Alpine Cotula Expands its Range

Bruce Brown has been busy over the last few months processing an exceptional number of records collected by the Wharfedale Naturalist's in 2020, a very large number of which are directly attributable to Bruce and Carmen Horner. I have only just started to look in detail at what they found, but one record that immediately jumped out as interesting was a new location for Alpine Cotula (Cotula alpina).

Photo by G. Richards, Assynt Field Club website

Alpine Cotula is a native of Australia and was added to the British List as recently as 2009. It shows a strong affinity with grouse moors and is widely established in the North York Moors, and the moors of Nidderdale to the north of Pateley Bridge. Linda Robinson provides an account of the discovery of this species here, and further images can be found here.

Bruce and Carmen have now extended this species distribution to the grouse moors of Wharfedale, having found it August 2020 on Burley Moor (VC64). Time will tell how established it is in that area, one to look out for as it is probably more widely established.

Hedera algeriensis 'Ravensholst'

A trip over to Temple Newsam (VC64) yesterday for a bit of daffodil spotting (beats dandelions for me at this time of year!) gave an opportunity to check back in with this ivy in North Plantation, where a large stand has established across the woodland floor and climbing trees.

This has to be the most impressive of the naturalised ivies, the leaves are absolutely enormous. But this does leave it a little vulnerable to our up and down climate. The last time I saw it a couple of years back it had been badly hit by a late frost. But this year it was in perfect condition.

Algerian Ivy (Hedera algeriensis), usually in its smaller leaved forms, is not uncommon as a garden escape but possibly remains overlooked. Perhaps in some cases it is passed over as 'Irish Ivy' (Hedera hibernica 'Hibernica'). The variegated 'Gloire de Marengo' is particularly frequent.