
I. FINDLAY
FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS
Anagallis tenella (I.) L. (Bog Pimpernel) 66
Common in nearly all the side flushes in the valleys of the North and South Grain Becks, Pikestone
Fell. Similar places on the NW bank of the Nookton Burn.
Daphne laureola L. (Spurge Laurel). 66
Quite a large stand in New Homer Carr Plantation, near Sedgefield.
Serratula tinctoria L. (Saw Wort). 66
Margins of Cumby Plantation, near Heighington.
Carex otrubae Podp. (False Fox sedge). 66
West Butsfield quarries where it was plentiful by the edge of running water.
Polygonum bistorta L. (Snakeweed). 66
One very large patch in Stanley Woods.
Carex pendula Huds. (Pendulous Sedge). 66
A very flourishing colony in Red House Gills Wood, near Brasside. '•
Dryopteris borreri Newm. 66
Not common in West Butsfield birch wood.
Juniperus communis L. (Juniper) 66
A small group of bushes near Middles Farm, below Honey Hill, Waskerley; one or two young bushes
in Pennington's Plantation, Hamsterley Forest; two bushes on Knitsley Fell; scattered along the North
and South Grain Becks. Pikestone Fell: near Doctor's Gate on Pikestone Fell; along Fine Burn and
Howden Burn, both running into Bollihope Burn; a fair sized copse by the side of the Bollihope Burn
itself west of the bridge carrying the B 6278 road.
7
Trientalis euopaea L. (Chickweed Wintergreen) 66
A few plants growing under bracken on Muggleswick Park Moor.
T. C. D.
Trifolium arvense L. (Hare's-foot). 68
Holy Island links; Coidgate Water.
Vicia sylvatica L. (Wood Vetch). 68
Cawledge Burn; Shipley Burn above Shipley Wood.
Vicia lathroides L. (Spring Vetch). 68
Carey Burn.
Potentillaanglica Laichard. (Trailing Tormentil). 67
S. Bank of Coquet between Weldon Bridge and Felton.
Alchemilla mollis (Buser) Rothm. 68
Roadside near Wooler.
Acaena anserinifolium (J. R. & G. Forst.) Druce. 68
S. end of Newton Links.
Rosa rugosa Thunb. 68
Sand dunes, N. of Seahouses.
Cotoneaster simonsii Baker. 68
Embleton Quarry.
Chrysosplenum altemifolium L. (Alternate-leaved Golden Saxifrage). 67,68
Wansbeck near Wallington; Honeycrook Burn; S. Bank of Coquet W. of Felton (67); Till near old
railway bridge; Bathing Well Plantation and Boathouse Plantation, near Cornhill; Akeld Dene; wood
near Hedgeley Hall; Roddam Dene; S. Middleton Dene; N. bank of Coquet W. of Felton; near
Guyzance; Chew Green (68).
Lythrum salicaria L. (Purple Loosestrife). 67,68
Belsay Park (67); Kimmer Lough (68).
Daphne laureola L. (Spurge Laurel). 67,68
In a hedge, near Felton; (67) ; Cutting of old railway, near Lumby Law (Ediingham) (68).
Epilobium brunnescens (Cockayne) Raven and Englehorn subsp. brunnescens. 67
N. bank of Tyne opposite High Carriteth; forestry road, Spithope Burn; Deadwater Burn; S. bank of
Tyne, near Unthank Hall.
Circea x intermedia Ehrh. 67
Font near Pigdon Banks.
Myriophyllum spicatum L. (Spiked Water-milfoil). 67,68
Belsay Park (67); Tweed, Cornhill; Longhoughton Quarry (68).
Myriophyllum alterniflorum DC (Alternative-leaved Water-milfoil). 67
N. Tyne at various points between Bellingham and Eals; The Lake (Plenmeller). (67).
Hippuris vulgaris L. (Mare's-tail). 67
Between Long Green and Fozy Moss (Roman Wall); pond near Swinburn; The Tarn (Moralee).
Callitriche hermaphroditica L. (Autumnal Starwort). 67
Rauburn Lake.
Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag. (Fool's Watercress) 68
Quarry Pond near Christon Bank.
8
Oenanthe lachenalli C. C. Gmel. (Parsley Water Dropwort). 68
Holy Island; Dunstanburgh.
Aethusa cynapium L. (Fool's Parsley). 68
Longhoughton Quarry; Embleton Quarry; Christon Bank; Ewart Park; between Wooler and Earl's Mill.
Silaum silaus (L.) Schinz & Thell. (PepperSaxifrage.) 67,68
Near Barrasford (67); S.of Beadnell; near Dunstanburgh (68).
Heracleum mantegazzianum Somm. & Lev. 67,68
Wansbeck,E.ofWallington; (67); Tweed, near Cornhill; Norham;Carham (68).
Euphorbiacyparissias L. (Cypress Spurge). 68
Hambledon.
Polygonum bistorta L. (Snake root) 67,68
Mill Burn (near Newlands); Wallington (67); N. bank of Coquet, W. of Felton (68).
Rumex hydrolapathum Huds. (Great Water Dock). 67
Belsay Park.
Parietaria judiaea L. (Pellitory of the Wall). 67,68
Near Black Heddon (67); Bamburgh Castle; Redbarns Links (Bamburgh); Beadnell; N. Middleton.
(68).
Salix triandra L. (Almond Willow). 67
Otterburn.
Salix phylicifolia L. (Tea leaved Willow) 67
N. bank of S. Tyne near Whinnetley.
Andromeda polifolia L. (Marsh Andromeda) 67
Between Long Green and Fozy Moss (Roman Wall).
Pyrold minor L. (Common Wintergreen) 67
Belsay Park; Wallington.
Primula veris L. x vulgaris Huds. (Common Oxlip) 67,68
Pasture near Honeycrook Burn (67); NearCamptield. (68).
Lysimachia nummularia L. (Creeping Jenny) 67
Belsay Park.
Trientaliseuropaea L. (Chickweed Wintergreen) 67
Belsay Park.
Samolus valerandi L. (Brookweed) 68
Between Craster and Dunstanburgh.
Vinca major L. (Greater Periwinkle) 68
Old railway near Carham.
Centauriumerythraea Rafn. (Common Centaury) 67,68
S. bank of Coquet near Acklington (67). Budle Point; Cullernose (68)
Centaurium littorale (D.Turner) Gilmour. 68
Budle Point.
Polemonium caeruleum L. (Jacob's Ladder) 68
Near Norham Castle.
Omphalodes verna Moench. (Blue eyed Mary) 67
Roadside near Temperley Grange.
Symphytum tuberosum (L.) Tausch. (Alkanet) 68
Near Thirlings; Ewart Park.
Pentaglottis sempervirens (l.) Tausch. (Alkanet) 67,68
Belsay Park; near Temperley Grange (67). Ewart Park; Thirlings; nearTillmouth; near Felton (68).
G.A. & M. Swan
9
THE VASCULUM
JULY 1975
Vol. 60. No. 2. Price £2.00 per annum, post free.
Edited by
T. C. DUNN, B.Sc.
THE POPLARS, CHESTER-LE-STREET
BY THE WAY
Secretaries of Societies and other contributors to the "Vasculum" are invited to send their
papers for the October special edition, to the Editor before 31st August, and for the
December edition notes and news by 15th November 1975. If you have not paid your
subscription would you please try to remember to do so as soon as possible.
OBITUARY, Mr. F. BELL
It was with real sadness and regret that we learned of the death of Fred Bell,
especially as we had been to see him just a short time before.
We had known him and counted him as a special friend for many years. We worked
together after he had taken over the position of Hon. Secretary of the Consett and Vale of
Derwent Naturalists' Field Club. Under his guidance and organisation the Club flourished and
became one of the most influential in the N. N. U. affairs. He never missed a Union Field Outing,
with the result that the Consett Club was always represented. Most striking was his friendliness
towards new members and on many occasions this comment was passed on to me by those very
members themselves.
The Field Club and the N. N. U. have lost a very loyal member. We extend our
deepest sympathy to Mrs. Bell and his family.
ROADSIDE VERGES
It was only in December 1972 that we wrote in these pages on this topic (Vasculum
Vol. 57, No. 4), but we do not apologise for raising the matter again.
The season for cutting roadside verges ( or shall we say shaving them) is upon us
once again. Last autumn, we were appalled to see the diabolical machines in action that have
recently been invented for cutting the herbage and then running up the hedges and tearing great
pieces out of them.
The A1(M) at present provides good examples of the effects of past cutting on
10
the flora. The beautiful colours of wild flowers can be seen on the higher ground of cuttings but
they cease at the stakes used to mark the boundary for verge treatment lower down. From these to
the hard shoulder there is nothing but grass, even though it has yet to receive its first shave of the
season. The contrast is most striking, the message is most obvious. At least some parts have been
left to develop naturally, but why not all ?
We think the time has come for the whole strategy of roadside verge treatment to be
looked at again. What is the object of all this cutting ? Does the result justify the expenditure ?
We feel that the practice has just " growed and growed '” without any real sound reason behind it
all. Or if there was a reason at the beginning it has long since been lost sight of. Certainly from
the aesthetic and natural history points of view it is disastrous. Verges of green lawn for mile after
mile are so monotonous that they tend to make a driver fall asleep, and the loss of habitat for
countless birds and insects figure largely on the debit side as well as the cost. What is on the
credit side ? We can think of nothing worth mentioning !
REVIEW.
We have just received from the Devon Trust for Nature Conservation, a 16 page
leaflet by Margaret Parkinson and Bob Hodgson. It is a Nature Trail Guide for the Salcombe Hill,
Sidmouth Trail.
We have seen many nature trail guides, but this one must be one of the most
luxurious in its production. The printing is of the best quality, it is on a good . quality glossy
paper and the line drawings by Barbara Prescott are excellent in their scientific detail.
The area is rich in views as well as in wildlife and the route appears to traverse land
belonging to several owners by means of public footpaths. Although the Conservation Trust have
arranged the trail and written the booklet it is not clear who has paid the piper. For the tourist, the
booklet must increase the interest of the 21/2 mile walk tremendously. Each section is covered
with a veritable mine of information presented in a manner that the veriest novice in natural
history will understand. For people with some knowledge of wildlife to start with it will be a most
useful addition for them, we hope the public will make full use of it.
THE SOCIETIES.
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION
The 140th Field Meeting was held at Mere Burn near Ebchester on 31st May 1975.
After welcoming a gathering of thirty to forty members and friends Mr. Dunn gave a
short preliminary talk about the route to follow. He emphasised that little was known of the
natural history of the woodland, and everyone was urged to find out as much as possible and
report back. As a result, the specialists concentrated on their own interests whilst the more all
round naturalists took in anything that was seen.
11
The path followed the Mere Burn through a steep sided valley which was planted up
with a mixture of trees, most of which were deciduous but with some larch, spruce and pine here
and there. Near its junction with the Derwent a wooden bridge carried the path across to the
opposite bank of the stream. This path brought us back to the starting point.
The ground flora proved to be quite rich, with a wide variety of most of the expected
woodland plants, but no rarity was observed. Many shrubby plants and young birch saplings
showed extensive damage from the activities of deer. Many slots of roe were seen in the muddy
patches as were those of badger at one place in particular. There was also evidence of moles and
rabbits.
Much beating and sweeping for insects was carried out without any great success. A
single specimen of Eupithecia tantillaria Boisd. (Dwarf Pug), is perhaps worth mentioning as it is
not very common in our counties, although widespread. The commonest moth on the wing was
that woodland Tineid with the tremendously long antennae, Nemophora swammerdamella L.
Mr. Lowe made quite an impressive list of 19 Molluscs, which are named in the
records at the end of this number.
Mr. Dan Mold noted birds and submitted the following list:— Dunnock, Meadow
Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Linnet, Yellow Hammer, Wood
Warbler, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long tailed
Tit, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Swallow, Swift, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Wood
Pigeon, Lapwing, Pheasant and Partridge.
The weather remained good for the whole afternoon and since it came after a
fortnight of very low temperatures the improvement was much appreciated. Altogether this was a
very pleasant outing.
DARLINGTON AND TEESDALE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.
The summer programme, which is already well under way, is very full and of great
variety. There are full day meetings on Saturdays and Sundays whilst half day outings are also
arranged. Several evening walks of a more local nature, which have always been popular, again
appear in the list. Indoor meetings will take place about twice a month except for August.
Altogether this is a very ambitious programme. All that is needed is good weather to go with it.
SUNDERLAND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY
The programme for this year's outings is already under way. The first outing was to
Holy Island in mid February and the party had to contend with an Arctic blizzard so that the list of
birds recorded was not long. The next outing was to Gosforth Park, Big Waters and Holywell
Pond. Weather conditions were much better and a large party had a successful day. Other full day
outings have been arranged for Aberlady Bay, Majham and the Washburn Valley, near Otiey. It is
hoped too to organise a visit to the Cleveland
12
Hills in September.
