DNS Field Trip to the Roman Ridge 16/9/00
Recorders – Pip Seccombe and Derek Allen

Route and Site Description

The starting point was the junction of Ridge Balk Lane and West Ave. Woodlands, from where we walked along the Roman Ridge towards Highfields, including a diversion towards the old pit yard, as far as the fishing pond, just short of the allotments – SE 5207 and 5307. In the afternoon we walked along the Ridge in the other direction as far as the km boundary, just beyond the end of the housing – SE 5208.

The pit yard has been flattened and contained several large piles of apparently recycled brick rubble. The grassland sloping down towards the pit yard has been scarified with Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Teasel and Yorkshire Fog among the species surviving round the edges.

Further along the ridge towards Highfields were some mature Ash trees, one of the largest measuring 89” in circumference. Just before the fishing pond was a thriving patch of Wild Liquorice on both sides of the lane.

Additional Species

Mammals – Dead rat

Dragonfly – Common Darter – Sympetrum striolatum

Birds – Blackbird, Coot, Magpie, Green Woodpecker, and House Martin

Butterflies – Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Large White

Galls

Host Plant	Gall Name	Common Name
Acer campestre	Artacris cephalonia
Acer campestre	Eriophyes eriobius
Acer Pseudoplatanus	Artacris cephalonia
Acer Pseudoplatanus	Eriophyes pseudoplatani
Glechoma hederacea	Rondaniola bursaria	Lighthouse Gall
Rosa cannina	Diplolepsis nervosa	Sputnik Gall
Rosa cannina	Diplolepsis rosae	Ronin’s Pincushion
Veronica chamaedrys	Jaapiella veronicae

