Meeting Reports May 2025

Leader : Colin Howes
Other Attendees : Paul and Anne D; Ian F; Bob M; John N; John S; Tom (from Natural England).
Meet :  1.30 pm along Plumpton Park Road DN4 6SG (SE621005 )

During the afternoon we enjoyed guest celebrity appearances of John Craven, a notable member during the 1960s & 70s, brought by Bernard Russel, and Caroline Barrass, who energetically appeared on a trail-bike in preparation for a cycling expedition to the Isles of Mull and Islay.     

At 1.30 pm on a warm, bright afternoon, during the prolonged spring drought, 11 members of the society met on Plumpton Park Road and proceeded to walk the labyrinth of meandering paths through the northern part of Hatchel Wood.

 Although the populations of Bluebells and Wood Anemones, impressive earlier in the season, had largely withered into the background, our arrival off Plumpton Park Road was greeted by the piercing blue of the garden escape, Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens). The woodland at large, seemed green and un affected by the drought, though significant evidence of lack of periodic rain showers was the glistening foliage of Sycamore, made wet and sticky with excess honeydew produced by unstoppable populations of Aphids. Under usual conditions, rains (particularly during bank holidays) normally reduce aphid populations and flush away excess honeydew. 

The tree canopy, largely of Common Oak, was added to by Silver Birch, Cherry, Ash, and Limes (probably including native Large-leaved Lime and planted hybrid limes, some of which showed evidence of historic coppice management). Understory shrubs were primarily Hazel (some also coppiced) Holly and Elder with occasional bird-sown Rowan.

The dead-wood element, largely of felled old Oaks, with dead standing Birch and Cherry, provided habitat for wood-boring invertebrates and feeding/nesting sites for Woodpeckers and Nuthatches.

Woodland herbs included Climbing Corydalis, Dog Violet and Dog’s Mercury, and in clearings, Foxgloves and by paths Wood Avens and Three-nerved Sandwort. Areas of woodland floor were dominated either by dense thickets of Bramble or in dryer areas, stands of Bracken. Woodland grasses included Wood Millet (Millium effusum) Creeping soft-grass (Holcus mollis) and Wood Poa (Poa nemoralis) and ferns included Male Fern and Broad Buckler Fern.  The opened woodland edge and mown grassy area around the entrance from Hatchell Drive included  Hawthorn, Elm suckers,  Raspberry  and a ground flora including Forget-me-not, Herb Robert, Ground Ivy, Creeping Buttercup with tall ruderals of Broad Dock, Lesser Burdock, Cow Parsley and Hogweed, Creeping and Spear Thistles, Hairy Willowherb and Rosebay. The presence of Stinking Hellebore and a bed of Lily of the Valley (measuring 7m x 6m), usually plants of limestone woods, may have been introduced or be natural colonists of patches of glacial bolder clay. Birds included Blackbird, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Jackdaw, Jay, Robin and Wren.

In order to reach the larger section of Hatchel Wood isolated to the south of the M18 corridor we crossed an area of open mown grassland, a popular dog-walk and area of public open space. Curiously, this turned out to be of particular interest with botanists (essentialy John Scott and Tom from Natural England) finding rich pickings, including grasses, vetches and composites with the highlight being the rarely recorded Hairy Buttercup … to me a scruffy, flattened, downy version of Bulbous Buttercup with recurved sepals. Ian did well with plant galls with an interesting find on the blooming Broom bushes.

The Southern area of woodland had a similar flora to the northern sector but with a denser canopy, a greater tree and shrub diversity including Spindle, Guelder Rose and Aspen and a higher population of old Yew trees. A difference in the herb layer was the abundance of Enchanters Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana), beds of which lined most of the woodland paths. The bed of Lily of the Valley growing on a clay substrate was measured and found to cover an area 6m x 4m.  

Bird food in the form of tiny green lepidoptera larvae presented themselves abseiling down from Oak canopies on long silken threads.  A Spindle shrub hosted a voracious population of Spindle Ermine caterpillars (Yponomeuta cagnagella) feeding gregariously from within the protection of a silken web. These were thought initially to be larvae of a species of Sawfly.