Informal evening rambles have been arranged to visit the Moorhouse Nature
Reserve, Pittington Hill and Waldridge Fell.
NOTES AND RECORDS
NOTES.
Bird Notes. Temperatures were generally above normal during January and February 1975, but the
colder conditions which prevailed during March and April adversely affected the arrival of the summer migrants.
Willow Warblers were, however, singing at several places in the Gosforth area on April 22nd when
an odd sand martin was flying over Gosforth Park Lake. A blackcap was in song in Gosforth Park on 28th and
single swallows were seen at Wylam and Bradley Hall on the 30th.
Wood warblers and tree pipits were in song and common sandpipers calling along the Tees
between Barnard Castle and Eggleston on May 4th. Swifts and swallows were flying over Seaton Burn Lake and
sedge warblers singing on the 14th. A cuckoo was heard at Wark (North Tyne) on the 18th. Two swifts appeared
in the vicinity of their breeding site at West Gosforth on the morning of the 19th increasing to 8 by evening and 17
on the 20th.
Other items which may be of interest are :—
Tufted Duck; a female with 2 fledglings on Gosforth Park Lake, June 12th
Sparrow Hawk; a female in the College Valley near Kirknewton, June 7th.
Green Woodpecker; One calling in the College Valley near Kirknewton, June 7th.
Great Spotted Woodpecker; birds drumming in Gosforth Park, April 28th and at Meldon Bridge,
May 5th.
Rook; There are 9 nests in the rookery at Newcastle (Haymarket) this year.
Nuthatch; One at Barnard Castle May 4th.
Whitethroat; my only record is one in song in the College Valley near Kirknewton June 7th.
Yellow Wagtail; a female at Seaton Burn Lake, June 6th.
C. J. Gent.
The Orange tip Butterfly. During the past two years I have recorded, in these pages, the upsurge
of numbers of Anthocharis cardamines L. at Chester ie Street. This spring news has been flowing in of its increase
almost everywhere in Durham. I have seen it myself flying in very large numbers (hundreds) in places where only
one or two could be seen formerly. This abundance has been a most welcome sight. One of the factors helping it
has been the succession of sunny days during June, but it may well be that a real build up of numbers of this
species is at present taking place.
The Wall Butterfly, Pararge megera L. also continues to spread. The first brood was reported for
the first time this year, from Shincliffe, by Mr. Roger Dennis and it has literally swarmed in our limestone
quarries. The Dingy Skipper, Erynnis tages L. has also been plentiful in these same quarries.
T. C. D.
The Grizzled Skipper Butterfly, Pyrgus malvae L. A small breeding colony of this rather
inconspicuous insect has been discovered in mid Durham. There is little doubt that it has been with us for some
years but overlooked due to its small numbers and short flight period. In terms of distribution over the country as a
whole, this is a most important find. The nearest recorded colonies known previously are in south Yorkshire
which means that the mid Durham stock is an isolated northern outlier which may prove to be a special form.
F. B. Stubbs.
13
The Scarce Prominent. On 12th May an excited Mr. R. Henderson brought to me an insect which
he thought was the Scarce Prominent, Odontosia carmelita Esp. Although he could not believe it without some
confirmation it proved to be the correct determination. It was caught on a lamp standard near Chopwell on the
night of May 11th. The place was along side the Forestry Commission woods and since the caterpillar is a birch
feeder, the moth undoubtably came from there. This is another outstanding record, the first for v.c. 66 and it
should be noted that it has not yet been recorded from either Yorkshire to the south or from Northumber land to
the north.
T. C. D.
The Bee Orchid. For many years this beautiful species; has eked out a precarious existence in
Fulwell Quarry. In spite of the tipping arrangements, it has been kept alive by first of all diverting the tipping and
then by transplanting. At last they seem to have disappeared, not as expected due to the tipping operations but by
the hand of some misguided vandal. In the position where they were seen last year, nothing remains but a series of
neat holes. This dastardly action only emphasises the need for the new Bill to protect wild flowers.
T. C. D.
A Strange foodplant. Two years ago I found about a dozen larvae feeding on Atropa belladonna
L. (Deadly Nightshade), in my garden. I kept a few pupae and they eventually hatched out. The moths were the
Dot, Melanchra persicariae L. The same moth appeared in 1974 again so it must be established around here.
What amazes me is its choice of foodplant, there cannot be another Deadly Nightshade in this district. P. F.
O'Neill (Ryton)
(P. B. M. Allan in his book '' Larval Foodplants" gives for the Dot, "Feeds on most native
deciduous trees and shrubs and on many garden plants e.g. Lupin, Hollyhock, Anemone japonica. Has been found
on bracken and ivy." From this it would appear that the moth in question can survive on a wide variety of
foodplants. Ed.)
The Flowering of the Bladderwort. This plant has been known in the Ryton area for many years.
As well as the "gut" on Ryton Willows, it is also present in a small pond in the church grounds.
I have visited this pond every year for sixteen years since returning to live in the North of England
and last year was the first time I have seen the plant in flower. I think this may be due to the fact that the pond has
become choked with all sorts of rubbish and other pollutants, especially over the last two years and this in some
way has stimulated flowering (there also was much less water in the pond last summer and the surface was solid
with vegetation, much of it the bladderwort).
P. F. O'Neill.
Birds at Chester ie Street. Early on April 29th an Egyptian Goose was seen on the River Wear at
Chester ie Street. When accidentally disturbed it flew low over the water so that an excellent view was possible
from higher on the river bank.
On the very next day, April 30th, I walked alongside the River Wear again, looking for the
Egyptian Goose of course. In that I was not so lucky, but a few hundred yards away from the previous day's
sighting, there, to my astonishment, was a Grey Lag Goose. This individual took off from the water, circled a
while and then, like the Egyptian Goose the day before, it set course in the direction of Washington.
Could thy both have had some connection with the new Wildfowl Trust Ponds?
E. Hall.
Wildlife Plurals. Many of the words applied to groups of birds and mammals are self explanatory.
Such are a skein of geese on the wing and a gaggle of geese on the ground,
14
an exaltation of larks, a parliament of rooks and a wisp of snipe. The birds are particularly favoured with such
descriptions. Less frequently heard now and disappearing these names are a bit of our heritage which I would love
to survive. What about a charm of goldfinches, a murmuration of starlings, a quarrel of sparrows and a pride of
lions ?
Some have a more mysterious origin and I would be pleased to know the origins of a nye or nide of
turkeys, a fesynes of ferrets and a cete of badgers. There must be many more of these interesting old terms,
survivors of the chase or of ancient farming practice. Would anyone like to supply more ? T. C. D.
RECORDS.
INSECTS.
LEPIDOPTERA BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
Harpyla furcula Clerk (Sallow Kitten) 67
Larva at Nine banks, September 1974.
Smerinthus ocellata L. (Eyed Hawk) 67
Larvae at Ninebanks, September 1974.
Laothoe populi L. (Poplar Hawk) 67
Larvae at Ninebanks and Staward, September 1974.
Gonodontis bidentata Clerck (Scalloped Hazel) 67
The nominate typical form in the Whitley Bay area, but ab. nigra taken at light at Bedlington and
Sheepwash in June 1975.
J. Parrack.
Apaltele menyanthidis View. (Light Knot grass Dagger) 66
One at light in Sun Wood, Upper Teesdale, May 1975. There is a very old record (about 100 yrs. old) in
Robson's Catalogue for Upper Teesdale, but nothing has been published about it since then. The present
record is therefore a confirm ation of this.
I. Findlay.
Pyrgus malvae L. (Grizzled Skipper) 66
A small colony in mid Durham This outlyer is so far north of the known Yorkshire colonies, that it
must have been here for some time. Because of its , shy habits, short flight period and of course its
small numbers it has, apparently been overlooked.
F. B. Stubbs.
Odontosia carmelita Esp. (Scarce Prominent). 66
Not mentioned at all in Robson's Catalogue and therefore a very important addition to our Durham and
indeed North of England list. One taken on a lamp post at Hookergate on the borders of Chopwell
Wood, 12th May 1975.
R. Henderson.
Anthocaris cardamines L. (Orange-tip). 66
Common in all its old haunts this year. Town Kelloe and Trirndon Grange. New colonies located at
Wingate,
T. C. D.
Pararge megera L. (Wall Brown) 66
One first brood male at Shincliffe in early June 1975.
R. L. Dennis
15
ODONATA DRAGONFLIES
Sympetrum danae Suizer (The Black Sympetrum). 67
Plentiful at Muckle Moss, July/August 1974.
J. Parrack
NEUROPTERA LACEWINGS ETC
Osmylus fulvicephalus Scop. (Giant Lacewing) 67
Taken near Dipton, 15 6 75.
J. Parrack
COLEOPTERA BEETLES.
Thanasimus formicarius L. (Ant Beetle) 67
Near Blanchland, 8 6 75.
J. Parrack
DIPTERA FLIES
Bombylius major L. (Bee Fly) .67
Taken at Gorse. Staward. 26 4 75
J. Parrack
HYMENOPTERA BEES, WASPS, ANTS, ICHNEUMONS ETC.
Cimbex femorata L. (Birch Sawfly) 67
Taken at Dipton, 30 5 75, rather early. Also at Staward, June 1974, and Harewood Forest, July 1974.
J. Parrack.
Mastrus sp. (Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae) 67
Ichneumon flies emerging from a cocoon of the Emperor Moth Saturnia pavonia L. found near Whitley
Chapel, were sent to Michael G. Filton of the British Museum of Natural History and have so far been
determined as the above Genus but the species is not yet certain. Specimens not in the B. M. May be a
first record for the British Isles.
P. F. O'Neill
MOLLUSCA SNAILS AND SLUGS.
All the following species were taken at Mere Burn on the N. N. U. Field Meeting, 31 5 75, by R. H.
Lowe.
Ancylus fluviatilus (Muller) 67
Cochlicopa lubrica (Muller) 67
Marpessa lamirnta (Montagu) 67
Hygromia hispida (L.) 67
Discus rotundatus (Muller) 67
Anon hortensis (Ferussac) 67
Anon fasciatus (Nilsson) 67
Anon ater (L.) 67
Euconulus fulvus (Muller) 67
Vitrea contracta (Westerlund) 67
Oxychilus celarius (Muller) 67
Oxychilus alliarius (Muller) 67
Retinella pura (Alder) 67
Retinella nitidula (Draparnaud) 67
Vitrina pellucida (Muller) 67
16
Limax maximus (L). 67
Lehmannia marginata(Muller) 67
Agriolimax reticulatus(Muller) 67
Arianta arbustorum (L.) 67
MAMMALIA MAMMALS
Sciuris vulgaris (Red Squirrel) 67
One at High Angerton,5-5-75.
C. J. Gent.
FUNGI TOADSTOOLS AND MUSHROOMS
Mitrula paludosa Fr. (Bog Beacon) 67
A vernal species of acid bogs and damp places found in June near Allendale Town. Identified by Mr.
D. Reid of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
P. F. O'Neill
AVES BIRDS
Puffinus puffinus puffinus (Manx Shearwater) 67
Fifty flying north off St. Mary's Island, 24 5 75.
Stercorarius parasiticus (Arctic Skua) 67
Four flying north off St. Mary's Island, 24 5 75.
Stercorarius skua (Great Skua) 67
Two flying north off St. Mary's Island, 14-5-75.
Melanitta fusca (Velvet Scoter) 67
Three flying north off St. Mary's Island, 14 5 75.
Asio flammeus (Short eared Owl) 67
Two at Coalcleugh, 18 5 75; one W. of Nenthead, 156 75
Phoenicurus ochruros (Black Redstart) 67
One at St. Mary's Island, a male, 18 4 75.
Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Wood Warbler) 67
Two at Staward. 26 4 75
J. Parrack.
One at Mere Burn, 31 5 75.
D. Mold.
FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS
Carex dioica L. Dioecious Sedge. 70
Gamgill; near Nenthead; Darngill; near Coalcleugh; and at Butterburn, all June 1975.
Carex pendula Huds. Pendulous Sedge. 67
Near the Linnels, Hexham.
Carex paupercula Michx. 67
A few plants at Muckle Moss, 1974.
Carex pauciflora Lightf. Few flowered Sedge. 67
A few plants at Muckle Moss, 1974.
Primula farinosa L. Birds eye Primrose. 66,70
Flowering well near Garrigill, June 1975, together with Pinguicula vulgaris L.
J. Parrack.
Also doing very well at Wingate and Town Kelloe, 1975. T. C. D.
Gentiana verna L. Spring Gentian. 70
A few plants near Garrigill, June 1975.
Saxifraga hypnoides L. Mossy Saxifrage 70
Near Garrigill, 1975.
J. Parrack.
THE
VASCULUM
OCTOBER 1975
VOL.60, No.3. Price £2.00 per annum.
Edited By
T. C. DUNN, The Poplars, Chester-le-Street.
CONTENTS
Page
Editorial 17
The Durham Wildlife Survey - P. R. MARREN 17
A Buried Channel of a Pre-Glacial Tributary of the River Derwent. - G.
