Mystery Plant

In December I returned to Townclose Hills with the Lower Aire Valley volunteers and we continued our woodland management by clearing back some small trees that were encroaching on the footpaths.  During the day, I noticed a couple of plants and took photos to help me identify them later.  One was bryony, with its tendrils and red berries visible. The other one was a mystery.

At home, I leafed through several botany books and was unable to identify the plant.  I posted it to a Facebook group and got no replies.  I showed the photo around the office of the ecology department and they were all stumped too!  I initially thought this was a St Johns Wort, as there were others in the area, but it had alternate leaves not opposite.  Found in the woodland, it was about two feet tall, quite bushy, with slightly downy leaves and what I thought were pale grey buds.  Having exhausted the easiest routes, I emailed my botany group and my query found its way to our county recorder. The plant was finally identified as Common Gromwell (Lithospernum officinale) and what I though were buds were actually fruits/nutlets. This just goes to prove that plants don't always look as they do in the text books, and if you are unsure take lots of photos and make notes at the time. Also make a note of the location, as I would have struggled to find this again if it did turn out to be something rarer!

The latest tasks with the Lower Aire Valley volunteers have shifted to a site called Roach Lime Hills, which is between Garforth Cliff and Kippax.  It is a privately owned SSSI and the Wildlife Trust is helping to manage it.  The meadows are particularly important, but much of the site is being encroached by hawthorn scrub.  A management plan is in place to remove around 2/3rds of this scrub. On the day I helped out, much of the scrub had already been cut and our job was to break it up and burn it.  The bonfire had to be controlled, and raised up off the ground to prevent damage to the area underneath. Once cooled, the ash has to be taken off site to avoid adding too many nutrients back into the soil.  There is quite a lot of work to do on the site, so I am sure there will be more workdays here in the new year.

CIEEM Conference in Edinburgh

Last month I spent an excellent few days up in Edinburgh for the CIEEM conference.

Travelling up the day before, I had planned to have a walk around Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat. Unfortunately our train was cancelled, and by the time we arrived in Edinburgh and checked into the hotel it was mid-afternoon.  We still managed to walk part of the way, up to the crags, but as we didn't want to get caught out in unfamiliar terrain in the dark, we turned back so didn't make it to Arthur's Seat. The views from where we were across the city were spectacular though.

We managed to find a very nice pub just around the corner from the hotel, with a choice of fine ales, good music and food.  It was nice to relax before what I knew might be quite an intense few days, and the pub was so good we went back the next day.

It was about half an hour's walk from the hotel to the conference venue at Edinburgh University.  There were a range of talks on both days, mostly around 30-45 minutes in length, and covering varied topics but all focusing on the theme of Effective Habitat Restoration, Translocation and Creation.  There were plenty of breaks so that sessions didn't feel as though they were too long. Many of the talks were given by experienced practioners sharing their experiences.  It was interesting to learn about subjects I have not really been exposed to yet, such as crayfish mitigation and moving wood ant nests. 

During the conference I also took part in a speed career networking session. This was a 15 minute chat with an experienced ecologist.  It was quite thought provoking and good to talk out loud about my current situation, and it has given me some ideas about how I can progress next year.

I came away with more luggage than I went with, having bought some books and mammal scales at the on-site shop.  Overall, it was a really good few days. I'm booked onto an amphibian conference in 2015 and hopefully it will be equally as useful.