 Botanical Records – Roman Ridge

Botanical Name	Vernacular Name	SE5307	SE5207	SE5208
Acer campestre	Field Maple	X	X	X
Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore	X	X	x
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow	X	X
Anthriscus sylvestris	Cow Parsley	X	X	x
Arctium minus	Burdock	X	X	X
Armoracia rusticana	Horseradish	X
Arrhenatherum elatius	False Oat Grass	X
Artemesia absinthium	Wormwood		X
Artemesia vulgaris	Mugwort	X	X	X
Arum maculatum	Lords & Ladies	X		X
Aster sp.	Michaelmas Daisy	X
Astragalus glycyphyllos	Wild Liquorice	X
Ballota nigra	Black Horehound		X	x
Bellis perennis	Daisy	x
Bryonia dioica	White Bryony	X	X
Calystegia sylvatica	Large Bindweed	X	X	x
Capsella bursa-pastoris	Shepard’s Purse		X
Centaurea nigra	Hardhead	X	X
Centaurea scabiosa	Greater Knapweed		X
Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay	X	X	X
Cirsium arvense	Creeping Thistle	X	X	x
Cirsium vulgare	Spear Thistle	X	X
Convolvulus arvensis	Field Bindweed		X	X
Cornus sanguinea	Dogwood	X		x
Corylus avellana	Hazel	X	X	x
Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn	X	X	X
Crepis capillaris	Smooth Hawk’s-beard		X
Dactylis glomerata	Cock’s Foot	X	X	X
Dipsacus fullonum	Teasel	X	X
Epilobium montanum	Broad-leaved Willowherb	X
Epilobium hirsutum	Great Willowherb	X
Equisetum arvense	Common Horsetail	X
Euphorbia helioscopia	Sun Spurge		X
Fagus sylvatica	Beech	X
Filipendula ulmaria	Meadow Sweet	X
Foeniculum vulgare	Fennel	X	X
Fraxinus excelsior	Ash	X	X	X
Fumaria officinalis	Fumitory		X
Galium aparine	Cleavers	X	X	x
Geranium molle	Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill		X
Geranium robertianum	Herb Robert	X
Geum urbanum	Wood Aven		X
Glechoma hederacea	Ground Ivy	X
Hedera helix	Ivy	X	X	X
Heracleum sphondylium	Hogweed		X
Hieracium agg.	Hawkweed		X
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire Fog	X	X
Hordeum murinum	Wall Barley	X	X	X
Hypericum perforatum	Common St. John’s Wort	X	X
Hypochaeris radicata	Cat’s Ear	X	X
Inula conyzae	Ploughman’s Spikenard	X	X
Juncus articulates	Jointed Rush	X
Juncus inflexus	Hard Rush	X
Lactuca serriola	Prickly Lettuce	X
Lamium album	White Dead-nettle	X	X	X
Lamium purpureum	Red Dead-nettle		X
Lapsana communis	Nipplewort	X	X
Ligustrum ovalifolium	Garden Privet	X	X
Ligustrum vulgare	Wild Privet	X	X	X
Linaria vulgaris	Common Toadflax		X
Lolium perenne	Rye Grass	X	X	X
Lonicera periclymenum	Honeysuckle	X
Lotus corniculate	Bird’s-foot Trefoil	X	X
Malva sylvestris	Common Mallow	X	X	X
Matricaria discoidea	Pineapple Weed		X
Medico lupulina	Black Medic		X
Mentha aquatica	Water Mint	X
Mercuralis perennis	Dog’s Mercury	X	X
Odontites vernus	Red Bartsia	X
Ononis repens	Restharrow		X
Phragmites australis	Common Reed	X
Picris echoides	Bristly Ox-tongue		X
Pimpinella saxifraga	Burnet Saxifrage	X
Plantago lanceolata	Ribwort Plantain		X
Plantago major	Tat-tailed Plantain	X	X
Poa annua	Annual Meadow Grass	X	X	X
Polygonum aviculare	Knotgrass		X
Potentilla anglica	Trailing Cinquefoil	X	X
Prunella vulgaris	Selfheal	X
Prunus avium	Cherry		X	X
Prunus spinosa	Blackthorn	X		x
Pteridium aquilinum	Bracken			X
Quercus petraea	Sessile Oak	X
Quercus robur	Pedunculate Oak	X
Ranunculus repens	Creeping Buttercup	X	X
Reseda luteola	Weld		X
Rosa canina	Dog Rose	X	X	x
Rubus caesius	Dewberry			X
Rubus fruticosus	Bramble	X	X	X
Rubus idaeus	Raspberry	X
Rumex crispus	Curled Dock			X
Rumex obtusifolius	Broad-leaved Dock	X	X
Salix alba	White Willow	X
Salix caprea	Goat Willow	X
Salix fragilis	Crack Willow	X
Sambucus nigra	Elder	X	X	X
Senecio jacobaea	Common Ragwort	X	X	X
Senecio squalidus	Oxford Ragwort		X
Senecio viscosus	Sticky Groundsel	X	X
Senecio vulgaris	Groundsel	X	X
Silene dioica	Tred Campion	X
Silene latifolia	White Campion		X	X
Silene vulgaris	Bladder Campion	X	X
Sinapis arvensis	Charlock		X
Sisymbrium officinale	Hedge Mustard	X	X	X
Solanum dulcamara	Bittersweet		X
Solidago canadensis	Golden Rod		X
Sonchus arvensis	Corn Sow-thistle	X
Sonchus asper	Prickly Sow-thistle		X
Sonchus oleraceus	Smooth Sow-thistle	X	X
Stachys sylvestris	Hedge Woundwort	X	X	X
Stellaria media	Chickweed	X	X
Symphytum officinale	Comfrey	X
Tamus communis	Black Bryony	X	X	X
Tanacetum parthenium	Fever-few	X
Taraxacum agg.	Dandelion	X	X	X
Torilis japonica	Hedge Parsley	X
Trifolium pratense	Red Clover	X	X
Trifolium repens	White Clover	X
Tripleurospermum inodorum	Scentless Mayweed		X
Tussilago farfara	Coltsfoot	X	X
Typha latifolia	Reedmace	X
Ulmus glabra	Wych Elm	X	X	x
Ulmus procera	English Elm	X	X
Urtica Dioica	Stinging Nettle	X	X	X
Veronica chamaedrys	Bird’s-eye Speedwell	X
Veronica persica	Field Speedwell	X	X	X
Viburnum opulus	Guelder Rose			X
Vicia cracca	Tufted Vetch	X