Skipton and Embsay

On Saturday I took a trip on the train out to Skipton (VC64) to start work on a couple of under-recorded hectads. I picked a circular route out to Embsay and the reservoir. It did not turn out to be the most inspiring countryside with intensive farmland in the lowland and a 'sheep-wrecked' upland edge. But needs must with the pressures of Atlas 2020 mounting, and it just means you have to look a little harder.

The first nice find was a good stand of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) along Springs Canal, later to be seen again at the entrance to Skipton Wood. This attractive plant does not appear to have been recorded from this hectad previously.

Purple Loosestrife - I am cheating with this photo as it was taken at 

Lowther Lake a couple of weeks back

Walking up The Bailey I was able to look up onto the walls of Skipton Castle where there were naturalised colonies of Aubrieta (Aubrieta deltoidea) and Golden Alison (Aurinia saxatilis). The former had not been recorded here previously, and the only other record for the hectad was last century (pre-1999, details very vague as is the case for too many records). Golden Alison was new to the hectad.

Golden Alison (photo by Prazak from Wikimedia Commons)

After a dull walk down into Embsay things picked up again with a number of oddities along Brackenley Lane. First up was a couple of plants of Upright Spurge (Euphorbia stricta). This is a rare British native but it is a casual up here. I see it is listed by some seed suppliers as 'Golden Foam'. A nice plant but I am not sure I need to grow it my garden. Each to their own.

Old walls further along the lane had Caucasian Stonecrop (Sedum spurium) and Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum), and then this surprise by the steps up to the footpath across the fields. Yellow Oxeye (Telekia speciosa).

Emerging onto Pasture Road I found a nice stand of Dusky Crane's-bill (Geranium phaeum var. phaeum) where Embsay Beck passes under the road. Still a few flowers present despite the season.

Reaching the reservoir I couldn't wait to get down to the shore to look for drawdown flora. Unfortunately this is one of the reservoirs where this is very poorly developed and there were none of the specialities. The highlights being Tufted Forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa) and Marsh Yellow-cress (Rorippa palustris). The latter the first record for the hectad since pre-1969. I was then pleased to find a bush of Glandular Dog-rose (Rosa squarrosa), a hectad first, swiftly followed by yet another in the form of Musk (Mimulus moschatus). A single large clump was growing in the northern inflow.

Musk, photo taken last year at Fewston Reservoir

Heading up onto the Moor, there was only slim pickings but it allowed me to record the usual suspects. The nicest find was Climbing Corydalis (Ceratocapnos claviculata). I then dropped down back towards Embsay. A few useful records were made on route, mainly garden escapes and plantings. The biggest surprise was Algerian Ivy (Hedera algeriensis) established in plantation behind the roadside wall. I suspect this species may be overlooked elsewhere, being passed over for Irish Ivy (Hedera hibernica Hibernica Group). Look out for large leaves, ruby red petioles and young stems, and a pine scent.

An old wall in Embsay had a nice bush of Garden Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) growing out of it, no doubt self-seeded from a nearby garden.

Having a little time to kill before catching my train I wandered up to Skipton Woods. Not the most interesting of woods (especially at this time of year), too many feet and too much bare ground, but adding a few plants that had not been recorded previously. Including such obvious species as Branched Bur-reed (Sparganium erectum). It was also good to find the Herb-Paris (Paris quadrifolia) just about still in leaf, allowing me to collect a detailed grid reference. However justifying this brief diversion was the best find. A large plant of Indian-rhubarb (Darmera peltata) has somehow managed to establish in the bank of Eller Beck by the boardwalk. I'm not sure if this is the same plant last reported in 2004, the location details are too vague, but it seems likely.

Indian-rhubarb

Skelton Lake Part 2

I chose a much better day yesterday to revisit this site, focussing my attention on familiarising myself with the VC64 part. What a difference a week makes, the Wild Turnip was all over and run to seed.

