Guinea grass Megathyrsus maximus

As many who read this blog regularly will know, I love illustrating grasses, so this day was a real treat for me.  (For more on grasses, see my blogs on Shortcuts to identifying some common grass species, Grasses of Montserrat, telling Sedges, Grasses and Rushes apart, An introduction to grass, the C4 Rice project, A class on Grass, and Glorious Grasses. Unless otherwise noted, all illustrations in this blog are by yours truly.)

A day of grasses

This one day event was organised by Kimberly Glassman, who is a postdoctoral research associate for the botanical collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

Landscape of rocks & Grasses, William Pyce 1806

Not only did she organise botanical drawings for us to see, and get us access to specimens from the Cambridge University Herbarium collections, but she pulled together an extraordinarily diverse group of students and experts to spend the day talking about why grasses don’t get the attention they deserve.  And what we can do about it.

Grass blindness

We are surrounded by grass.  Most of our food crops are grasses.  Fields of oats, barley, rice, sorghum, corn, and wheat are common across the globe.  Parks and hillsides are swathed in grass.  Our gardens are full of the stuff.  But how often do we stop and look at these diverse and amazing plants below our feet?

Bread Wheat Triticum aestivum

As Howard Thomas says in Grass Blindness (2019), “Some plants are born invisible, some achieve invisibility, and some have invisibility thrust upon them.  Grasses are a case in point”.

The conversations during the day focused on how the collections could be used to engage future museum and herbarium visitors (and researchers), and help shine a spotlight on the long-forgotten grasses.

Soft brome Bromus hordeaceus

Botanical drawings of grasses at the Fitzwilliam: Grasses as secondary subjects

After assembling and introducing ourselves, we got to see a selection of botanical illustrations, selected by Kimberly.

Everyone came with different areas of expertise, seeing the images in contrasting ways.  Conversations flowed, on topics ranging from women naturalists in the 19th century, to how grass is used as a material for making baskets and textiles in Vanuatu, field botany in the 17th C, and the manufacture of artificial flowers in 18th C France.  Members of the group are researching herbalism in book history and plant dyes, Victorian women in paleontology, gene editing in potatoes, North European paintings, and the genetics of crops and grasses.

Interestingly, I felt that only two of the beautiful illustrations laid out for us came close to respecting grasses as subjects in their own right.  The majority used grass as compositional elements, or to add heft to another, more blousy species.

Glass vase of pink & White roses, Antoine Chazal 1893

For example in the painting above, an exquisite miniature, there are grasses in the foreground that might be barley, or wheat.  But they are simply adjuncts to the roses and other flowers.

Bermuda grass is shown alongside another rose, in a 19th C illustration produced in Canton.  But there’s no focus on the grass, it’s all about the roses.

Spray of old roses & Bermuda grass, Canton workshop 19th C

Botanical drawings of grasses at the Fitzwilliam: Grasses as equal subjects

However, it’s clear in the painting by Harriet Cockerell that the grasses in her composition are true to life, probably a brome.

Posy containing Iris, Moss rose, Speedwell, Lilly; Harriet Cockerell 19th C

My favourite piece was a Pre-Raphelite-esque study.  Even though it’s not flowering, I reckon the grass painted alongside the snowdrops could only be Cocksfoot, Dactylis glomerata.  Grass being seen as worthy of illustrating, not only as an accessory.

Snowdrops in Undergrowth, Unknown artist 19th C

We wondered if the term “grass” helps reduce this group of plants to a catch-all.  Is it, in fact, a derogatory term?  Are grasses more visible in other cultures?  Braiding sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer was name-checked.  Are grasses mostly classed as “good” (crops) or “bad” (weeds, in itself another very problematic term)?  Are we blind to them because they are so familiar?  And they are not alone.  Moss and even fungi tend to go un-noticed too.

Grasses & Me: A love story by Madelaine Bartlett

Next stop was a fascinating talk by Madelaine.  She heads the Bartlett group which studies the evolution of grass and flower morphology at Cambridge University Sainsbury’s lab.

She pointed out that many flowers are morphologically conservative.  They get stuck because of their relationship with pollinators.  If you evolve and change, your pollinators may not keep up, and you run the risk of not reproducing.  Grasses, pollinated by the wind, have no such inhibiting factors.  Their morphological diversity is astounding, and perhaps this helps explain their variety?

Bamboo grass Lasiacis divaricata

She touched on the importance of corn, both in research and as a crop.

Then we learnt how we can use the genetic codes of diverse living grasses to figure out what the molecules of ancestor grasses may have looked like.  Thus empowered, you can switch around and project forward, by-passing the temporal constraints of evolution, and figure out ways to modify crops and imagine new as-yet unevolved species.

Common oat grass Avena fatua

But you can’t do any of this without really dense sampling.  This is where collections come in.

Herbariums have sheets and sheets of grasses.  These are not only a visual resource, but a genetic one too.  We can sequence DNA and proteins from tiny fragments of preserved materials.  Recently, RNA has been sampled as well.  Who knows how future scientists will be able to use such collections?  Already, herbarium specimens are being used to study changes in specimens due to climate change. We must future-proof, and conserve them, as physical specimens, not just digital records.

Herbarium visit

Next was our chance to see a selection of grasses from the herbarium, chosen by Juliet Anderson.  These were exquisite.

I often work from online images of herbarium specimens, and was amazed at how much richer and more beautiful they are in real life.  Although flattened, that slight three-dimensionality changed the way I saw them.

Specimens at Cambridge Herbarium

There was a table of specimens that we’d be drawing later, another of grasses as crops, and a third of historically interesting specimens.

Annual meadow grass Poa annua variety

I’ve had a lot to do with Annual meadow grass recently, and to see this sheet showcasing its extraordinary morphological diversity was lovely.

Juliet had also pulled out some pen and ink studies of grass flowers, and some 19th C teaching aids which I was very jealous of.

Bromus erectus flower illustration by Hounslow

On one table there were lots of crop species.  Looking at the Sugar cane, I felt entirely justified in having found the illustrating of its’ flowers last year something of a nightmare.

Sugar cane Saccharum officiarum

Sugar cane Saccharum officiarum

There were also samples showing Ergot in grains of crop species.  I knew about the suggestion that Ergotism was the cause of the hallucinations that sparked the Salem with trials (still hotly debated, see Debunking the Moldy bread theory), but was delighted to hear the suggestions that some of Hieronymous Bosch‘s visions may have been prompted by the same cause.

Ergot

Cambridge Herbarium and The Voyage of the Beagle

Entirely unexpectedly, there on a table were three of four grasses which, it transpired, had been collected by Charles Darwin on the Voyage of the Beagle in 1831 -1836  (For more on this remarkable adventure, listen to In out Time: The Voyage of the Beagle).

Voyage of the beagle Eragrostic pilosa

For someone who has always been in thrall to Darwin and the enormous changes his research caused, this was incredible.  Whether or not he also completed the excellent line drawing of the flowering spikelet, I do not know,  But imagining him gathering these specimens of the Galapagos, and seeing them on a table right in front of me, felt surreal.

