Balby Carr

12^th August 2000

Recorders: – Maurice Whitta, Sheila Hill, Derek Allen, Frank & Helen Devine. Jim ‘rambler’, and Pip Seccombe       

Route: – We walked from the Woodfield Plantation housing development to the bridge across the dismantled railway where there are still about a dozen plants of Maidenhair Spleenwort growing on the SW end of the bridge wall.

Then along the path down to the old railway track. Continuing along the track to the point where we had seen Tussock Sedge on a visit in April 1997. The area was very overgrown and quite dry. HD risked life and limb scrambling down to the ex-ditch but was only able to find Lesser Pond Sedge.

We made our way back to the lane leading to the now derelict Carr Hill Farm, where there are the remains of an orchard. Then followed the path to the west across a dike, then SE to a pond (where there was a venerable White Willow with a circumference of 155”) and then back to the cars.

We had no invertebrate specialists with us but did have a go at identifying some of the insects we found, and have included those we are reasonably sure about, but these records have not been confirmed.

A botanical list for the four grid squares follows.

Mammals: Dead Hedgehog (juvenile)

Birds: Swallow, Goldfinch, Magpie, Wren, Robin, Swift, Linnet, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Moorhen, Tawny Owl (feather found in the farmyard)

Lepidoptera: Cinnabar Moth larvae, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Green-veined White, Peacock, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Purple Hairstreak, Comma, Small Copper, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Red Admiral.

Hymenoptera: Large Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) infested with mites)

Diptera: Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens)

Arachnid: Enoplognatha ovata with eggs and spiderlings on the underside of an Oak leaf

Odonata:  Axure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum), Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis), Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)

Orthoptera: Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

Galls:

Host Plant	Gall Name	Common Name
Rosa	Diplolepis rosae	Robin’s Pin Cushion
	Diplolepis ?eglanteriae *	Smooth Pea Gall
Hypochaeris	Phanacis hypochoeridis
Acer	Eriophyes macrorhynchus
	Aceria pseudoplatani
		Tar Spot
Ulmus	Eriophyes campestricola
Salix	Pontania bridgemanii
Quercus	Andricus quercuscalicis	Knopper Gall
	Andricus fecundator	Artichoke Gall
	Andricus anthracina
	Neuroterus numismalis	Silk Button Gall
	Neuroterus quercusbaccarum	Common Spangle Gall
	Cynips longiventris
	Cynips divisa

Note :- * = Margaret Redfern says this species needs breeding out to be sure of the identification.