EVANS.
31
The Vegetation of Waldridge Fell, Co. Durham. 1. The Woodlands of The South
Burn Valley - B. WHEELER.
34
Notes on some Macroscopic Algae New or Seldom Recorded for Britain - N. T.
H. HOLMES and B. A. WHITTON
47
Published By
THE NORTHERN NATURALIST'S UNION
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions for 1975 are many months overdue. Fortunately, not many subscribers have still to
pay, but if you are one of them, will you please correct the omission right away.
17 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
EDITORIAL
With the increased subscription and the help of our new printers the financial state of
the Union has improved a little this year. The new postal charges will, however, erode this
position to some extent. For the first time we cannot announce a single grant from sympathetic
onlookers, but the number of generous gifts from members has increased to such an extent that
they have made up for this loss. For their kindness we wish to record our sincere thanks.
THE DURHAM WILDLIFE SURVEY
P. R. MARREN
Van Mildert College, Durham.
On October 1st., 1973, the author was employed by Durham County Council in order
to collect data on Durham wildlife for the County Structure Plan. This is a field never before
included in development plans, and the planning policy for wildlife had hitherto been restrictive
and rather arbitrary, due to lack of information. In order to prepare wildlife policies, it was
necessary first to ‘quantify the total wildlife resources of the New County' and 'to identify the
factors which affect the extent and distribution of these wildlife resources'. This was my task for
six winter months, ending in April 1974, and the results are to be included in the Structure Plan
Report of Survey.
The Wildlife Survey seemed a golden opportunity to gather the dispersed but
considerable information on the semi-natural habitats of Durham, and this consideration prompted
a factual survey based on descriptive information, rather than the 'ecological formula' methods
used by some other Planning Departments, which produce numerical data. A further advantage of
a descriptive survey is that is more flexible, and can be used by development control staff on a
detailed scale, as well as for regional planning. It is also more useful to the Nature Conservancy
and Naturalists' Trusts. Available data and the expertise of many local naturalists suggested that
such an approach was possible. This was the first time that a wholly descriptive survey has been
attempted on a County scale.
The Wildlife survey consists of two mutually dependant parts - a wildlife 'atlas' on a
1:12500 scale, and a written report. These will be briefly described in turn.
18 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
The Wildlife Atlas.
The atlas consists of 128 maps bound in four volumes, and copies will be presented
to the County Conservation Trust and the Nature Conservancy Council. The mapped habitats
were based on a list compiled by the Wildlife Policy Working Party, set up in 1972 to advise the
County Planning Officer on the development of a wildlife policy. It was essential that each habitat
type could be mapped from aerial photographs and could be satisfactorily defined as a unit.
Eighteen types were defined:-
Predominantly broad-leaved woodland.
Predominantly coniferous woodland.
Mixed woodland.
Deciduous scrub.
Juniper scrub.
Parkland: grassland with scattered trees.
Limestone grassland, flushes and outcrops.
Scrub-invaded limestone grassland.
Acid/base-poor grassland (Bent/Fescue, Mat-Grass or Purple Moor Grass).
Hay meadows.
Predominantly heather moor.
Predominantly cotton-grass moor.
Mixed heather/cotton-grass moor.
Sphagnum bog.
Marsh.
Permanent standing water.
Rock outcrops and scree, other than limestone.
Industrial: quarries (active or poorly vegetated); spoil heaps; derelict land.
The habitat boundaries were mapped from aerial photographs, flown in April/May
1971, supplemented by Nature Conservancy vegetation maps of Teesdale and Startforth R.D.C.,
and a map of Upper Weardale by Keith Wardhaugh of Durham University.
The mapped boundaries are accurate to a resolution of 75-100 yards, but the smaller ponds and
marshes do not always show up well on aerial photographs and are probably underestimated in
numbers.
Descriptive information for every habitat over c.8 acres (or less with sites of known
interest) was gathered, where possible. Much of this was too detailed to print directly on to the
map, and a cross-referencing system was devised, linking each mapped area with a separate
habitat form, summarising the known details of the site. For a worker requiring less detail, and in
order to maximise the use of the maps in isolation, brief details were added to a label attached
adjacent to the area described.
19 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
20 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
21 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
22 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
A typical habitat form is shown on the opposite page. Separate comment on the form is probably
necessary only for the 'Wildlife Value' section, which is a subjective assessment of the relative
ecological interest of a site based on four grades:-
A. Site of National importance
B. Site of County importance.
C. Average representative of its type-within county.
D. Below average- within county.
A certain amount of weighting was given against uniformly dull habitats e.g.
managed conifer plantations were unlikely to score above C. These gradings were intended as a
rough guide only, and it is hoped that any threatened site will nevertheless be examined in the
field. Linear habitats such as road verges, railway cuttings and streams have been included in the
survey only where they are known to be of interest, and are graded subjectively as 'outstanding' or
'important'. Geological sites of special interest were also included. It has been stressed to the
Planning Department that lack of information does not necessarily imply that an area is of no
ecological value.
Available information on the natural history of Durham (mostly unpublished) plus an
excellent response from local naturalists allowed much of the County to be mapped on this basis
by the closure of the author's contract in early April, 1974. Information for a further 210 sites was
collected in the field by Mr. T. C. Dunn during Summer 1974.
The distribution of the major semi-natural habitats in the New County are shown on
Maps 1 - 5, and additional records, particularly for ponds, marshes and limestone grassland,
would be most welcome. One feature of interest on the maps is the tendency in Durham for
broad-leaved woodland to be confined to river valleys. Another is the extreme fragmentation of
most habitats in East Durham.
The Report of Survey.
The written report entitled 'Durham County Wildlife Survey', will become available to interested
persons, from the County Planning Department. It has three sections:-
1. A detailed description of the methods used to survey the County.
2. An ecological description of the semi-natural habitats of Durham.
This section is unavoidably semi-technical, and a glossary has been included
for the lay reader.
3. A description of present and potential human factors influencing these habitats.
23 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Sections Two and Three are a synthesis of published material, unpublished files and reports, and
local knowledge and opinion. Although much of the more generalised material is applicable to
many areas in Britain, the perspective has been confined, as far as possible to County Durham's
special problems. The reader will find comparatively little on the Upper Teesdale National Nature
Reserve, for which several excellent descriptions are readily available. On the other hand the
Magnesian limestone has been described in more depth, because of the uniqueness of its
supporting vegetation and the threatened demise of some of the most interesting localities. Little
attempt has been made to describe or discuss animal life. This partly reflects the author's bias, as a
botanist, but more importantly, information is usually sparse or lacking except in the more
popular groups and localities. When surveying the wildlife of a large area, with limited time and
resources, one has to concentrate on vegetation, and assume that if the habitat is 'right' it will
support an appropriate fauna.
The format of Sections Two and Three is to take each major habitat in turn and
discuss natural and man-modified variation respectively. The main headings in each section are:-
Moorland and bog
Acid grassland
Carboniferous limestone grassland
Treated together as 'uplands' in Section Three.
Magnesium limestone grassland.
Woodlands.
Ponds.
Marshes.
In addition, a section on linear habitats has been appended to Section Three.
The findings of the report are too detailed to be adequately summarised here, but
some aspects can be highlighted. The current plight of the Magnesian limestone grassland for
instance is critical, with many former sites reduced in interest, and others threatened with tipping,
quarrying and scrub encroachment. The fate of some of the quarries mentioned by Heslop-
Harrison and Richardson (1953), as having "magnificent populations" reads very sadly now:-
Haswell Quarry - Re-quarried in recent years and extended.
Mostly bare of vegetation with some tipping.
Northern part overgrown with scrub, but may
retain some interest.
Farnless Quarry (Bishop
Middleham) -
Still interesting, despite official tipping of
limestone waste,' and unofficial dumping of
tyres and other rubbish. Recent application to
extend tipping areas.
24 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Raisby Quarry - Intermittantly worked. Mostly bare of
vegetation at present.
Highland House Quarry. - Tipping of rubble over the whole of the quarry.
Sherburn Hill Quarry. - Recent tipping of untreated domestic waste,
resulting in an appalling eyesore.
Old Wingate Quarry. - Quarries on the" east side have been backfilled
with domestic and coal waste and are now
sterile. Remainder are overgrown with scrub,
with some interesting patches remaining.
Hawthorn Quarry - Active and of little present interest.
Aycliffe Quarry. -Again actively quarried with consequent
destruction of much wildlife.
There are now plans· not before time - to centralise official tipping which may relieve the
pressure on the more interesting quarries, but an overall conservation plan based on controlled
exploitation is long overdue. This is also true of road verges in limestone areas: during road
widening or path construction the verges have been backfilled with sterile rubble and ash, and
planted with coarse grasses and shrubs - which require continuous management. As such habitats
now seem to be the best hope of survival for the Magnesian limestone flora, (with the likelihood
of quarrying at Thrislington and other areas), it is important that they should not remain
neglected.
A good case could also be made for the conservation of the remainder of Durham's
unpolluted lowland ponds, particularly as these are the ideal self-contained ecosystems for
teaching ecology at secondary school level. The precise number of ponds in Durham has never
been assessed (it depends, of course,on how large a puddle needs to be before it becomes a pond).
The distribution map shown here is no doubt an underestimate, but possibly not by very much.
One of the most pleasant surprises during the wildlife survey, was the occurrence of a fine series
of marshes dependant on the Magnesian and Carboniferous limestone, which retain a remarkably
rich and varied flora, in spite of widespread drainage and the small area of some of the sites.
There are more such sites than most people suspected, and probably few habitats would be more
rewarding for the naturalist who is prepared to investigate unknown areas.
The extreme fragmentation of most of the broad-leaved woodlands in Durham has
already been briefly referred to. Most of the larger woods are along the middle reaches of the
Tyne and Tees (and to a lesser extent the Wear) and at Hawthorn and Castle Eden Dene. In
general, it is these woods which are the richest in wildlife, and the smaller,isolated woods are
more
25 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
less impoverished. These results would agree with current research at Monkswood by Hooper,
who has demonstrated that populations of woodland herbs in large woods can be considered to be
self-perpetuatinq, while small woods (c.10 acres or less) suffer random extinction of plants at a
rate of about three species per century, if recolonisation is excluded. This fragmentation of
habitat, typical of industrial districts, incidentally made a wildlife policy based on zonation
impossible to implement in detail. The author considered that a zonation policy such as that used
for the East Hampshire A.O.N.B. could not be used in County Durham, without seriously
compromising interesting areas.
The condition of semi-natural habitats in Durham today is in many ways a
microcosm of England as a whole, with its fair share - many would say far more than its fair share
- of adverse influences. Parts of East Durham seem to be a Preservationists despair with the entire
landscape in constant flux and apparently little room for wildlife anywhere. However today's
industralia often becomes tomorrow's wildlife refuge, and the variety (if not the quantity) of
Durham's wildlife seems quite remarkable. The County is the home of at least 60 species of rare
flowering plants, for example. It is too soon to assess whether the results of the Wildlife Survey
have altered people's conception of Durham's natural history in any way. At the least, it has
brought . together a great deal of scattered information, some of it in half-forgotten or inaccessible
reports, into what it is hoped is a coherent whole. One negative aspect the survey has revealed
very strongly is the scarcity of sound information for quite large areas of the County, and the need
for more knowledge of even relatively well-known localities, particularly in the less popular
orders of animals and plants. A County Wildlife Survey ought never to be described as complete,
and will require constant monitoring to keep up to date. Naturalists who are prepared to
investigate the less well known parts of the County, and make their field notes available for the
survey, will be performing a valuable service.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the County Planning Officer for permission to publish the maps
used in this article, and to the many naturalists who, by contributing information on the County
Wildlife, made a comprehensive survey possible. In particular, I am grateful to Dr. M. E.
Bradshaw, Rev. G. G. Graham and Messrs. T. C. Dunn and M. J. Hudson who gave of their time
willingly to correct drafts and submit to numerous interrogations. Finally I wish to thank the staff
of the Conservation team in the Planning Department for a pleasant and memorable six months in
Durham.
26 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
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REFERENCES
To cite all the references used for the survey would be almost as long as this article, and the
reader is referred to the main report for a Bibliography.
Articles mentioned in this summary are:-
Hampshire County Council (1968)
East Hampshire A.O.N.B.
Heslop-Harrison and Richardson (1953)
Nature Conservancy Council (1974)
Monkswood Experimental Station
- Report for 1972 - 1973.
A BURIED CHANNEL OF A PRE-GLACIAL TRIBUTARY OF THE RIVER DERWENT
GEORGE EVANS
4, Rothley Terrace, Medomsley, Consett .
Recent boreholes put down by the National Coal Board between the Milkwell Burn
near Blackhall Mill and the Heugh Burn north of Ebchester have proved the base of the pre-
glacial channel which is near Broad Oak Farm. This channel has been known to geologists for a
long time. It can be easily traced when viewed across the Derwent Valley from High Westwood.