Voyage of the Beagle Eragrostis ciliarius

Leaving the herbarium, it was inspirational to realise that all these collections are open to the public (by prior arrangement.)  What a way to combat grass blindness.

Reimagining grasses: A place for art collections & Herbaria

The last talk of the day was the keynote lecture, by Dawn Saunders of Gothenburg University.

This was a whistle stop tour of grasses in art, and an exploration of how artists have tried to build a doorway into the life of plants.

Grasses Harper Collins plate

Dawn was part of the “Beyond Plant Blindness” project, alongside Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir, Mark Wilson, Eva Nyberg, and Bente Eriksen. This focussed on the grass Stipa pennata.

One Stipa seed was enlarged to a gigantic 14m long SEM image, hung in a barn.  The same image was made into a wool tapestry hung the height of the atrium in Gothenburg University. Dawn talked about how visitors were confused and fascinated by the image.

The image turned our normal view of plants on its’ head.  The seed was at the front, an image of the plant become secondary, behind it.  Our role as human curators was a mere foot note.

Grasses: False Oat, Crested Dogs-tail, Cocks-foot, and Yorkshire Fog

The aim was to make people consider what being a plant means, what “plant-ness” is.

As Dawn said, “How do we build relational encounters for people to build narratives around their experience with the curated objects?”  How do you use art and herbarium objects to invite new people to think about plants in new ways?

The following discussion touched on the conceptualization of wonder, comparisons of preserved herbarium vs taxidermied specimens, the importance of naming things and the delight of recognition.  Rich grounds indeed.

Crab grass Digitaria ciliaris

Grass drawing workshop

The final activity of the day was an hour long workshop, illustrating grasses.  I’d been so interested I’d almost forgotten I was leading the session, and setting up was something of a rush.

I’d collected loads of little Poa annua plants, the only grass that flowers in late March in the UK, and some Dactylis, complete with in-your-face ligules to discover.  Alas, the Sainsbury’s lab couldn’t allow live material into the building (which is fair enough).

Annual meadow grass Poa annua

Juliet saved the day by selecting and photographing a wide array of common UK grasses held in the herbarium.  People worked from these print outs, first on gesture drawings and then on more detailed illustrations.

Quaking grass, Barley, Oats and Rye grass all proved popular.  By this point in the day, we were all really comfortable with each other, so people chatted happily as they sketched.

Quaking grass Briza media

An hour was not long enough, and it felt like we needed to finish up much too early.

Conclusion

And with that, the day of grasses was over.  It was, as I said to Kimberly, an inter-disciplinary fever-dream.  Historians, biologists, sociologists, curators and botanists.  All drawn together to be awed, excited, and inspired by grasses.  To fight Grass blindness, as individuals and as a group.  To work towards finding ways to use the collections at Cambridge University to encourage the whole world to embrace grasses for their beauty, importance, and diversity.

Enormous thanks are due to everyone who was involved in organising this event.  It was wonderful.

BBC Wildlife Magazine: Common British meadow grasses

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What does Pribby look like?

Pribby is a shrub, sometimes used for hedging, with shiny oval evergreen leaves.  In sunlit areas these are small and round.  In gloomier areas such as tropical forests the leaves are larger, less shiny, and longer.

The photo below shows the plant growing on a sunny bank.  The one below shows it growing in a forested area.

A pribby shrub on the margins of someone’s backyard

Pribby growing in shaded forest on the Dry Waterfall Trail

Pribby flowers

The flowers are unusual.  They are four-petalled and very small.  They look leathery and have a thick corolla.  This is variable in colour and can be pale orange through pink.  On closer examination, the pink flush seems to come from areas of magenta pigmentation on the underside of the petals.  The pigment seems to stop abruptly and consists of tiny discrete spots of colour.  This is pronounced at the junction of the petal and the long corolla tube.

Sketch of one Pribby flower from different angles

There are four cream stamens within the corolla tube which become darker brown with age.  The calyx stands slightly proud of the base of the corolla tube and has four lanceolate teeth.

It flowers throughout the year.

Pribby leaves

Leaves are green and very shiny.  They grow in a tight whorl of four around the central stem. In the specimen I examined they were clustered together and overlapping one another.

Photo of Pribby growing near Elvis Gerald’s garden

Leaves have very short stalks, and the shine and thickness of the leaves make it hard to see the network of veins clearly.  The tips of shoots have brighter green leaves.  Those lower down are a darker shade.

Veins on one leaf

Why is Pribby special?

The first mention of Pribby in European records occurs in 1798, in Eclogae americanae, by Martin Vahl.  It didn’t create much of a stir until after the eruption of the Souffriere hills in 1995 – 20i0.  The amount of habitat lost to ash fall and pyroclastic flows suddenly mean this unassuming plant had been lost to science.  No-one knew where it grew anymore, or even if it grew anymore.

Then in 2006 Kew botanists, funded by UKOTCF visited Montserrat’s Centre Hills area and the abandoned Forestry department and unearthed herbarium specimens thought to be destroyed in the volcano.  Amongst these was one of Pribby, and this included location information.  Following this discovery, the botanists were helped by local forestry experts, found Pribby still growing on the same site, and soon discovered several other places where it grows.

Photo showing variation between flower colours

Seeds have been collected, and the plant is grown at Kew Gardens.  Its seeds are stored in Kew’s Millenium Seed Bank, and the Montserrat National Trust propagate plants and educate the public about its’ importance.

What are the uses of Pribby?

Pribby grows thickly in sunny areas, and can be used as hedging.  At Montserrat’s botanic gardens, a Pribby demonstration hedge is being trialled to keep out populations of feral goats and domestic animals, and to see how it fares as a native hedging plant.  It’s also great for pollinating insects as it flowers year round.

My sketchbook study

What are the threats to Pribby?

Despite it’s re-discovery, Pribby is still considered critically endangered and is on the ICUN’s red list.

Threats include habitat loss to possible further volcanic activity, invasive weeds such as the Blackberry and Australian Pine Casuarina equisetifolia, and grazing by feral goats and sheep.  Most of the populations are outside of the protected Centre hills reserve.

Conclusion

I saw several populations of Pribby during my stay on Montserrat.  I have become a little besotted by its’ charming combination of endangered status and unassuming growth habit.  I’m keen to revisit the Pribby and illustrate the fruit.  Perhaps I can work up a more detailed and polished illustration?

Until then, if you’re as fascinated by Pribby as I am, why not donate to the Conservation efforts on Montserrat being run by UKOTCF and the Montserrat National Trust?  It’s not every day you can help save a critically endangered hedging plant with tiny orange flowers and pretty shiny leaves, now is it?

Sketch from my botanical notebook

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The show is on until January 2023 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (the V&A).  A few months back, they commissioned me to film myself painting a Red Admiral butterfly, and this was used as a trail to encourage visits to this wonderful exhibition.

