NORTH NORFOLK: Holkham bioblitz

23rd July 2017

This weekend there was a bioblitz all along the north Norfolk coast, from Holme to Salthouse. In terms of species recorded it was a success (Holme managed to rack up over 1000 species alone!), but I couldn't help think that the idea of a bioblitz was to concentrate the recording effort on a particular site rather than spread it over 30 miles. Another slight bugbear was that although there were a number of  activities arranged, despite looking regularly I only saw the definitive list when it was tweeted on Saturday morning.

Anyway, Saturday was allocated to rest and then WeBS, so I turned up at Holkham on Sunday morning, hoping for a good catch in the moth traps. It was rather windy, so having seen what the conditions were like I wasn't that hopeful, and this was vindicated when less than 40 species were recorded across three traps. A couple of micro moths were new, along with Pine Carpet apparently.

Clavigesti purdeyi

My plan for the afternoon had been to do some general recording and look for one of my target species, Yellow Bird's-nest. I asked Andy Bloomfield if any of the latter plant was still around, but was told it had all either died off or been eaten, so that was that out. Stewart Wright was also going for a walk and hadn't seen Creeping Lady's Tresses before, so we had a look at leaf-mines before heading into the pines. Stewart also found the 'sputnik' egg sac of the spider Paidiscura pallens.

 Stigmella anomolella in Dog Rose leaf

 Leucoptera malifoliella in a Hawthorn leaf

Spider egg-sac

On the way along we stopped to look at some Ant-lion pits, my first Norfolk ones having seen them previously at Minsmere, but couldn't find any Yellow Figwort. The first spot where I saw Creeping Lady's Tresses last year seemed devoid of plants, but nearby I managed to find about ten flowering spikes of this unobtrusive orchid.

It was now starting to drizzle, but Stewart was keen to look for the rare micro moth Norfolk Owlet, so we headed into the dunes to look for it. The rain got heavier, and although my umbrella kept my head and front dry, my back, bag and legs got soaked. We didn't find any Owlets, not surprising given the weather, but I did find several interesting new invertebrates, notably Dusky Longhorn Beetle, Field Cuckoo Bee and Large Sharp-tailed Bee.

Some of the fungus study group were heading into the reedbed at Cley in the afternoon to look for reedbed fungi, but given that it was still raining I decided to give it a miss. After eating my lunch in the car I headed back towards Norwich, passing the first parts of the traffic chaos that was to delveop as a result of the Holkham Country Fair and Tom Jones concert. As I got closer to Norwich it wasn't raining so I diverted to Buxton Heath to look for Marsh Gentians. I didn't see any in the first 20 minutes before once again it began to rain. I finally took the hint and went home.

NORTH NORFOLK: Burnham Overy flora & fauna

7th August 2016

On Sunday I joined a group of botanists at Burnham Overy for a 'Wildflowers Revealed' walk. These sessions, of which there are usually one or two a year, are an opportunity for naturalists with an interest in plants to accompany experienced members of the Norfolk Flora Group to survey a particular habitat. The Flora Group are a well-oiled recording machine, with GPS units for checking grid references, tables of previously recorded species and years of experience, but these combined sessions tend to strike a good balance between recording, seeing scarce plants and helping less experienced botanists to learn how to separate similar species.

Upon arrival at Burnham Overy the tide was at its highest, which was fortunate because it was a big tide and had flooded most of the car park. Having parked up and been treated to some almond puddings made by Jo, we headed off along the sea wall towards the dunes. As well as the botanists we were also firtunate to have Sarah, Holkham's conservation manager, accompanying us and she told us a bit about the site as we went along. The landward half of the path was coloured pink and yellow by a mixture of Common Mallow and Black Mustard, with lots of Sea Beet adding greenery. As we neared the dunes the mallow and mustard were replaced by large areas of Bristly Oxtongue and Creeping Thistle. Other plants pointed out along the sea wall included Sea Wormwood, Upright Hedge Parsley and Tall Melilot.

At the start of the dunes we looked at a few plants that I was familiar with like Common Centaury, Lady's Bedstraw and Common Storksbill. A bit further along we saw Wild Cotoneaster, which was a new one for me. We also had a good look at a sweet pea, although my photos came out blurry due to the strong wind. It was identified as Lathyrus heterophyllus, sometimes called Norfolk Everlasting Pea. Mike made a strong case for not using this name, as it is a non-native species with no real connection with Norfolk other than first being recorded here as an introduction. Whilst looking at the pea I spotted a small Natterjack Toad heading for the vegetation - my first 'adult' having only seen large tadpoles before.

Continuing across the dunes we stopped to look at some dainty Fairy Flax before heading down into some damper dune slacks. I stopped to watch a Wall butterfly, and retraced my steps to watch a Hummingbird Hawk Moth that some of the group had found. A Grayling butterfly nearby was also of interest. Walking eastwards there was lots of Sea Spurge, some seedheads of Marsh Helleborine, Distant Sedge (Carex distans) and Sand Cats-tail (Phleum arenarium). The latter two were unsurprisngly new species for me as I know very little about sedges and grasses. Some flowering Sea Holly was nice to see, and we walked through a swathe of flowering Rosebay Willowherb before stopping for lunch.

 Fairy Flax

 Sea Holly

 Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Our lunch spot, a sheltered area on the edge of the pines proved to be very good for insects. Before sitting down I found my first Tachina grossa, a large black tachinid fly. Whilst eating we were surrounded by Ruddy Darters, and in a sunny area of bramble we could see Common Blue, Small Copper and Brown Argus butterflies. At least one Dark Green Fritillary flew past too. After lunch we continued along the dune/pine interface, finding some Blue Fleabane. We then headed into the woods to see the Creeping Lady's Tresses, which have had a good year here. I hadn't seen this species since I was in my teens and regular at Holt CP, so it was good to get reacquainted with it.

 Blue Fleabane

 Creeping Lady's Tresses

We walked south through the pines to join up with the main path, where Mary pointed out pale patches of White Cushion Moss (Leucopbryum glaucum). Three Red Longhorn Beetles were observed on a fallen log. Walking back towards the dunes we stopped at a sunny glade, where Hemp Agrimony was attracting lots of insects. A fritillary flew past, and it turned out to be Silver-washed, a recent arrival at Holkham. Whilst waiting in case it settled nearby, I noticed a Purple Hairstreak fly down and briefly settle in front of us.

Emerging back out onto the dunes we had a quick and unsuccessful look for Ant-lion pits, before heading westwards to look for Jersey Cudweed, a rare species found at only two sites in Norfolk. We found several flowering spikes on a private part of reserve, and also saw Strawberry Clover and Creeping Willow nearby. On our way back we saw some gone-over Autumn Gentians, unusual for the site, and also the unusual 'string of sausages' lichen Usnea articulata.

 Jersey Cudweed

 Strawberry Clover

 Usnea articulata

Thanks to Sarah for guiding us, and to the members of the Norfolk Flora Group and NNNS for their expertise.