It is a dry valley and is a good locality for collecting glacial pebbles .
T. Herdman in his Glacial Phenomena of the Vale of Derwent (1909) describes it as
a "swire or inlet near Broad Oak which ceases to be a feature at about 375 feet". The recent
boreholes leave no doubt that it is the buried channel of the pre-glacial Milkwell and Heugh
Burns.
Between the two burns mentioned, sand and gravel quarries have been worked over a
long period. Coal drifts have also been worked on the west side of the Heugh Burn and the east
side of the Milkwell Burn. From this I would say that the two burns are post-glacial; the buried
channel being the pre-glacial stream.
The rock head of the buried channel is approx. 120 feet O.D. below the present
surface level, this seems to tie in with borings at Derwenthaugh which proved the base of the pre-
glacial Derwent near its confluence with the River Tyne at approx. 149 feet lower than at present.
32 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
West of Blackhall Mill, the level of the River Derwent is just under 200 feet above
sea level but near Broad Oak farm at the 300 feet contour the base of the drift material is 180 feet
A.S L. This is approximately. 20 feet below the present level of the river. There seems no doubt
that the confluence of the pre-glacial stream and the Derwent was at a much lower level than it is
now. I have proved in mine workings of the Brockwell seam at Blackhall Mill, that the rock head
is just below the river bed, but north of the river boreholes have proved at least 60 feet of drift.
This seems to suggest that the pre-glacial Derwent was about 150 yards or so north of its present
course; that is from a line just below Broad Oak farm, through Blackhall Mill village and
Armondside Farm.
I have marked on the sketch map the contours of the rock head at the base of the drift
of the buried channel (taken from boreholes). It seems that this stream became blocked with
glacial material during the glaciation period, but towards the end of this period melt waters cut the
present channels of the Heugh and Milkwell burns. A small area of coal (the Brockwell seam) of
poor quality coal is now being worked from the Broad Oak sand and gravel quarry.
I have proved in mine workings other examples where the pre-glacial streams are at a
deeper level and on a different course than the present-day streams.
In the Shotley Bridge area (near the hospital) are two tributary streams of the River
Derwent; the Elm Park Burn and the Snows Green Burn. When driving the Elm Park drift mine
between the two streams we actually followed the pre-glacial stream. The drift mine was put
down at a gradient of 1 in 3 and reached the base of the stream just above the roof of the
Brockwell seam.
I am grateful to Mr. W. Welsh, N.C.B. Area Director of North Durham and Mr.
Carslake No. 5 Area Group Surveyor for allowing me to take notes etc. from the colliery plans.
33 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
34 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
THE VEGETATION OF WALDRIDGE FELL CO; DURHAM
1. THE WOODLANDS OF THE SOUTH BURN VALLEY.
B. D. WHEELER
Department of Botany, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN.
INTRODUCTION
Waldridge Fell is an extensive area of common land associated with the village of
Waldridge some two and a half miles south west of Chester-le-Street in north east County
Durham. Occupying some 280 acres it is situated upon a sandstone bedrock of the Durham Coal
Measures. The north west side of the fell is bordered by the steeply incised valley of the Cong
Burn. Immediately south east of this the precipitous valley slopes rise up to the highest point of
the fell - a ridge of just over 400 ft O.D. From this uppermost part the ground slopes rather gently
south eastwards down to the valley of the South Burn which provides the south east boundary of
the site. This downslope - which comprises the bulk of the fell has an irregular topography with
some well marked hills and hollows. The most notable hill - on account of its steep sides - is
Wanister Hill in the south central part of the area. Immediately beneath this, on the eastern side, is
a relatively flat piece of land, a sump area known as Wanister Bog which is maintained in a
predominantly waterlogged condition by the run-off and seepage of water from the adjoining
slopes. Elsewhere also there are small, local patches of waterlogged ground associated with
springs and areas of seepage. Another area which is very marshy is in the vicinity of the South
Burn. -This stream has cut a rather steep-sided, though shallow valley through the sandstone and
much of the area alongside it is very wet, irrigated by a discontinuous line of springs.
The vegetation of Waldridge Fell is of some considerable interest and it is partly on
account of this that the area has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. First of
all, it represents an extensive area of semi-natural vegetation in what is otherwise a predominantly
agricultural landscape. Furthermore, it supports certain plant communities which are of very
restricted occurrence in north east England. Much of the area is heath land (though with marshes
in the wetter depressions) and the plant communities of these areas have already been described in
some detail by JEFFREYS (1916). An area of special interest, however, is the valley of the South
Burn where the boggy floor and drier slopes support various types of woodland vegetation. These
woods, which are very rich in plant species, were not given a very detailed description by
JEFFREYS and it now seems opportune for a fuller account to be presented.
35 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
THE WOODLANDS OF THE SOUTH BURN VALLEY
The part of the South Burn valley that is considered here is the small portion less
than half a mile long along the bottom of Waldridge Fell between the point where. the stream
enters the fell area and that where it is crossed by the road from Chester Moor to Waldridge.
Between these two points the stream flows through a shallow, peaty, steep-sided valley with both
sides covered by woodland.
If a suitable vantage point is found to overlook the valley it is readily observable that
there is a definite pattern to the distribution of the different species of tree. On either side, on the
steep, relatively dry slopes, there is a canopy formed by the crowns of the birch (Betula
pubescens) together with oak (Quercus robur).
The birch also occupies parts of the valley floor, particularly on the S. E. side of the
stream where, in the western part at least, it is the main tree to be seen, although even here alder is
found fringing the stream itself. Further downstream it is noticeable that the birch canopy is
overtopped in some places by crowns of alder (Alnus glutinosa) and indeed this species becomes
the predominant tree in some places. Thus in the lower part of the valley on the south east side
birch is little in evidence at all. Its place has been taken either by alder carr or, in certain areas, by
willow thicket composed mainly of the grey willow (Salix cinerea) and the bay willow (S.
pentandra).
On the fell side of the burn a rather different pattern is evident. Here the main tree
covering the bulk of the valley floor is alder, though birch still remains an occasional component
of the woodland canopy and indeed, at the far N.E. end becomes the predominant species.
This differential distribution of tree species is reflected also in the distribution of the
associated species of the vegetation cover. The flora associated with the alder carr and willow
thickets of the valley floor is very different from that of places where birch is dominant. Further,
the floristics of the birch wood of the wetter parts of the valley bottom are quite different to those
of the drier forests of the slopes. For the purpose of describing the vegetation it is thus convenient
to recognise three main woodland types; the wet birch forest of the valley bottom in which
Molinia caerulea is prominent; the drier birch forest of the slopes with much Deschampsia
flexuosa; and the alder-willow forest. Alder and willow dominated areas are described together
as, although they differ in the dominant species of tree, the associated species are so similar that
they can most usefully be considered as a single unit.
1. ALDER-WILLOW FOREST
The best developed area of alder carr is on the N.W. side of the South Burn where
this type of vegetation forms a broad (up to 10 metres) band between the stream and the base of
the steep valley slopes. It extends as a virtually unbroken community for about two-thirds of the
way along the valley from the S.W. end, developed below a
36 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
well marked spring and seepage line. Towards the N. E. end, however, these wet conditions
become discontinuous and the alder forest gives way to a drier type of birch woodland. Alder
wood is also present on the S. E. side of the valley, alongside the stream and in association with
springs, but it is more fragmentarily developed and in the N. E. parts is largely replaced by willow
thickets (see below).
The dominant tree is Alnus glutinosa but other species also occur, in particular
Fraxinus excelsior and Sorbus aucuparia with occasional specimens of Ilex aquifolia and Prunus
padus. Shrubs are fairly well represented too with Viburnum opulus occuring occasionally and
with Rubus fruticosus agg. forming extensive patches, particularly in the drier areas. It is
however, the rich and varied herbaceous ground flora of the wood that is of especial interest,
containing as it does a number of species that are rare or absent from other parts of County
Durham. Most notable of these is the royal fern (Osmunda regalis) which has been known from
the site for a long time and still persists as a single plant. Equally interesting is the occurrence in
reasonable quantity, of the smooth-stalked sedge (Carex laevigata). This sedge was initially
recorded from Waldridge in The Vasculum in 1918 and the area has long been known as a good
site for it. It is,however, apparently a very uncommon plant elsewhere in the County and G
RAHAM et al (1972) give only one other record. In addition to these two plants there are a whole
range of others which are generally infrequent in County Durham. They include the hemp
agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum), marsh hawk's-beard (Crepis paludosa}, large bitter-cress
(Cardamine amara), hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata), skullcap (Scutellaria
qalericulata}, marsh valerian (Valeriana dioica) as well as the grass Poa nemoralis and the sedge
Scirpus sylvaticus. A full list of species growing in the alder wood is given in Table 1. A number
of other species have also been recorded from the woods which have not been noted in the present
investigation: Thus JEFFREYS (1916) recorded Pedicularis palustris - a plant which still
apparently occurs (T.C.Dunn, pers cornm.l. The presence of Dryopteris carthusiana 'has also
been rumoured and, although its occurrence has not yet been confirmed, the alder woods would
seem to present a likely habitat for this particular fern.
Even on casual inspection it is evident that the vegetation of the ground layer is by
no means uniform. In the wettest places, associated with the most active springs, the greater
tussocked sedge (Carex paniculata) is particularly prominent usually forming enormous
upstanding tussocks which are frequently crowned with a few plants of Oxalis acetosella and
which may also support specimens of Dryopteris filix-mas and Geranium robertianum. It is not an
invariant component of such places however, and when it does not occur in its place there is very
often a treacherous carpet of the golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositiolium) often with very
few associated species, though usually including Caltha palustris and Mentha aquatica.
37 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Away from the wettest areas of the valley bottom the drier, firmer substratum
supports a slightly different assemblage of plants. Most of the species already mentioned still
occur but in addition there are a number of others - mainly plants more characteristic of damp
woodland than of mire forest. They include Anemone nemerosa, Lysimachia nemorum,
Mercurialis perennis, Stachys sylvatica, Stellaria nemorum and Veronica chamaedrys. Such areas
of relatively dry alder wood are particularly characteristic of the S. W. end of the valley on the
fell side of the stream. They are frequently characterised by the growth of large amounts of the
meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria).
Even in the wettest places, however, it is often possible to find relatively well
drained areas - usually as small elevated patches around the bases of trees etc. These areas are
readily distinguishable from the surrounding marshy woodland floor by the fact that they support
plant species which are much more characteristic of the drier slopes of the birch wood along the
valley sides - such as the bluebell (Endymion non- scriptus), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea),
woodsage (Teucrium scorodonia)and bracken (Pteridium aquilinum}. It is thus clear that the floor
of the alder wood supports an interlocking mosaic of different microhabitats, each with a rather
characteristic complement of plant species.
A number of mosses have been recorded from the floor of the alder forest (see Table
1). Of particular interest was the discovery of Mnium pseudopunctatum as this appears to be its
only record for vice-county 66. This is a moss which frequently occurs in fen woodlands in
Northern England and can be found in some quantity for example in the fen woods at Malham
Tarn in W. Yorkshire and in some of the small basin mires of Westmorland and Curnberland. It is
not, however, usually found in the type of alder forest that occurs at Waldridge. Mention may also
be made of the large thallose liverwort Conocephalum conicum which is not listed in Table 1.
This occurs abundantly in places on the muddy banks of the South Burn, but nonetheless appears
to be largely absent from the woodland.
On the S. E. side of the South Burn there is a plant community of very similar
floristic content to the alder woods just described. Here however, alder itself is of much more
restricted occurrence and in its place there are quite large amounts of the grey willow (Salix
cinerea) and the bay willow (S. pentandra). The eared willow (Salix aurita) also occurs together
with S. x multinervis Doell. (the hybrid of S. cinerea x S.aurita) and Betula pubescens is also
more prominent. In other respects, however, the flora is very similar to that of the alder wood. It
is not clear why alder is not better developed though JEFFREYS (1916) suggested that it might
have been felled.
38 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
The type of alder wood that is present at Waldridge represents a very characteristic
woodland community and comparable examples can be found in various parts of England and
Wales. Floristically, it is very different from, say, the extensive tracts of alder carr that occur in
the region of the Norfolk broads. The plant species that serve to characterise this woodland type
are Chrysosplenium oppositifolium, Oenanthe crocata and Pellia epiphylla. Chrysosplenium
alternifolium is also characteristic of such alder woods but it does not occur at Waldridge.