Me illustrating a Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta butterfly

The exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature is full of sketches, specimens, and original items owned by and drawn by Potter.  There’s masses of related material available to view online, including a link to her first sketchbook, kept when she was only 8.  Articles on what inspired her, an online version of the show, blogs on how she worked, who she was, her Lake district, and an online version of  The Roly Poly Pudding are all available to view.

You can also browse the V&A collections page online, and see more than 2,600 objects, articles, features and collections relating to her work.

Most, but not all of the images in this blog can be seen in the exhibition.  And if you go, you will certainly find any number of wonderful things to look at that don’t feature in this blog.

Peter Rabbit Books

Beatrix Potter kept animals her whole life, and drew them obsessively.  This can be seen in the paintings of rabbits, mice, squirrels, and frogs in her “Tales of Peter Rabbit” books.  Even in hats and clothes; baking, reading newspapers, or getting into mischief, you can see the accuracy in her depiction of these creatures.  That’s why the illustrations work so well.

Illustration for p.53 of “The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies” by Beatrix Potter © British Museum

Her sketches directly inform her story book illustrations.  Just compare these studies of the face of a Hedgehog with her illustration of the character of Mrs. Tiggywinkle.

Head studies of a hedgehog by Beatrix Potter © V&A

Mrs Tiggywinkle by Beatrix Potter

Insect illustrations

Beatrix Potter drew insects too.  I love her collection of bee studies, all on one sheet.  Recently, I tackled  an illustration of a Garden bumble bee Bombus hortorum.  I understand how difficult it can be to make them “look right”.  But these ones are perfect.  Somehow she combines accuracy with a real lightness of touch.  As someone who tends to overwork their illustrations, this is a skill I’d love to emulate.

Bee illustrations by Beatrix Potter © V&A

Potter was adept at more detailed insect illustrations, too.  She was good at drawing through the microscope, and produced many meticulous illustrations, including this one of a ground beetle.

Studies of Carabus nemoralis by Beatrix Potter © V&A

Illustrations of bats

Bats are notoriously tricky to draw.  Their faces look odd to us, often seemingly distorted to allow for echolocation.  The texture of their wings, thin and fragile yet incredibly supple and strong, is hard to capture on the page.  Over the years I’ve been asked to illustrate loads of bats, and have never been overjoyed with the results.  Even when I work from real specimens.

Bechstein’s bat Myotis bechsteinii

Potter’s bat studies, which are clearly done from life, are inspirational.  In the illustration below it’s the texture of the wings that I think is particularly good.  I also love the second angle she’s chosen to use which isn’t an easy proposition.

Bats by Beatrix Potter © V&A

I also love the studies of the bat whilst not in flight.  On one sheet she combines colour studies and drawings of the bat skull and skeleton.  She and her brother kept bats as pets, and when their pets died, she kept their skeletons.  In fact, in the V&A’s current exhibition you can see the pelt of her pet rabbit, the animal immortalized in “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”!

Studies of a Bat and its skeleton by Beatrix Potter © V&A

Illustrations of Mice

Potter kept pet mice too, and her studies of these little, active mammals are excellent.  They’re another of the animals in her Peter Rabbit Books that always look perfect and mouse-like, even when wearing mob-caps or wielding a poker.

Her wood mouse watercolour is just wonderful, and I’ve referred to it on several occasions when completing my own natural history illustrations.

Beatrix Potter Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus © V&A

Wonderfully, as a life-long fan of the Tales of Peter Rabbit, I was delighted to find that the exhibition also had some of the things Beatrix Potter drew for her stories.  The waistcoat from “The Tailor Of Gloucester”, stitched by mice, was there.  It turns out she drew a waistcoat she saw in the V&A for reference.  And, of course, the V&A still own the self-same waistcoat.  “The Tailor of Gloucester” is what our family all read on Christmas eve, so this inclusion had extra meaning for me.

Waistcoat from the V&A collection © V&A

Illustrations of Fungi

So Potter’s animal illustrations are wonderful.  Accurate, and alive.  But what of plants and fungus?

I knew she had worked extensively with fungi, and, had she not been a woman living in Victorian times, her work would have been received with greater favour by the eminent male naturalists of the day.  I’ve heard lots of mycologists suggest that many of her illustrations of fungus are yet to be bettered.

Examples of Fungi by Beatrix Potter © V&A

In her study of the Fly agaric above, there’s something almost perfect about the textures.  The brittle delicacy of the gills is captured with skill, and I love the way she suggests the grass, soil and remnants of the universal veil at the base of the agaric.

Study of Mushrooms by Beatrix Potter © V&A

Another example shows that she understood the biology of fungus too.  The entire growth of the fruiting body is caught here, elegantly, on one sheet of paper.  Coupled with the capture of the shine and little markings on the cap, it makes for a beautiful, informative, and accurate illustration.

Illustrations of Plants

Not surprisingly, there were less botanical illustrations on show in the exhibition than of animals, and fungi.  That doesn’t mean she couldn’t draw them though, far from it.

Her quick sketch of the Sea holly, shows an understanding of the architecture of the plant.  Again, she manages to capture its movement and life.  You can almost feel the wind on the shore, where it grows.

Study of Sea holly Eryngium maritimum by Beatrix Potter © V&A

In comparison, my illustration of the same plant may be more detailed, but is no more Sea-holly-ish than her quick watercolour sketch.  In fact, I think her colours are a lot closer to reality.

Sea holly Eryngium maritimum

Another of her botanical illustrations that blew me away may well be my favouite image from the exhibition.  Beatrix Potter’s sheet of White waterlilies capture the plant exactly.  It also captures the feel of the pond below, clogged with roots and leaves.  Of the crowded habit of the leaves, and the changing colours of each pad.

The flowers are equally magnificent.  No-one enjoys painting white flowers (see my blog on this for more, and for tips), but she’s used the leaves and the background to depict them without muddying the white petals.  She’s also included the flower in different stages of its blooming.  And as for the way she’s caught the reflection on the water surface on the right hand side…  Honestly.  It’s a tour de force.  Completed with typical modest accuracy.

Waterlilies by Beatrix Potter © V&A

Conclusion

All these glorious works inspire me.  I love them.  I also loved learning more about the woman, her childhood, and her later days farming and giving enormous tracts of Lake district land to the National Trust.  Seeing her childhood drawings, her sketchbooks, some of her collection of animal bones.  Of course, I also loved the sketches and original illustrations from The Peter Rabbit tales.  But there’s so much more to Beatrix Potter than that.  The woman is a massive inspiration to me, and a legend.

Visit the exhibition before it ends in early January.  It’s not to be missed.

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I draw and paint a wide range of different species for publishers, charities, packaging, ad companies, and design agencies. I am expected to know something (often a lot!) about the plants and animals I’m commissioned to illustrate.  As well as art school, I was lucky enough to do a Zoology degree, but this was many years ago now and a good deal of what I learned is now out of date.

Why Learn more?