Bird calls were of constant interest, though sadly the presence of Woodpeckers and Nuthatches was not confirmed. However, Tom’s younger ears picked out the high-frequency tinkling calls of Goldcrest in the dense Yew canopies. Paul and Anne identified an Opilionid  (Harvestman) and a Click Beetle using an App on their iPhone (see following species list).

A linear clearing (north-west to south-east) through the woodland (evidently a way-leave for a gas main) features damp areas, presumably over clay, featuring patches of wet vegetation with Woody Nightshade, March Thistle, Yellow Iris, Tufted Hair-grass, Pragmites Reed, several Rush species (Hard, Soft, Jointed & Compact), Marsh Bedstraw and Common Figwort. This area is now getting overgrown with Goat Willow, Grey Willow and Downy Birch.

The Pond, which this year had managed to raise one brood of Mallards, is now heavily shaded with tree canopies and shows a very limited range of aquatic vegetation. For instance there was no sign of the Potamogetons, Water lilies and submerged oxygenating plants which used to occur. It was commented that this habitat feature needed opening up to the light on the south side, in the interest of its former biodiversity. Aquatic species previously known from the site included Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliate), Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga), Broadleaved pondweed (Potamogeton natans), White water-lily (Nymphaea alba) and Common Duckweed (Lemna minor). 

Thanks to everyone who took part in this enjoyable and I think successful event. Please pass to me any additional records. In due course, invertebrates recorded by Bob Marsh and Plant Galls recorded by Ian Farmer will be added to the following species lists.

Preliminary table of records:

BOTANY

Hatchell Wood (North) SE622005		Ryton Way Community Grassland SE624006		Hatchell Wood (South) SE625004
Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore	Agrostis capillaris	Common Bent	Acer pseudoplatanus	Sycamore
Agrostis capillaris	Common Bent	Alliaria petiolate	Hedge Garlic	Agrostis capillaris	Common Bent
Arrhenatherum elatius	False Oat-grass	Anthoxanthem odoratum	Sweet Vernal Grass	Arrhenatherum elatius	False oat-grass
Artemisia vulgaris	Mugwort	Arrhenatherum elatius	False oat-Grass	Bellis perennis	Daisy
Bellis perennis	Daisy	Bellis perennis	Daisy	Betula pendula	Silver Birch
Betula pendula	Silver Birch	Centaurium erythraea	Common Centaury	Betula pubescens	Downy Birch
Betula pubescens	Downy Birch	Crepis capillaris	Smooth Hawk’s-beard	Brachypodium sylvaticum	Wood False Brome
Bromus hordeaceus	Soft-brome	Cytisus scoparius	Broom	Castanea sativa	Sweet Chestnut
Ceratocapnos claviculata	Climbing Corydalis	Dactylis glomerata	Cock’s-foot	Centaurium erythraea	Common centaury
Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay Willowherb	Deschampsia cespitosa	Tufted hair-grass	Cerastium fontanum	Common Mouse-ear
Cirsium arvense	Creeping thistle	Hypochaeris radicata	Common Cat’s-ear	Ceratocapnos claviculata	Climbing Corydalis
Cirsium vulgare	Spear thistle	Leontodon autumnalis	Autumn Hawkbit	Chamerion angustifolium	Rosebay Willowherb
Corylus avellana	Hazel	Lolium perenne	Perennial Rye-grass	Cirsium palustre	Marsh Thistle
Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn	Lotus corniculatus	Bird’s-foot Trefoil	Cirsium vulgare	Spear Thistle
Cytisus scoparius	Broom	Malva sylvestris	Common Mallow	Corylus avellana	Hazel
Dactylis glomerata	Cock’s-foot	Papavera dubium	Long-headed Poppy	Crataegus monogyna	Hawthorn
Deschampsia cespitosa	Tufted hair-grass	Plantago coronopus	Buck’s-horn plantain	Crepis capillaris	Smooth Hawk’s-beard
Digitalis purpurea	Foxglove	Plantago lanceolata	Lanceolate Plantain	Cytisus scoparius	Broom
Dryopteris dilatata	Broad Buckler-fern	Poa trivialis	Rough meadow-grass	Dactylis glomerata	Cock’s-foot
Dryopteris filix-mas	Male-fern	Ranunculus repens	creeping buttercup	Deschampsia cespitosa	Tufted hair-grass
Epilobium hirsutum	Great willowherb	Ranunculus sardous	Hairy Buttercup	Digitalis purpurea	Foxglove
Fraxinus excelsior	Ash	Rumex acetosa	Common Sorrel	Dryopteris dilatata	Broad Buckler-fern
Geranium molle	Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill	Sisymbrium officinalis	Hedge Mustard	Dryopteris filix-mas	Male-fern
Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy	Trifolium medium	Zigzag Clover	Epilobium hirsutum	Great Willowherb
Heracleum sphondylium	Hogweed	Trifolium pratense	Red Clover
Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire-fog	Trifolium repens	White Clover	Festuca rubra	Red fescue
Holcus mollis	Creeping soft-grass	Tussilago farfara	Colt’s-foot	Fragaria vesca	Wild Strawberry
Hyacinthoides non-scripta	Bluebell	Ulex europaeus	Gorse	Galium aparine	Cleavers
Hypericum perforatum	Perforate st john’s-wort	Urtica dioica	Stinging Nettle	Galium palustre	Marsh-Bedstraw
Ilex aquifolium	Holly	Vicia sativa	Common Vetch	Glechoma hederacea	Ground-ivy
Juncus inflexus	Hard rush	Tragopogon pratensis	Goat’s Beard	Holcus lanatus	Yorkshire-fog
Lamium album	White dead-nettle			Holcus mollis	Creeping Soft-grass
Lapsana communis	Nipplewort			Hyacinthoides non-scripta	Bluebell
Lonicera periclymenum	Honeysuckle			Hypericum perforatum	Perforate St John’s-wort
Lotus corniculatus	Common bird’s-foot-trefoil			Ilex aquifolium	Holly
Malus sylvestris	Crab apple			Iris pseudacorus	Yellow iris
Milium effusum	Wood Millet Grass			Juncus articulatus	Jointed rush
Poa annua	Annual meadow-grass			Juncus conglomeratus	Compact rush
Poa trivialis	Rough meadow-grass			Juncus effusus	Soft-rush
Prunella vulgaris	Selfheal			Juncus inflexus	Hard Rush
Pteridium aquilinum	Bracken
Quercus petraea	Sessile Oak			Lolium perenne	Perennial rye-grass
Quercus robur	Pedunculate Oak			Lonicera periclymenum	Honeysuckle
Quercus x rosacea	Hybrid Oak			Lotus pedunculatus	Greater Bird’s-foot-trefoil
Ranunculus repens	Creeping Buttercup			Circaea lutetiana	Enchanters Nightshade
Rosa canina	Dog-rose
Rubus fruticosus agg.	Bramble			Phragmites australis	Common Reed
Rumex obtusifolius	Broad-leaved Dock			Plantago coronopus	Buck’s-horn Plantain
Rumex crispus	Curl Dock			Poa nemoralis	Wood meadow-grass
Salix cinerea	Grey willow			Poa trivialis	Rough meadow-grass
Sambucus nigra	Elder			Populus tremula	Aspen
Senecio jacobaea	Common ragwort			Prunella vulgaris	Self heal
Silene dioica	Red campion			Prunus spinosa	Blackthorn
Sorbus aucuparia	Rowan			Pteridium aquilinum	Bracken
Stellaria media	Common Chickweed			Quercus petraea	Sessile oak
Tilia x vulgaris (Tilia x europaea)	Limes			Quercus robur	Pedunculate oak
Trifolium repens	White clover			Quercus x rosacea	Hybrid oak
Tussilago farfara	Colt’s-foot			Ranunculus repens	Creeping buttercup
Ulmus glabra	Wych Elm			Rumex obtusifolius	Broad-leaved dock
Viburnum opulus	Guelder-rose			Rosa canina	Dog-rose
Viola riviniana	Common Dog-violet			Rubus fruticosus agg.	Bramble
Stellaria holostea	Greater Stitchwort			Rumex sanguineus	Wood dock
				Salix caprea	Goat willow
				Salix cinerea	Grey willow
				Sambucus nigra	Elder
				Scrophularia nodosa	Common Figwort
				Senecio jacobaea	Common Ragwort
				Silene dioica	Red campion
				Solanum dulcamara	Woody Nightshade
				Sorbus aucuparia	Rowan
				Taxus baccata	Yew
				Teucrium scorodonia	Wood sage
				Ulex europaeus	Gorse
				Ulmus glabra	Wych elm
				Urtica dioica	Stinging Nettle
				Veronica beccabunga	Brooklime
				Viola riviniana	Common Dog-violet
				Stellaria holostea	Greater Stitchwort