Together, these species may be used to differentiate this version of alder wood from any of the
other types that occur in the marshes and fens of lowland England and Wales. A preliminary
account of the different alder wood types is given by WHEELER (1975) where a more detailed
account of the present community may also be found. On the basis of an initial survey of the
different types of British woodland KLOTZLI (1970) suggested that the name to be given to the
lowland alder woods of relatively nutrient rich habitats, into which category the Waldridge
examples seem to fall, should be the Osmundo-Alnetum (a name more or less equivalent to the
Irido-Alnetum . which was the name used by BELLAMY (1970) to refer to the alder wood at
Waldridge). Because the Waldridge alder carr represents a particular version of the Osmundo-
Alnetum WHEELER (1975) has given it an additional name to distinguish it from other types of
alder wood. This is the Osmundo-Alnetum chrysosplenietosum. The last name was chosen
because Chrysosplenium species are so characteristic of this type of vegetation.
Osmundo-Alnetum chrysosplenietosum communities occur in a number of places in
England and Wales, usually in the same sort of situation to that at Waldridge, that is to say
growing below the spring line in narrowly incised peaty valleys cut back into areas of sandstone.
In southern Britain a number of examples occur in association with the Lower Greensand
deposits, but still with a floristic assemblage very much akin to that found at Waldridge alongside
the South Burn.
THE TRANSITION TO BIRCH WOOD
In many places along the fell side of the stream there is a rather distinct assemblage
of plants occupying the transition between the alder carr and the drier birch wood above.
Particularly characteristic of this zone is the prominence of Sphagna with a number of species,
including Sphagnum palustre, S. recurvum and S. timbriatum, growing in some abundance. A
variety of higher plants may be found though the wood horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) is
particularly characteristic and generally plentiful. Carex remota may also be especially frequent,
sometimes with much Viola palustris. Otherwise, this zone contains species both of the alder carr
proper (e.g. Angelica sylvestris, Cirsium palustre. Eupatorium cannabinum) together with plants
more characteristic of the birch woodland (e.g. Digitalis purpurea, Holcus mollis and Stellaria
holostea) .. The overshadowing tree is still largely alder but clearly this type of vegetation is very
different to the community described above.
39 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
The distribution of this Sphagnum dominated zone is of some interest. On the fell
side of the burn it occurs for almost half the length of the valley (the N.E. half) as a
discontinuous, though usually fairly discreet, band of some 1 - 2 metres wide along the base of the
steep sides. However, for reasons that are not altogether clear, further S.W. the Sphagnum carpet
disappears and in its place there is what appears to be an analogous zone (though rather nebulous)
in which Chrysosplenium oppositifolium and (often) Ajuga reptans are particularly prominent. On
the S. E. side of the burn there is often also a well marked Sphagnum zone separating areas of
alder (or willow) woodland from the adjoining birch wood. Juncus effusus is often prominent in
such places.
2. BIRCH FOREST WITH MOLlNIA CAERULEA
In its characteristic development, this type of vegetation is dominated by the birch (Betula
pubescens) which provides a rather open canopy beneath which an extensive ground vegetation
occurs. The chief species of this is the purple moor grass Molinia caerulea usually with Succisa
pratensis, Juncus effusus, Pontentilla erecta and Equisetum sylvaticum. Affinities with the drier
birch forest of the valley sides (see below) are maintained by the presence of plants such as
Deschampsia flexuosa, Endymion non-scrlptus, Galium cruciata, Oxalis acetosella and Pteridium
aquilinum though these may only be in small quantity. The bilberry, (Vaccinium myrtilus) also
occurs sporadically and betony (Betonica officinalis}may frequently be found. Particular interest,
however, centres upon the moss layer which is very extensively developed - although at present
large portions are regularly being torn up by the activity of the population of muntjak deer in the
area. Species of the bog moss Sphagnum are especially prominent with a number of species
occurring (including S. palustre, S. squarrosum, S. fimbriatum and S. plumulosum). The habitat
would appear to be rather dry compared to many of the places where these species grow and
indeed, during the summer months at least, the Sphagna often appear to be bleached and
dessicated. Other mosses present include Polytrichum commune (often abundant) and, in places,
Aulacomnium palustre and Leucobryum glaucum. A species list from stands of this community is
given in Table 2.
Birch-Molinia forest is most developed on the S. E. side of the South Burn. It is most extensive
towards the S. W. end where it occupies a flat terrace above the stream but smaller areas also
occur as small elevated islands within the alder-willow forests further downstream. Another
example occupies a rather small area at the N.E. end of the fell side of the stream where it
represents a slightly flushed area with in the drier birch - Deschampsia flexuosa type of
woodland.
40 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
As no phytosociological survey of birch woods in England and Wales has yet been
performed it is not possible to give a definite name to this birch-Molinia community. It may,
however, be noted that similar types of forest have been described from other parts of N. W.
Europe (e.g. from Holland and N. W. Germany) and here they are often referred to as the
Betuletum pubescentis.
3. BIRCH FOREST WITH DESCHAMPSIA FLEXUOSA
The steep, sometimes precipitous, slopes that occur on either side of the South Burn
support a rather characteristic and uniform type of vegetation. This is a form of birch woodland in
which the birch (Betula pubescens] is the dominant tree. Other trees also occur, however, notably
the oak (Quercus robur) but also others such as the holly (llex aquifolia) and rowan (Sorbus
aucuparia}. Some Betula pendula is also present. Together these form a canopy of varying
density but which is usually fairly open. Beneath it is a very characteristic ground flora, usually
with a high degree of cover except on the steepest slopes or in the most shaded parts,
Deschampsia tlexuosa is the dominant species over much of the area but in some places the
creeping soft grass (Holcus mollis) is particularly prominent and elsewhere bracken (Pteridium
aquilinium) is present in considerable quantity.
With these is a small assemblage of associates including Anthoxanthum odoratum,
Endymion non-scriptus, Galium cruciata, G. saxatile, Oxalis acetosella, Stellaria holostea and
Teucrium scorodonia. Creeping tormentil (Potentilla erecta)and foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
frequently occur together with the spreading fronds of the hard fern (Blechnum spicant}. Species
more typical of the open heath also grow sporadically, such as Ulex europaeus and Vaccinium
myrtilus. Carex binervis grows in a few places. Mosses are not particularly well developed. The
main species, trailing along the ground and also growing around the bases of the trees is Hypnum
cupressiforme. Others include Brachythecium rutabulum, Calypogeia muellerana, Pleurozium
schreberi and Pseudoschleropodium purum.
As well as growing on the slopes, this type of forest is also found in certain flatter
places alongside the South Burn where the conditions are suitably dry.
Woodlands with a very similar floristic composition to the birch-Deschampsia forest
occur widely throughout England and Wales on rather nutrient-poor, freely draining substrata.
Often, however, oak is the dominant tree with Betula pubescens having only a subsidiary role.
This may well once have been the case at Waldridge with the present forest representing a
secondary woodland created by felling of the oaks. Similar woodlands occur elsewhere in N. W.
Europe where they are often referred to as the Quercetum roboris-Betuletum
41 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
The juniper (juniperus communis) is often a member of such communities. This was in fact noted
as a frequent component of the woodland at Waldridge by JEFFREYS (1916) but it has
subsequently been lost from the site.
THE FACTORS OF DISTRIBUTION
Having thus recognised the three main woodland types at Waldridge it would be of
some interest to identify the causal factors responsible for their distribution and occurrence.
Detailed work on this remains in abeyance but nonetheless some casual observations are of
interest.
The birch-Deschampsia forest is clearly a community of dry slopes and it might be
expected to be the main forest type which would cover much of the Fell were it not for the fact
that most of the area is kept as open heath by burning and grazing. It is developed only on free-
draining substrata and although it is mainly restricted to the slopes of the South Burn Valley, it
also occurs on the valley floor in places where this is relatively dry. In contrast, the alder-willow
woodland is mainly a community of very wet conditions, growing beneath the spring line in
places where the water-table is at or just below ground level and where trickling surface water can
often be found throughout most of the year. The birch-Molinia forest grows in places that are in
some respects intermediate between these two conditions with a substratum that can become
completely saturated during the winter months but which usually is comparatively dry during the
summer. It occurs above the main spring line, though clearly it must receive a certain amount of
irrigation either from seepage or from surface run-off.
Thus to a certain degree at least, the distribution of the woodland types in the South
Burn valley appears to reflect the occurrence of springs. The influence of these is not just to be
considered in terms of the height of the water table but also in terms of the nutrient status of the
water they supply. Thus the water irrigating the alder carr below the main spring line has a higher
pH (range = 5.5-7.0) and content of dissolved salts than is the case with the ground water
associated with the birch-Molinia forest (pH range = 4.5-6.0). This effect is likely to be enhanced
by the fact that, whereas the springtime induces a pronounced throughflow of water in the alder
carr, in the birch-Molinia woodland there is no strong input of irrigating water and, more- over,
the relatively flat terrain is likely to encourage stagnation. It thus seems possible that the
occurrence of alder carr rather than Birch-Molinia wood is the result of a supply of (more or less)
constantly flowing water (of subterranean origin) with a relatively high nutrient content at a
continually high level as opposed to a weak and intermittent water supply (perhaps largely of
superficial origin) of lower nutrient status leading to a generally lower water-table which shows
marked fluctuations in height.
42 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
This same reasoning may also be applied to the band of Sphagnum dominated
vegetation that is peripheral to the alder carr in a number of places. The location of this is always
above the main spring-line supplying the alderwood and again the water has a lower
concentration of dissolved salts as well as a lower pH range = c. 4.5 - 5.5) than is the case with
that below the spring line. The input of water is not very pronounced and may be largely of
superficial or sub-surface origin. However, in general, this zone seems to have a more constantly
high water level throughout the year than is the case with the birch-Molinia wood and in this
sense represents an intermediate situation between that and the alder carr. It may be noted that
whatever the precise determinative habitat factors they would appear to have only a very
restricted spatial expression as this zone is always of very limited dimensions.
It may thus be postulated that the distribution of the woodland types at Waldridge is
largely in response to the water supply of the substratum, particularly in relationship to the
occurrence of springs. However, further work is required to establish the relative importance of
variations in the level, flow and nutrient status of the water as determinative factors.
43 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
List of species from the alder-willow woodland
Table 1
Alnus qlutinosa d
Betula pubescens occ
Fraxinus excelsior occ
Ilex aquitolio occ
Quercus petraea r
Salix aurita r
S. cinerea If
S. pentandra If
Crataequs monogyna occ
Rosa canina occ
Rubus fruticosus agg. f
Viburnum opulus occ
Agrostis stolonifera occ
Ajuga reptans f
Anemone nemorosa f: especially in the drier parts
Angelica sylvestris f
Caltha palustris f la
Cardamine amara f
C. flexuosa occ
C. pratensis f
Carex laevigata occ: scattered throughout the area
C. nigra r: mainly on S.E. side near the
transition to birch woodland
C. paniculata la: especially important in wet
spring areas
C. remota f
Cirsium palustre f
Chrysosplenium oppositifolium la: especially abundant in some
very wet areas.
Crepis paludosa f
Dactylorhiza fuchsii f
Deschampsia cespitosa occ
D. flexuosa r: confined mainly to slightly
elevated areas, around the
base of trees etc.
Eupatorium cannabinum f -la: especially prominent S. E. of
stream at the N. E. end
Festuca gigantea f-Ia:. especially in drier parts
Galium aparine occ
G. palustre occ
Geranium robertianurn occ
44 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Holcus lanatus f
[uncus acutiflorus occ
J. conglomeratus r
J. effusus occ
Lonicera periclymenum f: mainly in association with
trees and bushes
Lychnis ttos-cuculi occ
Lysimachia nemorum occ
Mentha aquatica f
Menyanthes trifoliata r: mainly restricted to a small
area with Carex paniculata on
S. E. side
Mercurialis perennis f
Oenanthe crocata occ: scattered throughout the area
Oxalis acetosel/a occ: mainly confined to the
crowns of Carex paniculata
tussocks.
Phalaris arundinacea occ: alongside stream
Poa nemoralis r
P. trivialis occ
Pontentilla erecta r: in a few dry places
Ranunculus acris f
R. repens occ
Scirpus sylvaticus Id: mainly in one spring on the
N.W.side
Scrophularia aquatica r
Scutellaria galericulata r
Stachys sylvatica occ
Stellaria alsine r
S. nemorum occ
Succisa pratensis occ
Taraxacum officinale agg. r
Tussilago farfara occ: in some of the most open wet
habitats
Urtica dioica r
Valeriana dioica f
V. officinalis f
Viola palustris f
Veronica chamaedrys occ
V. montana r
A thyrium filix-femina f - la
Dryopteris tillx-mas occ
D dilatata f
Equisetum fluviatile r
E. palustre occ
E. sylvaticum f - la
Osmunda regalis r: one plant
45 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Osmunda regalis r:
Acrocladium cuspidatum f
Brachythecium rivulare r
B. rutabulum occ
r
Calypogeia muellerana f
Eurhynchium praelongum f
Lophocolea bidentata f
Mnium affine r
Mnium hornum Lf: mainly around base of trees
Mn. pseudopunctatum one clump on S. E. side near
the Osmunda
Mn. punctatum r
Mn. undulatum f
Pellia epiphylla f - la
Sphagnum palustre occ
S. squarrosum occ
Table 2. List of species from the birch-Moliinia woodland.