Topping up my botanical and natural history knowledge is vital, and one of the best (and most fun) ways I’ve found to do this is by taking FSC Courses.  The more I know about a plant or an animal, the better able I am to understand it, and fit its form to its function.  More understanding means better natural history illustration.

Illustration of a Tulip with specimen, paint box, and brushes

Over the past ten years I’ve taken a wide range of FSC courses.  In all cases the tutors are enthusiastic and accessible, and the courses have taught me loads.  Everyone on the sessions is fired up with the same passion for nature as me.  It’s a comfortable and fun way to learn.

FSC Courses this year: Ants

This year I’ve fallen head first into loving ants, after a job illustrating the Wood Ants of the Cairngorm National Parks, which made me realise how little I knew about these amazing insects.  One FSC course led to another.  And another.  I’ve now invested in a lovely new microscope and have a three day residential course on identifying UK ants lined up, with Richard Becker.

Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

Other ant experts that’ve got me hooked this year are Gino Brignoli and Mike Fox.  See, that’s another amazing thing about these courses.  You often get taught by experts in the field, scientists and ecologists who are currently working, and provide these sessions on the side.  This means what we get taught is current, and relevant.

I love having the space and time to draw as I look at specimens through the microscope, and having such knowledgeable tutors on hand to help with learning and identification.

Annotated sketchbook page: Formicinae ants have hairs and an acidipore hair collar

The ant courses are part of an incredible array of online and in-person sessions offered by FSC called Biolinks, running from 2018 – 2022.  Funding allowed the organisers to keep costs absurdly cheap, and meant the courses were accessible to everyone.

Other FSC Courses this year

I’ve also taken plenty of other courses not under the biolinks umbrella.

This summer I did a fabulous course on identifying grasses with Fiona Gomersall.  This helped me sort my sedges from my grasses, and rushes.  I also learned how to immediately spot lots of common UK grass species, both in flowering and vegetative states.  This proved massively useful when I taught a two-day botanical illustration workshop on Painting Grasses at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens.

Grasses False Oat Crested Dogs-tail Cocks-foot and Yorkshire Fog

I’ve also taken courses on Social wasps with Ian Cheeseborough, and worms with Keiran Brown; accessing online ones too, on subjects as diverse as the Biodiversity of Knepp, Soil health and dung beetles, and the importance of the Yellow Meadow-ant to ecosystem health.

Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris 

Past FSC Courses

Another great thing about the FSC courses is how widely spread they are, geographically.  They have 24 centres across the UK, and a wide array of courses available at all of them.  I’ve only been to a few sites; but want to take in Slapton Ley in Devon, Rhyd-y-creuau in North Wales, and Millport in Scotland.

In past years, I’ve loved learning about Pollinators down in Bushy Park in London, having a day in Epping Forest learning about bats, learning about Spiders at Bishop’s wood, and doing a residential course on Rocky shore ecosystems at Dale Fort.

Nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis

The focus on invertebrates reflects my favourite subject area rather than what’s on offer.  And it has to be said that despite them being mammals, I was really pleased to learn lots about bats.  I went with my sister; I bought her the course as a Christmas present and we both had an excellent day learning about how to help bats, UK species, and getting to use bat detectors to tell what species were swooping over a nearby lake at dusk.

Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii

A particular favourite was the Slugs course at Bishop’s Wood with Chris de Feu. Evolution of slugs, slug variety, media misrepresentation of slugs (no, really.  And it was interesting too!), the fact that slugs evolved from snails not the other way around….it totally changed the way I see these maligned invertebrates.

Green cellar slug Limacus maculatus live specimen examining my illustration

The Rocky shore ecosystem course was wonderful.  I learned a ridiculous amount, got to paddle about and find Pipe fish and Blue ray limpets, and chatted with a lot of lovely like-minded people as well as the expert tutor, John Archer-Thompson.

The best bit was that right after the course, I was commissioned to illustrate a Rocky Shore ecosystem for The Hidden Universe by Alex Antonelli, so I had all the information needed at my fingertips.

Rocky shore line ecosystem zonation of species detail

Natural History and Life-long Learning at FSC: I love it!

For me, learning about the natural world is thrilling, and fills me with wonder.  It re-charges my batteries, and helps remind me why nature is so important to me on a personal and professional level.  It’s also very helpful with my job.  I take copious notes when I’m doing courses, and often use these to write up blogs afterwards.  These provide me with invaluable reference when out of the blue I’m asked to illustrate a harvestman, or some sphagnum moss.

Moss: Sphagnum capillifolium

Every year I sit down with the FSC catalogue (or online) and flip through.  It’s like being a child in a sweetie shop.  I set a budget and mercilessly keep to it, despite temptation to throw financial cares out of the window.  Often I feel like doing nothing but courses all year long. (Saying that, the courses offer great value for money, I think, even when not subsidised).  Different subjects appeal at different times.  I’ve barely scratched the surface of the FSC birds, mammals, and fungi courses.

Edible fungi an array of seven edible species including the parasol

I guess that’s what I love about these courses.  There’s always so much more to learn and be inspired by.  It’s so easy to simply sign up and go along.  And change the way you feel about a whole new corner of the natural world.

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Cannock Chase museum was our destination on a recent field trip with the wonderful group IAPI  (Institute for Analytical Plant illustration).  The Chase is in the West Midlands, near Birmingham.  The museum is a treasure trove of information about the area’s coal mining past, history of breeding racehorses, role as a military training camp, and rather darker history of murders.  There are also a gorgeous couple of rooms, recreating a late 18th century kitchen, and a 1940s living room.

Cannock chase Museum recreation of 18th century kitchen

Our tour guide was Dianne Lear-Hargreaves, the education assistant.  After information on the history of the site, she took us on a guided walk of the area, which is an SSSI.  She knows a great deal about the folklore and medicinal properties of plants, and we shared what we knew with her.

Until the 1950s, the area around the museum was the site of coal mines, so many of these species are pioneers, with very few ancient trees.

Botany of Cannock Chase: Trees

There are woodland areas at a lower level of the heath, with Birch Betula pendula, Sweet chestnut Castanea sativa, Rowan Sorbus aucuparia, Oak Quercus robur, and Larch Larix europea being the commonest species.  There is plenty of Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and bramble scrub Rubus fruticosa. (For more information on several of these trees, take a look at my blog series on UK Trees).

The trees here were cut for pit props to hold up the ceilings of the coal mining tunnels (hence the straight-growing Scot’s pine being planted.)  Scots pine Pinus sylvestris has paired needles, which are high in vitamin C and can be made into tea.  Twigs make good charcoal.  You can get turpentine from the resin, rope from the inner bark, dye from the cones, and pine oil can be burnt as a fuel.

Scots pine Pinus sylvestris

We learn that the birch scrub is controlled by Dexter cattle who eat the shoots, and that Sweet chestnuts were made into flour, having twice the starch content of potatoes.  Birch was used for wine and tea.  Its white timber was ground up for face powder.  With its antiseptic properties; it’s used to cure gout, bladders, skin conditions and baldness.