Skelton Lake is a useful location in what is otherwise a very urban hectad, allowing me to try and boost the plant re-find total for the New Atlas. This square is right on my doorstep but is resolutely refusing to turn "green", meaning I have not re-found enough. Of course, in reality its more complex than that. There is no guarantee that the plants seen by previous botanists are still there to be re-found, particularly on the urban fringe of Leeds.

Nomenclature has also changed over time e.g. Arenaria serpyllifolia is now 2 species, one persons Arctium minus is now either sens. str. or pubens. The fun and games look set to continue with the most recent BSBI News highlighting a change in species concepts within the Dog-roses (Rosa canina), with three species now where there was once one highly variable species. A challenge to relish, but one that will render most historic records to an aggregate when once they were considered good species records. I was reminded of this as I was looking at Rosa canina group Dumales. This is now (or is again, those Victorian botanists knew there stuff) Glandular Dog-rose (Rosa squarrosa). A perfectly doable split but one that was too easy to ignore when it was considered a minor variant. Anyway, dog-roses aside, I did find much of interest and hopefully the hectad is getting closer to a robust re-survey.

A steep slope yielded an abundance of Silver Hair-grass (Aira caryophyllea). I didn't try to take a photo of this tiny wispy species, thinking I could rely on Wikimedia Commons. But it seems few people have managed to get a good photo of this species. See the link for some images.

I also thought I would give the Hawkweeds another go. Hats off to Vincent Jones and his Yorkshire Hawkweeds, they are doable if the experts translate their hard learnt knowledge into accessible field guides (see also the excellent BSBI Handbooks for the alpine species). There is only real progress when one generation makes its easier for the next to take things further forward. Sadly the book is out of print (again), time for a braver print run Yorkshire Naturalist's Union? Anyway this time it was a great new record for Hairy-leaved Hawkweed (Hieracium festinum), a species of scattered occurrence and rare in Yorkshire (image here, at least until mine is out of the press and can be photographed). It is very close to the common Southern Hawkweed (H. argillaceum), to which I originally mis-keyed until getting some leaves under the microscope. The long flowering branches are distinct and the miniscule stellate hairs on the underside of the upper leaves the clincher. The photo in Vince's book was a clear match for my plant, and this was part of the reason why I knew my original ID was wrong. One to look out for in post-industrial West Yorkshire, as it is likely to be more widespread. The key in Sell & Murrell does not work for this species.

Himalayan Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster simonsii) was widely naturalised along the woodland edge.

Red-leaved Rose (Rosa glauca - back to the old name again apparently!) was a surprise in an area of scrub where it appeared to have been bird-sown.

There was an array of blue, and indigo, and bicoloured Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) nearby, undoubtedly a garden escape at this location.

A large stand of the county rarity Field Pepperwort (Lepidium campestre) was next up, on a spoil mound by Pontefract Lane.

The established hedgerows were planted in the relatively recent past and include American Guelder-rose (Viburnum trilobum), note the long terminal leaf lobes of the leaves at the branch tips. The terminal lobe also has very large teeth.

An added benefit of the new access to Skelton Lake is that it now provides a nice circular route via Temple Newsam. So I headed there next.

The hedgerows here have a mass-planted deeply cut-leaved form of Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna f. schizophylla). This is quite common and seems to be propagated preferentially by some growers of "native" trees. I don't think this a discrete entity in the strict sense, it seems to cover a range of plants at the extreme end of the variation of the species. However it is worth being aware of, not least because it is often one of the parents of Crataegus x subsphaerica, and such forms can be readily identified even before they are in fruit.

A neglected corner near the House, yielded two interesting garden escapes. First up was a cultivar of Bistort (Persicaria bistorta 'Superba'), then four stunning plants of Bulley's Primrose (Primula bulleyana). The latter is not on the British list yet, although there is a record for Isle of Man (not part of the UK).

In the woods I found a single plant of Borrer's Scaly Male-fern (Dryopteris borreri), new to the hectad.