Betula pubescens d
Sorbus aucuparia r
Agrostis canina r
Anthoxanthum odoratum occ
Betonica officinalis occ
Carex nigra r
Cirsium palustre r
Deschampsia flexuosa occ
Digitalis purpurea r
Endymion non-scriptus r
Galium cruciata r
G. saxatile occ
Holcus mol/is occ
Juncus effusus f
J. conglomeratus r
Lonicera periclymenum occ
Luzula multiflora r
Molinia caerulea d
Oxalis acetosel/a occ
Potentilla erecta occ
Succisa pratensis f
Vaccinium myrtilus r
Viola palustris r
46 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Equisetum sylvaticum f
Pteridium aquilinum occ
Aulacomnium palustre r
Hypnum cupressitorme r
Leucobryum glaucum r
Pleurozium schreberi occ
Polytrichum commune f
Sphagnum timbriatum f
S. palustre a
S. plumutosum occ
S. recurvum f
S. squarrosum f
REFERENCES
BELLAMY, D. J. 1970 The Vegetation In: Durham County and City with Teesside, ed; J. C.
Dewdney, 133-141.
GRAHAM G. G., C.D. SAVERS & J. H. GAMAN 1972. A Check list of the Vascular Plants of
County Durham. University of Durham.
JEFFREYS, H. 1916. On the vegetation of four Durham coal-measure fells. 1. General
description of the area and its vegetation. J. Ecol.4, 174-195.
KLOTZLI, G. 1970. Eichen, Edellaub-, und Bruchwalden der Britischen I nseln.
Schweiz Zeitschr. Forstwesen 121, 329 -366.
WHEELER, B. D. 1975. Phytosocioloqical studies on rich fen systems in England and Wales.
Ph.D, Thesis. University of Durham.
47 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
NOTES ON SOME MACROSCOPIC ALGAE NEW OR SELDOM RECORDED FOR
BRITAIN:
N.T.H. HOLMES & B. A. WHITTON Department of Botany,
University Science Laboratories, Durham, England.
SUMMARY
Accounts are given of the distribution and ecology of five macroscopically recognisable attached
algae in rivers of N·E. England and S-E. Scotland. For two of these species, Nostoc parmelioides
and Rhodoplax schinzii, these are the first records for the British Isles, while Cladophora
aegagropila has only been recorded previously from lakes. Although Heribaudiella fluviatilis,
one of the few freshwater species of brown algae,
has previously been described in the British Isles only from North Devon, our present studies
have shown that this alga is in fact rather common in fast-flowing rivers. The fifth alga dealt with,
Monostroma bullosum, has so far been found by us in one catchment area only.
INTRODUCTION
Recent surveys of many rivers in N·E. England and S-E. Scotland have shown the presence of a
number of algal species which are either first records for the British Isles or have seldom been
reported previously. In some cases at least, these algae appear to be quite common, and it is
evident that the lack of previous records is probably a reflection of how few algologists ever wade
down rivers collecting attached algae. The present paper describes five of these species which,
although relatively small, are nevertheless usually clearly reconizable macroscopically.
METHODS
The data reported here have been obtained mostly whilst recording the presence or absence of all
macrophytes in 0.5 km lengths of rivers, a method described originally by Whitton and
Buckmaster (1970). Some rivers have been surveyed from source to mouth, and a number of spot
checks have been made on other rivers; the various sites Surveyed are summarized in Table 1.
Full details of data and locations studies within the Tweed Catchment are given in Holmes
(1975). Background information on the Wear has been given by Whitton and Buckmaster (1970),
and on the N. Tyne and Tyne by Holmes et al. (1972), but the surveys for the present paper have
been carried out subsequent to those previous reports. The primary surveys have in all cases been
made
48 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Table 1
Details of surveys for presence or absence of species studied.
River Type of survey Main years of study
Biggar whole river 1971
Lyne spot checks in lowest 10 km 1973-4
Yarrow spot checks in lowest 10 km 1973
Ettrick spot checks in lowest 20 km 1972
Jed spot checks in lowest 20 km 1973
Teviot spot checks in lowest 10 km
whole river
1972
Eden spot checks in lowest 10 km 1972
Till spot checks in lowest 10 km 1973
Leet spot checks in lowest 10 km 1972-4
Blackadder spot checks in lowest 30 km 1973
Whiteadder spot checks in lowest 40 km 1973-4
Aln a few spot checks 1973
Coquet a few spot checks 1973
Tyne whole non-tidal river 1975
N. Tyne all lowest 10 km 1975
S. Tyne all lowest 2.5 km 1975
Wear spot checks 1973
Tees whole river below Cow
Green
1975
Lune all lowest 2.5 km 1975
Balder all lowest 2.5 km 1975
Greta all lowest 2.5 km 1975
Claw Beck all lowest 2.5 km 1975
Skerne all lowest 10 km 1975
Leven all lowest 2.5 km 1975
49 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
50 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
during the months of June to September, a period in which the majority of macrophytes are most
easily seen, both because of the frequency of low flows and the fact that most species are well
developed at this time of the year. Many checks have however also been made at other times of
the year, the bulk of all the field work being carried out by N.T.H.H.
In the discussion given below concerning Heribaudiella, brief reference is included
to the range of water chemistries associated with this species. Details of chemical methods and
results are not given here, but the authors would be pleased to give further information to anyone
interested.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Nostoc parmelioides Kutz. (Myxophyta)
The present records are the first for this alga in the British Isles (J. W. G. Lund,
personal communication). It was however first found by Kutzing in mountain streams in the
German Thuringian Forest as long a90 as 1843 (Todd, 1971). It has been found at other mainland
European sites since that date, and a century after its first record, Drouet {19431 reported it from
the U.S.A. Further records from the U.S.A. include the Firehole River (Jonea 19671. nine
mountain streams in Colorado and the Upper Rio Grande River {Todd, 1971).
Nostoc parmelioides is a thalloid blue-green alga which resembles in gross
morphology another better known member of the genus, N. verrucosum Vauch. Geitler {19321
indicates that the former never reaches such large dimensions as have been reported for the latter,
and the material of N. parmelioides that we have found typically consists of groups of distinct
discoid, smooth surfaced colonies with maximum diameters ranging from 5 to 15 mm. However,
the main difference between N. parmelioides and N. verrucosum isthe presence within the thalli of
the former, of a midge larva (Cricotopus spp.) growing in a presumed mutualistic relationship
with the alga. This relationship was first described by Johannsen {19371 and dealt with in detail
by Brock (1960).
Among the rivers summarized in Table I, we have so far found N. parmelioides only
in the upper Tees, N. Tyne, Tweed and three tributaries of the latter, Yarrow, Ettrick and Teviot,
but it has also been observed in the R. Beela, Cumbria. In all but the Teviot it was recorded
frequently, being often locally abundant. It occurred most frequently on flat hard rock surfaces
exposed to high current velocities, but in the mid-reaches of the Tweed sandstone surfaces subject
only to moderate current velocities were also colonized. At all the sites studies, the algal
populations were well developed throughout the year. There was no evidence of a summer fall-off
in the size of population following the reported period for the emergence of the midge larvae and
subsequent degeneration of many algal colonies as described by Brock (1960) for Sagehen
Creek,California.
51 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
It seems quite possible that in the past, N. parmelioides may have been under-
recorded due to confusion with N. verrucosum. It is clear that they are rather similar in their
general morphology, and experimental studies should be carried out to establish whether N.
parmelioides is simply a form of N. verrucosum resulting from the presence of the midge lava.
Heribaudiella fluviatilis (Aresch.)Sved. (Phaeophyta, Ectocarpales)
Heribaudiella fluviatilis is an encrusting brown alga, one of the few non-marine
members of the Phaeophyta. The only published record for the British Isles is that of Fritsch
(1929) for fast flowing streams in N. Devon, but its distribution in mainland Europe is certainly
widespread as is made clear in Israelsson's (19381 review of earlier literature. Israelsson also
demonstrated that in mid-Sweden, an area which he had studied intensively, the alga was present
at many sites representing a wide range of types of river.
This alga is certainly very widespread in N-E. England and S-E. Scotland (Fig.1), the
only major river for which it has not been found being the Wear. The alga is easy to overlook, and
we failed to observe its presence in the Tyne system in 1972 (Holmes et al., 19721. though in
1975 we found it there as a relatively uncommon species. It was at first thought that we may have
overlooked the alga also in the Wear, but as a result of repeated searches for it in 1973 and 1974,
we believe that at least in the middle and lower reaches of this river it was genuinely absent. The
alga has also been found during spot checks made in the Rivers Eden and Leven, Cumbria, Lakes
Windermere and Coniston, and also as far away as the Thames at Marlow.
The absence of this alga from the Wear may possibly be due to the effects that coal
mining has had over several centuries on the river downstream of the entry of the R. Gaunless.
Although the effects of this mining are in little evidence today, many boulders on the river bed are
nevertheless still overlain with dark inorganic crusts. Such crusts may possibly have been
responsible for preventing Heriaudiella colonizing rock surfaces. Hildenbrandia rivularls
(Liebm.) J.Ag., an encrusting red alga, has recently begun to colonize large boulders in stretches
of the Wear with fast currents (e.g. Finchalel where it was almost certainly absent in 1966.
It is clear that Heribaudiella has a very wide distribution and is often frequent in stretches of river
with a substratum of boulders. It is tolerant of a wide range of water chemistries from ones which
may be considered as relatively soft to hard, and from ones which are relatively oligotrophic to
relatively eutrophic. Israelsson (1938) mentioned that he had never found this alga from humus-
rich oligotrophic waters. Several of the rivers in which we have found Heribaudiella might
perhaps qualify for such a description, as for instance the upper reaches of the Tees. However,
none of these waters combine being humus-rich with being very soft.
52 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
In order to encourage others to take up the study of this alga, a practical note on its
recognition may be useful. Fritsch (1929) mentioned that the forms of Heribaudiella found by
him in Devon were yellowish brown rather than olive green to black as given in Pascher's (1925)
flora. Our observations would tend to SUpport Fritsch rather than Pascher. In the geographical
region shown in Fig.l brown encrusting growths in rivers could be one of at least four organisms.
Once these four organisms have been recognised, then it is quite easy to distinguish colonies of
Heribaudiella, for it is typically a rich-brown colour, and reaches diameters of up to 20 mm. The
two blue-green algae Chamaesiphon fuscus (Rostaf.) Hansg. and C. polonicus (Rostaf). Hansg.
are also both common and brown in colour. The former may appear an almost identical shade of
brown when viewed macroscopically, but differs in shape, forming a fleck on the rock surface
rather than being more circular in outline. C. polonicus is a much lighter brown and rarely
develops colonies with distinct margins. Permanently submerged Verrucaria spp. are generally
darker than Heribaudiella, appearing almost black, rather than brown. Heribaudiella may also be
distinguished from the others by the difficulty involved in trying to remove it from the rock
surfaces it colonizes, while the Chamaesiphon spp. may be scraped off quite easily, and
Verrucaria, though relatively difficult to detach, can usually be eventually removed in large
lumps.
Cladophora aegagropila (L.) Rabenh.· (Chlorophyta, Siphonocladales)
Unlike Cladophora glomerata, the member of this genus usually recorded from
rivers, C. aegagropila does not grow into the very long smothering filaments known so aptly by
fishermen as blanket-weed. The thalli of this species never exceed 30mm and the filaments are
extensive1y branched. The thick cell walls and the interwoven nature of the filaments give the
plant a tight knit, stiff texture. This same species in lakes may form characteristic 'balls' (see van
den Hoek, 1963), but all the material we have observed in rivers has been firmly attached.
Within the area covered by Fig.l, we have found C. aegagropila only within the
catchments of the Tweed, Tyne and Tees. In all cases it distribution was within the distribution
range of C. glomerata. Although usually relatively uncommon, it was more abundant in the
middle reaches of the Tweed, being recorded frequently from similar microhabitats as Nostoc
parmelioides. The Till was the only tributary of the Tweed in which this alga was found, and in
this river it was recorded only in isolated localities in the most downstream 20 km of the river.
C. aegagropila has previously been recorded from a few lake localities in the British
Isles, such as Malham Tarn (Lund, 1961), but the records in Fig.1. are the first for rivers in the
British Isles. Van den Hoek (1963), however, lists records from small rivers in Switzerland,
Finland and France, and also from the R. Moine and the R. Seine at Paris.
53 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
C aegagropila appears to differ from C. glomerata not only in its morphology, but also its
ecology. Unlike C. glomerata there is little tendency for it to be reduced to a basal stump in
winter. In fact C. aegagropila appears rather similar at all times during the year, though at least in
the Tweed winter material often looked black rather than green due to being smothered with
epiphytic blue-green algae, especially Oncobyrsa spp. C. aeqaqropilo often originates from small
cracks or other obvious depressions in rock surfaces. From our general observations on its
distribution within a river it seems probable that it is more tolerant of low light intensities than C.
glomerata.