Dexter cattle

Botany of Cannock Chase: Heathland animals

Higher up the chase, heather takes over.  Heathland species abound, along with animals such as Adder, Nightjar, and even the rare Welsh clearwing moth.

Botany of Cannock Chase: Heathland plants

We learn that the invasive Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum is toxic, and even eating honey from its’ flowers can be fatal.  Although the chase isn’t covered in Rhododendron, there’s enough there for the museum and the Council (who manage the land for wildlife and diversity) to be aware of it as a potential concern.

Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum

Bracken Pteridium aquilinum is a most useful plant.  It can be used as animal bedding, to package china coming from the local potteries, as mattress stuffing, thatch, cattle and pig food, fuel, a mordant in dying, burning it can act as an insect repellent, and was used in soap production.

Bracken Pteridium aquilinum

Heather Calluna vulgaris or Ling, also has multiple uses. It’s used as a brush, to produce honey, the flowers can be dyes, it’s a thatching material, can treat coughs and sore throats, is a fuel, and is a packaging material.  Here on the chase it’s managed by being pulled up by hand, not by burning, as the entire area is very susceptible to wildfire.  If left unmanaged, heather will swiftly be over-run by other plants, and does not thrive.  For more on telling Heather species apart, check out my blog, or to see a step by step blog on illustrating the Bell heather, click here.

Common heather or ling Calluna vulgaris

Shoots of Rosebay willowherb Chamaenerion angustifolium can be eaten like asparagus, and it’s prevalent on the heath as it’s another pioneer species.  Roger Reynolds explained how the railways spread the species – the sparks from trains burnt areas of vegetation where it could grow, and the wind from passing trains distributed its seeds along the railway lines and thence across all of the UK.

Rosebay Willowherb Chamaenerion angustifolium

Cannock Chase: Heathland plants: Fabiaceae

The Fabiaceae are all members of the pea family.  They have distinctive flowers with standard and keel petals, and fix nitrogen in nodules in their roots.  On heathland, the Gorse and Broom are are most prominent pea-family members.

Common gorse Ulex europeaus

Gorse Ulex europaeus (or furze) is another important plant of the heath.  In the past, Furzers would collect bundles of it and sell it as fuel, it burns hotter than coal!  It fired bread ovens and home fires.  It was fodder for animals in the winter, and was used to make brushes.  Gorse boughs were dragged down the chimney to clean them, and grain was stored on top of piles of gorse to dissuade the vermin.

Gorse is also known as “the kissing bough”.  Anytime Gorse is in flower, then it’s ok to kiss.  Because two species with different flowering seasons are both common in the UK, Dwarf gorse Ulex minor and Common gorse, there’s rarely a day without a gorse bloom in flower!  The flowers smell strongly of coconut, and are edible.  For more on the three gorse species, click here.

Broom Cystisus scoparius

Broom Cystisus scoparius, as the name suggests, is used in cleaning.  It’s mildly narcotic, and has been known to make sheep drunk!  Green dye comes from the leaves.  It’s used to add bitterness to beer in brewing. The roots were meant to be aphrodisiac, the twigs are used as charcoal, and the seeds were roasted and used as a coffee substitute.  Medicinally, broom is a purgative and was used to stimulate both bladder and kidneys.

Cannock Chase botany: Cowberry, Crowberry, and Bilberry

These three berries are common on heathland, but I’ve not seen them all growing together before.

Crowberry Empetrum nigrum is shiny black.  It has small bright green leaves which are almost like needles.  Unless the berries are there, on first glance thus plant might be mistaken for heather, although the leaves are glossier and brighter.  The berries are theoretically edible, but are more palatable after a hard frost.  Or not at all.

Crowberry Empetrum nigrum

Cowberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a glorious scarlet and tastes like cranberries.  It has small ovoid leaves which are glossy green above and pale below.  It’s found throughout the northern hemisphere and can be made into jams, syrups, and jellies.  Other names include Fox berry, Lingonberry, or Rock cranberry.  It’s an acidic and sharp flavour.  Medicinally, it’s used to treat bladder and urinary tract infections (as is its close relative, Cranberry).

Cowberry Vaccinium vitis-idaeus

Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus is black with a bloom that makes it look blue.  It has small oval leaves, but these are less glossy than the Cowberry, and are slightly toothed.  It’s not only edible, but delicious.  Pies, jams, tarts, jellies, and juice can be made from this low-lying plant.  In the past, children with rakes would come and collect the bilberries to sell at the local markets.  There were still a couple of berries on the plants, and quite a lot of fruit on the patches of Cowberry.

Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus

Interestingly, the Cowberry and Bilberry have created a sterile hybrid, the “Chase berry” which is specific to Cannock chase.  We didn’t see this plant, and I believe it’s hard to identify as it produces neither flowers nor berries.  It’s worth learning more about, and seeing photos, which you can do on iSpot

Conclusion

Despite the threat of rain, we had a wonderful day.  We learnt tons about the area, had a beautiful walk in the sun learning about the plants, and very much enjoyed our trip to Cannock chase.

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Maintaining an Eco-Friendly Lawn

Water shortages happen frequently in some parts of our country and they can damage the beautiful lawn you’ve maintained. In fact, you may have given up on the idea of a nice lawn because you want to conserve water.

Perennial Rye grass, Lolium perenne.  This grass is tough and drought resistant.

Well, with careful planning and smart choices, you may be able to maintain a lush lawn and save water at the same time. Here are the keys steps you need to take to do just that.

Illustration of a healthy meadow through to a species-poor lawn

Planning for Long-Term Sustainability

First, you may need to redesign your lawn and yard areas to make this happen. Making your yard more sustainable includes:

●       Finding ways to conserve water during maintenance.

●       Using plants that need less water.

●       Possibly reducing how much of your yard is covered in grass.

●       Water-efficient landscape design or redesign.

Different garden layouts, arial view

Water-Conscious Landscaping Tips

Now, let’s look at that landscaping. Here are some ways you can improve it:

●       You can still have beautiful landscaping after reducing your lawn. Earth 911 recommends using gravel and planting trees. Put mulch around the base of the trees for a decorative touch.

●       Another idea is to create a rock garden in place of grass. If you’re struggling to visualize how this can look beautiful, check out those seven inspired landscapes with no lawn from Sunset.com.

●       Plant a rain garden. This is a great choice, because a rain garden can filter runoff after a storm. Make sure you choose plants that tolerate wet locations and native plants.

●       Choose trees and plants that are less “thirsty.” Check out this list of five (USA) plants that you almost never have to water from House Logic.

Sedum is one of many drought-resistant plants you can use

If you’re feeling that revamping your lawn to be more water-conscious is overwhelming, consider hiring a professional landscaper. The average cost for a landscaping installation is between £1,361.50 and £2,488.75.

For more tips on conserving water in your garden, check out this blog from The Daily Gardener.