 

Zoology

Hatchell Wood (North) SE622005		Ryton Way Community Grassland SE624006		Hatchell Wood (South) SE625004
Oryctolagus cuniculus	Rabbit	Oryctolagus cuniculus	Rabbit	Oryctolagus cuniculus	Rabbit
Sciurus carolinensis	Grey Squirrel	Talpa europaea	Mole	Sciurus carolinensis	Grey Squirrel
Talpa europaea	Mole			Talpa europaea	Mole
Pararge aegeria	Speckled Wood			Pararge aegeria	Speckled Wood
Pieris rapae	Small White			Pieris rapae	Small White
Columba palumbus	Wood Pigeon			Vanessa atalanta	Red Admiral
Corvus monedula	Jackdaw			Yponomeuta cagnagella	Spindle Ermine Moth
Erithacus rubecula	Robin			Athous hemorrhoidalis	A Click Beetle
Fringilla coelebs	Chaffinch			Rilaena triangularis	A Harvest Spider
Garrulus glandulaius	Jay			Anas platyrhynchos	Mallard
Phylloscopus collybita	Chiffchaff			Buteo buteo	Buzzard (overhead)
Sylvia atricapilla	Blackcap			Columba palumbus	Wood Pigeon
Troglodytes troglodytes	Wren			Corvus monedula	Jackdaw
Turdus merula	Blackbird			Erithacus rubecula	Robin
				Fringilla coelebs	Chaffinch
				Garrulus glandulaius	Jay
				Phylloscopus collybita	Chiffchaff
				Regulus regulus	Goldcrest
				Sylvia atricapilla	Blackcap
				Troglodytes troglodytes	Wren
				Turdus merula	Blackbird

CAH.

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Leaders : Paul & Joyce Simmons.
Other Attendees :
Meet : 10.30 am in Reserve car park, off Leeds Road LS6 8AL (SE399287)

Seven members met in the RSPB car park on a glorious spring day at 10.30am, being on time despite roadworks on the A1.

St. Aidans at this time of the year is a noisy place. That is mainly the huge number of nesting Black-headed Gulls. Lapwings were displaying as well over the heathy ground.

Black-necked Grebes were not showing themselves, despite several pair known to be in the areas which we visited. Presumably the females were sitting on eggs with the males in attendance. The most unexpected sighting was of a Red-headed Pochard, not normally a nesting bird here. The most exciting sightings were of Bitterns. There were two flying together, but the best was one standing in the reeds and allowing excellent views. We left before he did!

Birds seen: Red Kite, Buzzard, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot (with any young), Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Little Grebe, Great-crested Grebe, Reed Bunting, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Lapwing, and Redshank.

Jim Burnett

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Leaders : Tom Higginbottom and Catherine Palmer.
Other Attendees :
Meet : 10:30 am in the car park DN5 7XJ  (SE507070 )

To view Green-winged Orchids in the grounds of Brodsworth Hall

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Leader : Louise Hill
Other Attendees :
Meet : 4.30 a.m. at

A gentle stroll of 2km around Woodman’s Trail, Sandal Beat Wood.