Monostroma bullosum (Roth.) Wittroch. (Chlorophyta, Ulvales).
This species has a sac-like structure, the sacs rarely exceed 10 mm and are attached
by single holdfasts. Detailed accounts of its morphology may be found in Printz (1964) and
Bliding (1968). West and Fritsch (1927) reported that Monostroma bullosum is not at all common
in Britain. We have osberved M. bullosum only in the Tweed catchment area, where it was
present in the main river, the Teviot, and five of the tributaries for which partial surveys have
been made (Table 1; Holmes, 1975). Typically, the species occurred on the surfaces of large
boulders that are alternatively wetted and dried. In the Whiteadder M. bullosum was also found
attached to the stems of larger submerged species and on the submerged fibrous roots of trees
growing along the bank.
Rhodoplax schinzit Schmidle & Wellheim (Chlorophyta, Chlorococcales)
In spite of being a member of the Chlorophyta, the most obvious macroscopic feature
of this alga is its crimson colouration that it imparts to all rock surfaces it colonizes in any
abundance. Taxonomic descriptions may be found in Jaag (1932) and Bourrelly (1966).
Growths of Rhodoplax schinzii do not have distinct borders, but the areas colonized
tend to blend gradually with adjacent uncolonized areas. Because of this lack of distinct colony
formation, when rocks are thinly covered, it is difficult to establish the presence of this species
without detaiied microscopic studies. However, in the Lyne, Yarrow, Ettrick and extreme upper
reaches of the Whiteadder, all tributaries of the Tweed, Rhodoplax was frequently very obvious.
In the Yarrow and some of its feeder streams many small boulders in stretches with torrential
currents were found to be blood red in colour, entirely due to this alga. In the upper reaches of the
Tweed, although present, it was rarely distinct when viewed macroscopically.
54 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
These are the first records of this alga for the British Isles (J. W. G. Lund,
personal communication). In mainland Europe it has been quoted from only a few sites, the
best known being the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen, described by Jaag (1932, 1938). These
records for mainland Europe, like those reported here, were all confined to rocky stretches
with torrential current velocities.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are most grateful to Dr C. van den Hoek for identifying a specimen of Cladophora
aegagropila, to Dr J. W. G. Lund for general information about previous British records of
the species described here, and to Dr E. Kann for guiding us to the literature about Rhodoplax
schinzii. We are most grateful to the Natural Environment Research Council and the Tweed
River Purification Board for research grants for general surveys of the Tees and Tweed
respectively, during which the present observations were included. We also acknowledge
with thanks a grant from the Nature Conservancy (now Nature Conservancy Council) for a
survey during August 1972 of macrophytes in the R. Tyne.
REFERENCES
Bliding C. (1968) A critical survey of European taxa in Ulvales. II UIva, Ulvaria,
Monostroma, Kornmannia. Bol. Notiser. 121, (4). 535 - 629.
Bourrelly P. (1966) Les Algues d'Eau Douce I Les Algues Vertes. 511 pp. N. Boubee & Co.
Paris.
Brock E. M (1960) Mutualism between the midge Cricotopus and the alga Nostoc.
Ecology 41, 474 - 483.
Drout F. (1943) Myxophyceae of eastern California and western Nevada. Field Mus. Bot. Ser.
20, 156.
Fritsch F. E. (1929) The encrusting algal communities of certain fast-flowing streams. New
Phytol. 28, (3). 165 - 196.
Geitler L. (1932) Cyanophyceae: Rabenhorst's Kryptoqarnen-Flora, 14. 1196 pp. Leipzig.
55 VASCULUM VOL.60, No.3 1975
Holmes N. T. H. (1975)The Vegetation of the River Tweed. Ph.D. Thesis, 489 pp. University of
Durham.
Holmes N. T. H., Lloyd E J H, Potts M. and Whitton B. A. (1972) Plants of the river Tyne
and future water transfer scheme. Vasculum 57 (3) 56 -78
Israelsson G. (1938) Uber die Süsswasserphaeophyceen Schweddens. Bot. Not. pp. 11 3 . 128.
Jaag O. (1932) Rhodoplax schinzii, eine interessante Alga vom Rheinfall. Ber.
Schweiz bot. Ges. 41, 356 - 471.
Jaag O. (1938) Die kryptogamenflora des Rheinfalls und des Hochrheins von
Stein bis Eglisau. Mitt. naturf. Ges. Schaffhausen 14, 1 : 158,
Johannsen O. A. (1937) Aquatic Diptera, II Chironomidae: subfamilies Tanypodinae,
Diamesinae and Orthocladiinae. Mem. Cornel! Univ. Agric. Sta. 205, 1 - 84.
Jones W. E. (1967) Benthos as Related to Water Temperature, Firehole River, Wyoming. 193
pp. M. S. Thesis, Colorado State University.
Lund J. W. G. (1961) The algae of the Malham Tarn district. Field Studies 1, (3). 85 - 119.
Pascher A. (1925) Die Süsswasser-tlora Mittleuropas II Heterokontae, Phaeophyta, Rhodophyta,
Charophyta. 250 pp. G. Fischer, Jena.
Prinz H. (1964) Die Chaetophoralean der Sinnengewasser.. Eine systematische Ubersicht.
Verlag. W. Junk. Den Haag. Hydrobiologia 14 (1 - 3). 1 - 376.
Todd D. J. (1971) New algal species record for Colorado. J. Phycol. 7(3). 266-267.
van den Hoek C. (1963) Revision of the European species of Cladophora. 248 pp. + 55 plates.
J. E. Brill, Leiden.
West G. S. and Fritsch F. E. (1927) A Treatise on the British Freshwater Algae. 534 pp.
Cambridge University Press, London.
Whitton B. A. and Buckmaster R. C. (1970) Macrophytes of the River Wear. Naturalist, Hull.
914, 97 - 116.
57
THE VASCULUM
DECEMBER 1975
Vol. 60. No. 4. Price £2.00 per annum, post free.
Edited by
T. C. DUNN, B.Sc.
THE POPLARS, CHESTER-LE-STREET
BY THE WAY
Secretaries of Societies and other contributors to "The Vasculum" are invited to send their
notes to the Editor before 15th March, 1976.
THE LONG HOT SUMMER.
Writing this on a cold November evening makes it difficult to remember those long
sunny days with the highest temperatures recorded, in this part of the world, for as long as anyone
can remember. We have experienced odd days with temperatures in the nineties, in other
summers, but never for such a prolonged period.
As a result many unusual happenings .were reported. Times of emergence for insects
were all wrong. Mostly they were advanced by anything up to three weeks, but in some cases they
were retarded because of the drought.
The most spectacular occurrence here was the sudden appearance of myriads of
hoverflies. In the garden at Chester-le-Street they were jostling for a place on a flower, the
greenhouse was full of them and so was the house. In a few days, between 200 and 300 dead ones
were swept up from one windowsill.
Three species were involved. By far the commonest was Syrphus ribesii L, but
Syrphus balteatus Deg. and Scaeva pyrastri L. were also in much larger numbers than usual. The
last two are well known immigrants and the whole swarming process may have been part of a
massive influx from abroad.
Gardeners will be interested in the life history of these insects. S. ribesii is typical of
many species. The adult female lays her eggs on the undersides of leaves that are likely to be
infested with aphids. In our gardens these might be the leaves of rose bushes. The tiny slug-like
larva which emerges, searches for and quickly finds a greenfly, which it impales with its
mouthparts and proceeds to suck dry. From about three aphids a day when it first appears on the
leaves, the hoverfly larva's appetite increases rapidly from day to day until in ten days it has
consumed an enormous number of flies. It is now full fed and pupates on the underside of a leaf.
Here the pear-shaped pupa remains attached for about fourteen days when a new adult
58
hoverfly emerges to start the cycle again. In the heat that we experienced in August this life cycle
may well have been somewhat shortened so that the build up of numbers would be explained. It
certainly did the roses a favour, for a large aphid infestation seemed to be building up in the early
part of the year. It faded out, never having reached the expected plague proportions. In the
greenhouse aphids were much less common than usual but other pests took over. Never have I
seen so many Snowy Flies or Red Spider Mites.
Further afield, in the countryside generally, the butterflies had a very successful year.
The Peacock, for once, was actually abundant, especially on the fells in Weardale. Red Admirals
and Painted Ladies appeared in some numbers in August and Humming-bird Hawk Moths were
reported from coastal areas in September. There was even a possible sighting of the Clouded
Yellow in S.E. Durham. This could well have been the case for Mr. F. Stubbs reported one on the
Galloway Peninsular to the west at about the same time.
The Seven-spot Ladybird did well too. Reports of swarms from various parts of the
north were common, but it was very patchy, some areas having no more than usual.
Finally the rhododendrons in the garden flowered for a second time in one year, in
the middle of October. This has never been seen here before.
ROADSIDE VERGES.
For many years naturalists have been unhappy about the way roadside verges have
been mown down every few weeks during the growing season. Only this year, in No.2 of this
Volume of the Vasculum we brought the practice to your notice.
It was, therefore, like an answer to a prayer when we heard about a recent circular to
all local authorities from the Ministry of the Environment. The essence of this is that on
motorways the verges are no longer to be treated in any way unless there is a palpable safety
problem. In addition it is recommended that all other roads are to be given the same treatment,
wherever it is possible. No doubt there will be differences of opinion about what constitutes a
safety hazard. In any case naturalists will be pleased with this money saving idea for the wildlife
reason as well as for its affect on the rates.
BATS
During the eighth Harrison Memorial Lecture at Middlesbrough, the lecturer. Peter
Yeoman, kept coming back to the point that very little is known about the distribution of our bat
species. One of the aspects of his research is to visit, identify the species and estimate numbers in
all our northern colonies. He requires information on the location of bat roosts in order to do this.
Any reader who has seen bats flying about in the evening and is fairly certain where they roost
59
should write to the secretary as soon as possible. He will coordinate the information and send it to
Peter Yeoman in bulk, from time to time. If you do this, it may not be long before Peter Yeoman
contacts you and visits your colony.
NEW SOCIETY
It is with the greatest pleasure that, once again, we are able to welcome another
society to affiliation with the Northern Naturalists' Union. It is the Border Natural History Society
and its activities are based on Bellingham. We look forward with interest to meeting the new
members in the Hancock Museum or in the field during the coming year.
REVIEW
From Devon Trust for Nature Conservation comes another of their small booklets
which already have proved of such great value to those engaged in managing County Trust
Reserves. It is entitled "Wildlife Conservation and Lichens" and the author is our old friend Dr.
O. L. Gilbert, who, until a few years ago, was so fully involved in conservation in this part of the
country.
The booklet begins with a little lichen biology with a very striking map of their
density. The correlation of industry with lichen poverty is most obvious. Dr. Gilbert's reasons for
the conservation of these plants are set out under five headings, one of which we would like to
quote:
"Lichens cannot, at present, be permanently cultured, grown in botanical gardens,
stored in seed banks or be artificially maintained in any way. The only method of guaranteeing
the perpetuation of communities or individual species is to safeguard their existence under natural
conditions in the field".
Lichens are just about unique in this and consequently extremely vulnerable to
changing ecological conditions. The conditions are discussed in detail. The most dangerous is the
presence of sulphur dioxide (SO3) in the air and it is put there by burning fossil fuels. Other
pollutants such as blowing fertilisers, roadside sprays, water pollution and managing techniques
in farming and forestry are considered separately.
There follows a section on how Trusts can act as "watch dogs" over important sites,
and how management of their reserves can help to safeguard species that are in the firing line of
man's destructive practices.
At 25p. this leaflet is excellent value for money. The glossy paper and photographs
alone are worth much more than this. Every Trust administrator should possess at least one copy
and every individual actively engaged in conservation, including reserve managers, should obtain
a copy for reference.
60
THE SOCIETIES
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION
The 141st Field Meeting was held at Bonnyrigg Hall, by kind invitation of the
Westwater Lakes Society, Field Section, on July 5th 1975.
About twenty members and friends had arrived by 11 a.m. when the party set off
with Mr. J. Bowman, to investigate the woodlands stretching from the hall to the western end of
Broomlee Lough. In the ivy growing on the wall of the boathouse we were shown a Pied
Flycatcher's nest, while in the water alongside was a fine growth of Potamogeton crispus L.
(Curled Pondweed) together with a varied collection of associated freshwater planktonic animals.
It was hot work forcing our way through the birch scrub nearby, but it was well worth the trouble
to see the rich assemblage of lichens and mosses. Beyond the wood on rough grassland which was
really the dried out western end of Broomlee Lough, several butterflies were seen on the wing.
These were the Small Heath, Green-veined White and Common Blue. We also disturbed the
moths, Xanthorhoe montanata Schiff. (Silver-ground Carpet) and Odezia atrata L. (Chimney
Sweeper), the Birch Sawfly, the large Green Lacewing and several Dipterous flies, not to mention
the Northern Midge, which seemed to be more plentiful than anything else.