The Right Gardening Tools

If, however, you’re ready to “dig” right in, make sure that you have the best gardening tools to get everything done such as a good quality lawnmower. A mower should be the right height, able to handle the size of your lawn, and able to handle your terrain: flat, uneven or somewhere in between.

Different types of mower to consider

If you’re collecting rainwater, you need barrels that are free from rust and other corrosives. Most are made of recycled metal, although for a steep price, you can buy a wooden one. Put them under your downspout. If you plan on using this water for any in-home uses such as drinking or bathing, you’ll need to have a quality water filter system as well.

A water butt can be used to collect rainwater from the roof

Finally, you can’t do any of this work without a good pair of gardening gloves to keep your hands free of injury and roughness. Check out this list of the nine best gardening gloves you can buy.

How To Conserve Water During Lawn Maintenance

How can you water your lawn while still conserving water? These tips will help:

●       Consider installing a drip irrigation system, which allows nutrients to slowly drip into the root system.

●       GoodNet.org recommends you mow your lawn at longer heights, which will help it to stay moist for a longer period of time. This allows the roots to grow deeper. They also suggest changing up your mowing patterns to avoid creating divots where water can collect.

●       You can recycle water by using “grey” water. This is gently used water from your home, such as the shower or dishwasher. If you choose this option, you must use environmentally safe soaps and detergents in your home. If this does not appeal to you, you can also collect rain in a rain barrel.

●       Toro Yardcare claims that mowing at the right time – like 4 or 5 a.m. – is better helps the roots absorb water.

●       According to Rainbird.com, you’d be wise to install an automatic irrigation system so that plants that need less water, get less water. You can also program it to only water what grows.

With the right choices and changes, you can have a beautiful and water-conscious garden. Take steps toward saving water today.

A thriving garden can attract wildlife; get the watering right and you’ll be helping wildlife as well as plants.

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May is a really wonderful month for botanical illustration; all the spring flowers are in bloom and there’s almost too many subjects to illustrate!  I always like to visit our local bluebell woods at this time of year, and thought it might be an idea to write a blog on how you can tell the difference between a native bluebellHyacinthoides non-scripta and a Spanish or garden variety Hyacinthoides hispanica (or a hybrid of the two!)

Native bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Threats to the Native bluebells from Spanish Bluebell

The iconic British bluebell wood, carpeted with deep purple-blue flowers, is one of the most beautiful sights of the British countryside.  However, these flowers are under threat from a variety of sources; climate change, habitat loss, and the presence of the Spanish bluebell.  These pretty flowers are more vigorous than our native population, and readily hybridise with them, making a species known as Hyacinthoidesx massartiana.  They escape from gardens, and are common across the countryside, and are already firmly established in many bluebell woods.  There are fears they may out-compete the native Bluebell.   For more on why these Spanish relatives are problematic, please check out the Woodland Trust’s blog.

Illustration of a Redstart in a blubell wood in Wales

It’s a good idea to be able to tell these two species apart.  However, this can be tricky, especially with the hybrids.  Below are a few pointers, gleaned from experts such as Plantlife, the Woodland Trust, Grantham Ecology, and the Wildlife Trusts.

Since writing this blog, the botanist Richard Collingridge has left a helpful comment which is worth looking at before plunging into my species distinctions: “I’m afraid the botany has moved on – your “Spanish” bluebells are in fact hybrids – the hybrid (Hyacinthoides x massartiana) is very variable. The pure Spanish bluebell (H hispanica) may not even occur in the UK at all. Yours are towards the Spanish end of the hybrid’s variability though.

Have a look at this page which summarises the situation very well – it’s written for Cumbria, but I think it applies just as well throughout the UK.”   Thanks for the input, Richard.

Leaves

First up, look at the leaves.  Both plants have linear, glossy leaves; but the leaves of the Spanish bluebell are markedly broader than those of the native Bluebell.  Grantham Ecology suggests a 50 pence test: lay a 50p coin across the leaf.  If the coin is broader than the leaf, it’s likely to be a native Bluebell.  If the 50p is thinner than the leaf, it’s probably a Spanish bluebell (a 10p coin, also about 1.5cm across, is equally useful).  Bear in mind, there’s lots of variation between leaves, even in an individual plant.

Spanish bluebell (on the left) vs Native bluebell (on the right) and the “coin test”

Smell

Next, take a sniff.  Although many say that the Spanish Bluebell doesn’t have a scent, I find this a little misleading as many of the hybrids do, although it may be quite delicate.  The native Bluebell does have a stronger perfume, which seems more pronounced in the evenings.

Sketchbook and paintbox out as I studied bluebells in Rook Wood, Hay on Wye

Growth pattern and stems

Moving onto the flowering stems, or racemes, there’s a clear difference.  The Spanish bluebells are borne on stouter stems, and these tend to be held upright.  Individual flowers appear on both sides of the stem, and don’t tend to droop.

Pencil drawing of a Spanish bluebell, showing the characteristic upright habit and flowers all around the flowering spike

With the native Bluebell, the flowers tend to be on one side of the raceme, with a slender stem, and a markedly drooping habit or growth pattern.  These flowering spikes can look very delicate and elegant, and the stems seem to be thinner than the Spanish or hybrid bluebells.

Flowering racemes; the native blubell is the drooping one on the left; the erect one (on the right) with flowers on all sides and less drooping is the Spanish blubell

Hybrids may also bear flowers on a drooping stem, but in general these seem to grown all around the stem, not just on one side.  They’re frequently paler than the native bluebell.

Individual flowers

Look at one flower in detail.  First, there’s the colour to consider.  The native bluebell is a dark purplish blue, paler toward the petal tips, and with a deeper purplish area at the centre of each petal.  In the centre of this region, the native bluebell shows a very thin line of a greener blue which runs to the tip of each petal.

In shape it’s a tight tube with parallel sides.

Each flower comprises six fused petals, and the tips of these curve strongly back on themselves (they are recurved).  These curled petals are very pronounced, and will often make a full circle, touching the corolla tube or base of the petal tip.

Hybrids rarely have such tightly curved petal tips, and the sides of the corolla tube tend to flare out to make a wider bell-shape than the native flowers do.

Sketchbook page with studies showing the colour and strongly recurved petals of the native bluebell

The Spanish bluebell tends to be a far paler blue, with a less purple hue.  They also come in white and pink (do be aware that the native Bluebell does occasionally put up white forms; these can be told by other diagnostic features rather than by colour).  Spanish and hybrids also have six curved petals, but these are far less recurved than the native species.

Sketchbook page showing Spanish bluebell flowers which are wider and less recurved

Seeing the two flowers together, it’s clear how different they look.  However, when they’re not side by side, and when hybrids abound, it can be tricky to untangle these differences.  Hybrids tend to show a variety of characteristics from both species.  The flowers below are from Spanish (on the right) and native Bluebells (on the left), and are not hybrids.