Botanical Name	Vernacular Name	SE5799	SE5899	SE5800	SE5700
Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore	X	X
Achillea millifolium	Yarrow	X	X
Agrimonia eupatoria	Agrimony	X
Agrostis capillaris	Common Bent	X		X
Alisma plantago aquatica	Water Plantain				X
Alopecurus geniculatus	Marsh Foxtail			X
Anthriscus sylvestris	Cow Parsley	X
Arctium minus	Burdock	X		X
Arrhenatherum elatius	False Oat Grass	X	X	X
Artemesia vulgaris	Mugwort	X		X
Asplenium trichomanes	Maidenhair Spleenwort	X
Ballota nigra	Black Horehound	X
Bellis perennis	Daisy	X
Betula pendula	Silver Birch	X
Bryonia dioica	White Bryony	X		X
Caltha palustris	Marsh Marigold				X
Calystegia sepium	Hedge Bindweed	X
Carex acutiformis	Lesser Pond Sedge		X
Centaurea nigra	Hardhead	X	X	X
Centaurium erythraea	Common Centaury	X
Cerastium fontanum	Common Mouse-ear	X
Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay	X	X
Cirsium arvense	Creeping Thistle	X	X
Cirsium vulgare	Spear Thistle	X	X
Conium maculatum	Hemlock			X
Convolvulus arvensis	Field Bindweed	X		X
Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn	X	X	X
Crepis capillaris	Smooth Hawk’s-beard	X	X
Dactylis glomerata	Cock’s Foot	X		X
Daucus carota	Wild Carrot	X
Dipsacus fullonum	Teasel	X
Elytrigia repens	Common Couch Grass	X		X
Epilobilobium montanum	Broed-leaved Willowherb				X
Epilobium hirsutum	Great Willowherb	X	X	X	X
Equisetum arvensis	Common Horsetail	X
Filipendula ulmaria	Meadow Sweet	X
Fragaria vesca	Wild Strawberry	X	X	X
Fraxinus excelsior	Ash	X		X
Galium aparine	Cleavers	X
Geranium robertianum	Herb Robert	X
Geum urbanum	Wood Avens	X
Heracleum sphondylium	Hogweed	X		X
Hieracium agg.	Hawkweed	X	X
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire Fog	X	X	X
Hordeum murinum	Wall Barley	X
Hypericum perforatum	Common St. John’s Wort	X	X
Hypochaeris radicata	Cat’s Ear	X	X
Inula conyzae	Ploughman’s Spikenard	X	X
Iris pseudacorus	Yellow Flag				X
Juncus effusus	Soft Rush			X
Juncus inflexus	Hard Rush			X
Knautia arvensis	Field Scabious	X
Lactuca serriola	Prickly Lettuce	X
Lamium album	White Dead-nettle	X
Lapsana communis	Nipplewort	X
Lathyrus pratensis	Meadow vetchling	X			X
Leucanthemum vulgare	Ox-eye Daisy	X	X
Linum catharticum	Fairy Flax	X
Lolium perenne	Rye Grass	X		X
Lotus corniculatus	Bird’s Foot Trefoil	X	X
Malva sylvestris	Common Mallow	X
Matricaria discoidea	Pineapple Weed			X
Medicago lupulina	Black Medick	X	X
Melilotus officinalis	Yellow Melilot	X
Mentha aquatica	Water Mint				X
Nymphaea alba	White Water-lily				X
Phragmitis australis	Common Reed	X		X
Pilosella officinarum	Mouse-eared Hawkweed	X	X
Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain	X	X	X
Plantago major	Rat-tailed Plantain	X
Poa Annua	Annual Meadow Grass	X
Polygonum aviculare	Knotgrass			X
Potentilla anserina	Silverweed			X
Potentilla reptans	Creeping Cinquefoil	X
Prunella vulgaris	Self Heal	X
Pulicaria dysenterica	Fleabane	X	X	X
Quercus robur	Pedunculate Oak	X	X	X
Ranunculus acris	Meadow Buttercup				X
Ranunculus repens	Creeping Buttercup			X	X
Reseda lutea	White Mignonette	X
Reseda luteola	Weld	X
Rosa cannina	Dog Rose	X	X	X
Rubus fruticosus	Bramble	X	X	X
Rumex crispus	Curled Dock	X
Rumex hydrolapathum	Great Water-dock				X
Salix alba	White Willow				X
Salix cinerea	Grey Willow	X		X
Sambucus nigra	Elder	X		X
Schoenoplectus lacustris	Common Club-rush				X
Scrophularia auriculata	Water Figwort			X
Scrophularia nodosa	Figwort	X	X
Senecio jacobaea	Common Ragwort	X	X	X
Silene alba	White Campion	X
Sisymbrium officinale	Hedge Mustard	X
Sonchus arvensis	Corn Sow-thistle	X	X
Sonchus asper	Prickly Sow Thistle	X	X
Stachys sylvestris	Hedge Woundwort	X	X
Stellaria media	Chickweed	X
Taraxacum agg.	Dandelion	X	X	X
Teucrium scordium	Wood Sage	X
Torilis japonica	Hedge Parsley	X		X
Trifolium campestre	Hop Trefoil	X
Trifolium dubium	Lesser Yellow Trefoil	X
Trifolium pratense	Red Clover	X
Trifolium repens	White Clover	X		X
Tripleurospermum inodorum	Scentless Mayweed	X		X
Tussilago farfara	Coltsfoot	X		X
Typha latifolia	Reedmace			X	X
Ulmus procera	English Elm	X
Urtica dioica	Stinging Nettle	X		X
Vicia cracca	Tufted Vetch	X			X
Vicia hirsuta	Hairy Vetch	X