Back at Bonnyrigg Hall, where more members had gathered, we rested a while on
the lawns to enjoy a drink and a picnic lunch before setting out for the pine and birch woods on
Gallowshieldrigg, just across the valley. The central space consisted of a large raised bog, now
beginning to dry out. It was very sheltered so the heat was terrific. The vegetation was mostly of
Mollinia tussocks. Cotton Grass ( Eriophorum vaginatum) and sedges, with considerable stretches
of Sphagnum on which grew Vaccinium oxycoccus L. (Cranberry), Galium palustre L. (Marsh
Bedstraw) etc. The insects swarmed, the rarity being the Large Heath Butterfly, here flying in
thousands. Others seen were the Small Heath, Green-veined White and a single Red Admiral.
Again Diptera were in evidence, not so much flying about as sitting on hands, legs and neck for a
good drink of human blood. There were many shouts for First Aid treatment as the Midges,
Gnats, Horseflies and other horrors revelled in the feast that appeared so suddenly. Over all this
activity a young Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk (we were unable to make up our minds as to which it
was) sat majestically in the top of a tall pine tree, in full view, but not in the least disturbed.
After a full afternoon's hunting we returned once more to Bonnyrigg Hall where Mrs.
Bowman and the other ladies of the host society had prepared an excellent and very welcome tea.
The 142nd Field Meeting was to the woodlands in the valley of the River Greta,
known as Brignall Banks. The leader, Mr. V. Brown, met about 20 members and friends at the
Morritt Arms at 11 a.m. on September 6th 1975. The morning had been wet but it faired up and
remained fine and warm for the rest of the day.
61
The route lay along the north bank of the river as far as Moor House Farm. In the
main this was mixed deciduous valley woodland with quite a rich woodland ground flora, quite
undamaged in any way. Although no rarities were seen, the vegetation was very varied, the ferns
being particularly plentiful. Apart from the common species, Phillitis scolopendrium (L.) Roth,
(Hard Shield-fern), and Polypodium vulgare (L.) (Common Polypody) were identified, the last
one growing in the fork of a moss-covered tree trunk.
There was frequent evidence of the presence of roe deer although none was actually
seen. We did, however, see more than one grey squirrel. The bird-watchers had lots to enthuse
about. Apart from many common birds they were delighted to see such species as heron, long
tailed tit, dipper (this one entertained us throughout our picnic lunch), nuthatch, marsh tit, greater-
spotted woodpecker, gold crest, tree creeper, teal, red-legged partridge and grey wagtail.
By the time we reached the end of the path, which was sometimes rather difficult, the
very young and the old were tired out. A car shuttle service very happily came to the rescue.
The eighth Harrison Memorial Lecture was given at Middlesbrough in the Leeds
University Centre on 1st November 1975. The lecturer was Mr. Peter Yeoman and his subject
"Bats".
After a few words on the history of bat investigation in the North-East and about
their folklore it became evident that not a lot was known about the distribution or the detailed life-
history of our local bats. Only six species are as yet known from North-East England. These are
the Whiskered, Pipistrelle, Natterer's, Daubenton's, Noctule and Long-eared. All in this country
are insectivorous, feeding mostly on small Diptera such as Midges and Gnats, consuming huge
numbers during the season. They are all highly specialised in their evolutionary development,
which makes them very vulnerable to pollution and environmental changes. Sizes of colonies
have been steadily falling during recent years, possibly because of the application of D.D.T. and
other organochlorine compounds to control insects. Bats are at the end of a food-chain. Since they
eat such enormous numbers of insects, each with its little bit of chemical poison, they can soon
accumulate a lethal dose in a heavily sprayed area.
Towards the end of the lecture Mr. Yeoman showed us some of his electronic
equipment for detecting and recording the super-sonic sounds uttered by bats during their search
for insects, the process known as echo-location. He also told us of a new piece of equipment
which has been specially built for him to detect and count the number of individuals using a
particular roost.
He then made an appeal for information about bat colonies, further details of which
you will find elsewhere in these pages. Altogether this was an absorbing and fascinating lecture,
one which deserved a far larger audience than it had.
Finally, the Cleveland Naturalists' Field Club supplied us with a splendid tea in the
Centre Refectory where the exhibits of bats, butterflies and books were on show.
62
NOTES AND RECORDS
NOTES
Further Spread of the Wall Brown Butterfly. Continuing the saga of the spread of this butterfly,
the first example to be seen on Waldridge Fell was a fresh male, very dark in colour, on 11th August, an early date
for Durham, where September seems to be the peak emergence month for the second brood. On 13th two were
seen in Wingate Quarries and on the following day it was abundant all over Thrislington Plantation, where many
other more common species were on the wing. It was first noticed on the river banks at Chester-le-Street on 18th
August and remained common enough there until about the middle of September.
T. C. D.
Bee Orchids. In the July Vasculum (Vo.60, No.2) we reported the disappearance of the Bee Orchid
from Fulwell Quarry. Although some of them were most certainly dug up, subsequent visits by Mr. Lowe
established the fact that many specimens remained and flowered vigorously. We apologise for the mistake. In
addition, a new colony was found near Darlington, consisting of two distinct swarms in the same quarry.
Unfortunately, one of these groups was in imminent danger of extinction due to quarrying activities, at the time of
discovery. The Darlington Field Club, in cooperation with the Conservation Trust moved this group to one of the
Trust reserves. Time will show whether the rescue operation has been a success, for wild orchids are notoriously
difficult plants to transplant. We wish the project every success.
T. C. D.
Bird Notes. Swallows were below normal numbers during the spring, but would seem to have had
a successful breeding season judging by the parties on the telegraph wires in late August and early September.
The swifts appear to have departed early: my last record is 5 at West Gosforth on August 6th.
Two Whooper swans were on Holywell Pond on October 7th whooping continuously as the two
resident mute swans attempted to usher them off, but on November 7th the herd of whoopers had increased to 31.
Other records which may be of interest are:-
Golden-eye — 2 females, Bolam Lake, November 5th
Shoveler — 11 Seaton Burn Lake, July 31st.
Ruff — 6 Ellington, September 21st
Curlew Sandpiper — 1 near St. Mary's Island, September 11th
Buzzard — 1 near Studdon, September 17th
Grey Wagtail — A nest with 4 eggs at Wallington, July 5th
C. J. Gent
Notes from Holy Island I was on holiday on Holy Island from 18th to 25th October this year when
large numbers of birds were passing through or in residence. The more unusual ones were 2 Slavonian Grabes, a
single Scaup, 5 Goosanders, 2 Shelducks, 1 Brent Goose, a single Merlin, 6 Grey Plovers, 6 Greenshanks, a
Hooded Crow, a Black Redstart and a number of Goldcrests. There were also flocks of about 20 Teal, large
numbers of Wigeon, Lapwings, Turnstones, Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Fieldfares, Redwings, Linnets and
Bramblings. Small parties of Eider ducks. Mergansers, Whooper Swans, Ringed Plovers, Sanderlings, Stonechats,
Redstarts, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Bullfinches were moving about on various parts of the island. In addition
there were many more common species that I did not record.
I also came across a plant which is new to my list, viz. Teasel, Dipsacus fullonum L.
L P Hird
63
Butterflies in the area north of Darlington. In spite of the long hot summer, butterfly populations
of most species were sparse. May be the cold June would play havoc with hibernating larvae and the intense heat
of the summer would cause desiccation and a very short life to adult insects.
The Common Blue, Small Copper and the Castle Eden Argus (Aricia artaxerxes silimacis) were in
small numbers or absent except in favoured areas. The Green-Veined White made an early appearance but 2nd
brood insects were much delayed and appeared with the Small White and Large White butterflies in July and
August. The Orange-Tip was in much smaller numbers than last year but the Meadow Brown was everywhere in
its one-time numbers. Once more it could rightly be called "ubiquitous". Similarly the Wall appeared as last year,
and two records are significant. It was seen near Heighington on August 17th and a week later near Newton
Aycliffe. The rapid spread of insects is quite astonishing. In early July I found a flourishing colony of the Large
Skipper near Denton Grange.
The summer brood of the Small Tortoiseshell has been sparse and disappointing in the view of the
large numbers of spring hibernators.The cold lot late June might well account for this.
The Peacock was a very welcome visitor to the buddleias and I counted six during September.
They accompanied the goodly numbers of Red Admirals and one rare visitor on September 1st a Painted Lady.
Apparently this year one or two spring immigrants came well inland to lay their eggs.
T. W. Jefferson.
The Broad-bordered White Underwing in England. This moth was found on Cheviot on 12th
June 1974. Since then we have discovered that Lieut-Col. Logan-Home saw it there in the early 1950's. Further
enquiries indicate that, so far, this is the only known locality south of the Scottish border. In Great Britain Anarta
melanopa Thunb.has always been looked upon as an exclusively Scottish moth.
I. D. and B. Wallace.
A Yellow Wagtail. On 22nd July 1975, while motoring alongside Lampton Park, and approaching
the Castle, we stopped the car to admire a fine patch of well grown meadowsweet The time was about 6 p.m. With
some delight I suddenly noticed, about 30 yards away, a magnificent specimen of Yellow Wagtail. We were able
to watch it intently for some time. In my experience, this beautiful bird has become rather rare in our northern
area. some years since I saw one and I do hope it is on the increase.
R. Pirt.
Wildlife Plurals. In the July issue of the Vasculum the Editor asks for the origins of three nouns of
assembly; a nye or nide of turkeys, a cete of badgers and a fesynes of ferrets.
Nye or nide means 'nest' and is from the Latin nidus through the french nid. Cete also has a Latin
origin and means 'group'. Fesynes does not appear in the Oxford English Dictionary and is, apparently, a misprint
of "besynes" a medieval spelling of "busyness". In the "Boke of St. Albans" (1486) there is the phrase "a besynes
of ferettes", which tallies with the modern expression, a busyness of ferrets.
Many of these nouns of assembly such as a covey of partridges, a bevy of quail and a pride of lions
are still well known but others are rarely heard of now. Some of which seem to have disappeared are a murder of
crows, a kindle of kittens, a raft of coots, a Fall of woodcock, a dopping of shield-ducks and a trip of dotteral.
It is a pity that plants seem to have no such collective names with the possible exception of a bed of
roses. Otherwise we might have had such expressions as a dance of daffodils, a sleep of poppies, a rash of nettles
or an incontinence of dandelions.
R. H. Lowe.
64
RECORDS
INSECTS
LEPIDOPTERA -BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
Plusia gracilis Lempke 66
At light in the garden at Crook
Hadena conspersa Schiff. 66
Also in the garden at Crook, 3.6.75.
F. Stubbs
Inachis io L. Peacock Butterfly 70
Two with other Nymphalids on moor slopes near Garrigill, Alston, 18th August, 1975.
Stilbia anomala Haw. The Anomalous 67
One taken at car headlamps, Dipton, 27th August.
Cryphia perla Schiff. Marbled Beauty 67
Taken abundantly at the Bedlington light-trap this summer within 2 miles of Blyth Power Station.
All specimens were entirely typical there being no trace of melanism.
Gortyna micacea Esp. Rosy Rustic 67
Appearing very early, the first being on the wing by the end of July, Bedlington.
J. Parrack.
Venusia cambrica Curt. Welsh Wave. 67
Rothley, July 21st.
Macrothylacia rubi L. Fox Moth. 68
Larva on Girdle Fell (Redesdale), September 28th.
C. J. Gent.
HYMENOPTERA
Vespula rufa L. Red Wasp 67
A single specimen amongst vulgaris in a 'jam trap' at Gosforth. August 19th 1975.
Vespula sylyestris L. Wood Wasp 67
Several in the 'jam-trap' at Gosforth August 1975.
Bombus lapponicus Fab. 67
A male, Allendale, September 16th 1975.
C. J. Gent.
FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS
Polygonum viviparum L. Viviparous Bistort. 70
A few plants near Garrigill, June 1975.
Genista anglica L. Needle Furze. 66
Flowering well on Knitsley Fell, 1975.
A Todd
Erinus alpinus L. Fairy Foxglove 67
On churchyard wall at Wark (North Tyne)
Impdtiens glandulifera Royle. Himalayan Balsam 67
Side of Ouseburn, Low Gosforth.
juniperus communis L. Juniper 67
Large patch in the Cleugh, Allendale.
C. J. Gent.
Cheiranthus cheiri L. Wallflower 66
A large patch in Hawthorn Dene, apparently, by their colour, somewhat hybridised with garden
plants, possibly with the Siberian wallflower.
Smyrnium olusatrum L. Alexanders. 67
Doing well in Hawthorn Dene.
Paris quadrifolia L. Herb Paris 66
Hawthorn Dene
Neottia nidus-avis (L.) Rich. Bird's-nest Orchid. 66
Hawthorn Dene.
T. C. D.
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