Comparison of the native bluebell (on the left) and Spanish bluebell (on the right)

Stamens

Another difference between the two is the stamen colour (well, the colour of the pollen the stamens produce).  In the native bluebell the anthers are a creamy yellow, or white.  In the Spanish bluebell they are blueish, dark blue, or greenish.  However, be aware of the hybrids; I’ve often seen plants that seem to tick all the boxes for the Spanish bluebell characteristics, but which have pale anthers.

Anthers of the native bluebell (on the left) are pale cream; the Spanish blubell flower (on the right) has dark blue or greenish anthers.

Conclusion

Telling the Spanish and the native bluebell apart is pretty straight forward.  A quick look at leaf width, growth form, flower colour and shape and stamens will give you a secure identification.

The trickier part is telling the difference between the Spanish/Native hybrid Hyacinthoidesx massartiana and the native plant.  Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust have a good rule of thumb.  If you can see ANY of the diagnostic features associated with the Spanish bluebell in your plant, then you’ve got a hybrid on your hands.  Simple.

Now get out into your local woods and see how many of those plants are native, and how many are hybrids.  Our local bluebell wood has plenty of both; it’s useful to be able to tell them apart.

Below is a film of me creating my bluebell sketch in Rook Wood, near Hay on Wye.

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I managed to complete the illustrations, although I found it tricky, but I decided then and there to back up this initial trial by fire by doing my best to learn a bit about these pretty plants.

Glaucous sedge Carex flacca

Sedge identification course

Luckily, FSC has lots of diverse and fascinating courses on offer.  These included a one-day session learning about sedges.  (For more on another of these brilliant courses I attended earlier this year, please look at my blog on Learning about Slugs).

Our tutor was Mark Duffell. It turns out he was the same long-suffering botanist who’d advised me and helped me illustrate the sedges for the leaflets!  He was polite enough not to run screaming from the classroom.  Mark was an excellent guide to the world of rushes, grasses, and sedges.

Sketchbook illustration of Carex otrubae with hand lens and specimen of plant

The uses of sedges

We began by listing the uses of these plants.  Next we learnt something of the main differences in anatomy between grasses, rushes and sedges.  There’s a handy rhyme here, pertaining to their stems:  “Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees and are hollow down to the ground”.  Then, with the help of Sedges of the British Isles by Jermy, we started keying out a plethora of sedge specimens he’d brought in.

Keying out specimens

I have a habit of not working through keys.  I tend to rush to the pictures and try and match my plant to them; but this session changed my approach.  In fact I was elated to key out six or seven sedges correctly.

Sketchbook study of Carex demissa

One of the main distinguishing features of sedges is their stems.  These are solid (not hollow) and mostly triangular.  They have ligules, like grasses.  But these little flaps on each leaf near the stem tend to be firmly flattened to the leaf blade.  In grasses these are like collars extending from the leaves around the stem.  Sedges tend to grow in tufts or along runners of rhizomes.  Figuring out which growth habit your specimen has is vital.

Sketchbook study of Carex sylvatica Wood sedge

Finished illustration of Wood sedge Carex sylvatica

Sedge structures useful for identification

The reproductive region of the sedge, or flower, is called a spikelet.   It has all sorts of sedge-specific characteristics.  One of the vital structures to get your head around is the utricle.  This is the female flower part which mostly surrounds the nut.  These utricles vary in size, colour, texture, and shape.  This was really clear from our observations.  Some have little beaks at their tips, some are shiny and green, others black and textured like suede.  Some have papery wings on their edges whilst others do not.

Carex otrubae utricle (photo taken through the dissecting microscope)

A big indicator of species with the sedges is the number of stigmas the female flower produces; it’s either 2 or 3.  Mark told us a cunning trick to tell this when the stigmas had fallen off post flowering, generally the rounder and less flattened the utricle, the more likely it is to have three not two stigmas.

Another crucial structure is the glume, which surrounds male and female flowers and is papery thin, varying in shape and colour from species to species.  The details I tried to include in each of my sketchbook studies were therefore the ligule, the utricle, details of stigma number, and the glume.

Sketchbook study of Carex flacca

Sedge variety

It was remarkable how very different these plants looked, it was only on close examination that you could be sure they were all sedges.

Sketchbook study of Isolepis cernua

Mark did a great job with his specimens and brought in some spike rushes (a sedge, but slightly different to the large Carex group, see the sketch above), and pointed out that cotton-grass are also sedges.

Another Spike rush species, the Few flowered Spike rush Eleocharis quinqueflora

Common Cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium

By the end of the day I felt really happy using the sedges key (taken from the Sedges book by Jermy), and far more comfortable working and looking at the defining features of the sedge family.  Next time I get asked to draw sedges, I’ll have some hope of doing these fabulous plants justice!

Sketchbook study of Carnation sedge Carex panicea

Carnation sedge Carex panicea from the FSC Heathlands leaflet

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For more on our first day, a visit to Wicken Fen, please click the link. Our Second day saw us visiting two really interesting Breckland sites, and stumbling across an enormous number of plants there.  We were lucky to have members of the Iceni Botanical Artists’ Group with us, who know an enormous amount about the local botany and habitats.

Weeting Heath

Sketches from Weeting Heath

First, we visited NWT Weeting Heath reserve where the visitor centre has a resident swallow nesting just above the tills, and Stone curlews nesting nearby.  Reserve Warden James Symmonds took us on a tour of the dry chalky soils, where some unusual and rare plants are found.

Looking at Spiked speedwell Veronica spicata on Weeting Heath nature reserve

James was enthusiastic and knowledgeable.  Within seconds we’d spotted the locally common Purple Cat’s Tail along with Quaking grass.  There was Purple milk vetch, Wild thyme, Common stalk’s bill, and Weld.

Purple Cat’s-tail Phleum phleiodes by Iceni Botanical artist Rob Dyke

Maiden’s Pink

One very beautiful flower growing in abundance on Weeting Heath is the Maiden’s pink  Dianthus deltoids.

Maiden’s pink Dianthus deltoids clump (with us botanists behind)

This flower forms bright clumps which make the whole area glow pink.  Individual flowers can vary from a shocking magenta to a delicate pale shade.

More photos of Maiden’s pink

We saw loads of Ladies’ Bedstraw.  There was ragwort complete with Cinnibar moth caterpillars. We saw Wood sage , Rare spring sedge Carex ericetorum, and Hare’s foot.  I recorded more than 40 species in the hour or so we were there.   Insect-wise, there was an endless succession of solitary wasps, Skipper butterflies, and Breckland-specific hemipterans lurking under Stork’s-bill.  I also spotted lots of the metallic Forester moth Adscita statices.

Forester moth Adscita statices on Scabious flower

I painted this moth some years ago, on a scabious flower.  It was a joy to see the animal posing in the sun at Weeting…on a scabious flower!

Spiked Speedwell

The botanical jewel in Weeting’s crown is the rare and stunning Spiked speedwell, Veronica spicata. This gorgeous blue plant was growing in small clumps throughout the reserve.  It looked really pretty against the honied yellow of the ladies bedstraw and the Hawksbits.

Spiked speedwell habit on Weeting heath

James told us about the management of this species.  A decline in the rabbit population had led to less intensive grazing.  The grazing had detrimental effects on this speedwell’s population.

Spiked speedwell Veronica spicata plants

Introducing a “flying flock” of sheep has helped  These sheep are moved to areas of different nature reserves requiring grazing, and have helped this species recover.  The plant is going from strength to strength at Weeting.

Spiked Speedwell Veronica spicata

Spiked Speedwell Veronica spicata by Isobel Bartholomew (Iceni Botanical Artist)

James explained about exposing areas of soil by stripping off the turf and topsoil, creating Turf-stripped patches.  These encourage some of the rarer Breckland species as there’s no competition with grasses.  It forms part of the Wildlife Trust’s research and management scheme.

James Symmonds (NWT) and Joyce Barras (IAPI) botanising on a stripped turf patch

Cranwich camp

The next reserve we visited was Cranwich Camp.  This is an unmarked area of chalk-land meadow in amongst heathland and beautiful Scot’s pines.  Our guide was one of the Iceni botanical illustrators, Rob Dyke.

Cranwick Camp, complete with botanists.

As we got out of our cars, he pointed out a tiny little plant, found nowhere else in the UK.  It’s the un-assuming Proliferous pink.  Once we got our eye in, this little flower was all over the place.  There’s some suggestion it may have been brought as seed from Italy in clothing or footwear.  Cranwich camp was an Italian prisoner of war camp in the 1940s.

Proliferous pink Petrorhagia prolifera by Christine Grey-Wilson (Iceni Botanical Artist)

This site was also rich with species; I listed more than 35.  These included Vipers bugloss, Small bird’s-foot trefoil, Meadow bindweed Convolvulus arvensis, Flixweed Descurainia sophia (nationally scarce), and both the Spiny and common Restharrows .

Vipers Bugloss Echium vulgare

We spent a long time figuring out what part of the plant the spines of the Restharrow were (shoot tips we concluded).  I was bowled over by how pretty all the Kidney vetch looked, turning the grassland pale yellow.

Kidney vetch Anthyllis vulneraria

Another rarity we found was the Spanish Catchfly.  This is a spindly looking plant has different plants bearing the male and female flowers.  Some of the specimens we found even had the odd dead insect attached to the sticky stem, verifying the name.

Spanish Catchfly Silene otitis by Jan Toomer (Iceni Botanical Artist)

Along with the plants, the area was alive with insects.  There were oads more Forester moths, and lots of Six-spot Burnet moths.

Six-spot Burnet moth life cycle Zygaena filipendulae

Leaving Norfolk

It seemed wrong to head off with the sun beating down, and so many of these tiny and beautiful Breckland plants to examine.  However, we left newly informed and entirely inspired by the botanical jewels of this corner of Norfolk.

Many thanks are due to Roger Reynolds and Sarah Howard of IAPI for organising the trip.  Thanks to James Symmonds of Weeting Heath, and to Rob Dyke and Isobel Bartholomew and the Iceni Botanical Artists’ Group.

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Wicken Fen and land management

Our first day was an exploration of Wicken Fen.  This is a gorgeous nature reserve full of fenland species, peat, wind pumps and dragonflies, run by the National Trust.  Please click the link to hear about our exploration of Breckland rare plants on the second day of our trip.

Old wind pump, now used to pump water into rather than out of Wicken Fen

We had a guided tour from the reserve manager, Sarah Smith.  She told us about the history of the reserve (some of it has been managed by the National Trust since 1899).  Current management efforts try to prevent erosion of peat and degredation of habitats.  We learnt how wind-pumps are now used to bring water into the area rather than to drain it.  There’s a 100 year plan for the future, “Wicken Fen Vision”.  This is as ambitious as it is exciting.  A possible 5000 hectares of fenland could be managed by the National Trust by 2099.  The aim is both to protect existing peatland and to preserve a swathe of it for the future.  This would allow the ecosystems a chance to be resilient to changes that climate change and the future will bring.

Modern windpump at Wicken Fen

Peat and Wicken fen

Peat has been lost from the area at an alarming rate.  Once it dries out it simply blows away in the wind (“Peat blow”).   Sarah estimates that 6ft of peat is lost every 70 years.  In some areas there’s only 30 or 40cm of peat left.  Other places nearby have none at all, just the chalky soil below.  In the 1850s a forward thinking person put “Home Post” into an area of “The Great Fen” (a nearby nature reserve).  It was flush with the  ground.  Now this post stands a good 18ft proud of the peat level. This shows the speed of erosion due to drainage and drying out.  Agricultural use has lowered the level of the water table.

The National Trust uses grazing management, water conservation, judicious plant clearing, and liasons with the local farming community to help enact its vision.  We really got the feeling this was a habitat full of hope.  Tthe future of the fens seems bright.

Plants of Wicken Fen

The plants on site were varied and wonderful.  We spotted: reeds, hemp agrimony, Spearwort, St John’s wort, Silver weed, Waterlilies, Knapweed, Betony, Yellow rattle, Purple loosestrife,  and there were big clumps of the Great fen sedge, Cladium mariscum.

Great fen sedge, Cladium mariscum

In one channel we saw lots of Butterwort, Pinguicula vulgaris.  This is the first time I’ved seen it growing in the wild.

Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris

Boat trip and Dragonflies

A boat trip along the clay-bottomed channel of the Lode was a real treat.  Sedges and reeds hung over, and damsel and dragonflies flitted alongside.

Boat trip along the Lode in Wicken Fen

We saw Keeled skimmers, Brown hawker, Banded demoiselle, and Broad bodied skimmers.  There were also loads of butterflies like the Peacock butterfly and Small tortoiseshell.

Keeled Skimmer dragonfly Orthetrum coerulescens

Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator

The Iceni Botanical Atrists Group

After the boat trip, we were treated to a talk about Breckland species and habitats by the active and inspiring Iceni Botanical Artists’ Group

Isobel Bartholomew told us about their project.  They’ve illustrated 45 of the rarer Breckland plant species.  Many of the original artworks were there for us to examine.

Isobel Bartholomew of Iceni Botanical Artists discussing their book on Breckland plant species

There was a vast range of species illustrated, rom grasses to speedwells.   A fascinating variety of illustrative styles were in evidence.  They’ve all been put into one well-produced book, and we were able to buy ourselves copies.  If you would like a copy, please follow directions on Iceni’s web page.

Gorse Ulex europaeus and Broom Cytisus scoparius by Isobel Bartholomew, Iceni Botanical Artist

Viper’s bugloss Echium vulgare by Jo Kjaer, Iceni Botanical Artist

Marsh harriers flew overhead, dragonflies and butterflies flittered by, and the hot sun beat down.  An abundance of plants, and fascinating talks were coupled with poring over botanical illustration originals.  Don’t forget the wonderful boat trip!   It has to be said the first day of our Norfolk Botany field trip was a massive success.

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