2007 News Archive

• Conservation efforts aim to make Limosella aquatica common-place in Fife
• Scottish webpage editor - Volunteer vacancy
• The Roy Maps - now available on-line
• Elaine Bullard awarded Honorary Degree
• Lesser Butterfly Orchid Survey 2007
• Species Action Framework Launched
• Searching for the Saltmarsh Sedge
• Lesser Butterfly-orchid Survey 2006
• 2007 BSBI/BSS Scottish Annual Meeting to be held in Edinburgh
• BSBI delivers a further 5 Site Condition Monitoring reports
• Second Computerisation Project Launched
  

Conservation efforts aim to make Limosella aquatica common-place in Fife

Mudwort, Limosella aquatica, is being encouraged to increase its numbers at SWT's Cullaloe wildlife reserve (near Aberdour, Fife) by creating large areas of mud. For more information visit the BBC's web page - Mudwort set to make a come back

Scottish webpage editor - Volunteer vacancy

We are looking for a volunteer webpage editor. The post will entail acting as a receiving editor and news reporter for the Scottish pages of the BSBI website. The main part of the job will be to act as receiving editor, but also to seek out and report news stories of interest to Scottish botanists. The post is voluntary, but expenses would be covered. If you are interested please contact Jim McIntosh.

The Roy Maps - now available on-line

The Roy Maps are now available from the National Library of Scotland. The Roy Military Survey of Scotland 1747-1755 provides a snapshot of the landscape of the Scottish mainland at that time.

Elaine Bullard awarded honorary degree

Elaine Bullard, Orkney's VCR, has been awarded an honorary degree by Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University in recognition of her work on the flora of Orkney for more than 45 years. She was presented with the award through the university's island campus on the 28th May 2007. To read more click here.

Lesser Butterfly Orchid Survey 2007

After the success of last year’s Lesser Butterfly-orchid, Platanthera bifolia, survey, reported here, we are again inviting people to send in records. The need for more information about its status is even greater now that it has been selected as one of the five vascular plant species in SNH’s Species Action Framework.

We would like to have details of any new populations you discover. But we would equally like to hear how previously reported populations are doing this year. Include details of the number of flowering spikes, location with a grid reference and date; and information about the habitat and site management. You can enter your records directly to www.snh.org.uk/orchid2007/ which also has details of how to identify Lesser Butterfly-orchid, and of its prefered habitat. Or you can contact us by e-mailing LesserButterflyOrchid@carnbo.freeserve.co.uk

The best time to look for Lesser Butterfly-orchid is mid-June to mid-July.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

Species Action Framework Launched

The BSBI attended the launch of SNH’s Species Action Framework in January 2007. The framework gives details of the 32 species chosen by SNH for special conservation action over the next five years. The BSBI in Scotland looks forward to helping with the four higher plant species selected. These are Intermediate Wintergreen (Pyrola media), Lesser Butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia), Small Cow-wheat (Melampyrum sylvaticum), Woolly Willow (Salix lanata) and Bird’s nest Stonewort (Tolypella nidifica).

Also of interest to Scottish botanists - is that Rhododendron ponticum and Red Deer are included in the framework for concerted conservation action over the next five years. Both these species have significant adverse affects on plant populations in many parts of Scotland.

For more information and a copy of the SAF document visit SNH's website by following this link.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

Searching for Saltmarsh Sedge

Saltmarsh Sedge, Carex salina hit the headlines in February with an article on the BBC website. It is Britain’s most recently discovered vascular plant, found on the saltmarsh at the head of Loch Duich, near Morvich in western Scotland in 2004. Botanists at Edge Hill University are looking for volunteers to search for further populations in other west coast saltmarshes. For details of how to get involved see the Edge Hill University webpage. A short presentation was also given at the 2007 Scottish Annual Meeting and a poster displayed. A brief abstract is available.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

Lesser Butterfly-orchid Survey 2006

In 2006 BSBI, Plantlife and SNH worked together to launch a special survey of Lesser Butterfly Orchid, Platanthera bifolia, to investigate its status in Scotland.  It has been declining rapidly in Britain, and it was classed as Vulnerable in the most recent Red Data List. Scotland is now its stronghold. Members of the public were invited to send information about sightings. There was a wonderful response to this request, resulting in over 230 records for the plant. Thank you to everyone who contributed records and information to the survey. The responses have produced a great deal of useful information about the distribution and ecology of the orchid in Scotland, which is briefly reported here. This will help SNH prepare an advice note on best management practice for the species.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

2007 BSBI/BSS Scottish Annual Meeting to be held in Edinburgh

For the second year running, we have been unable to secure suitable and reasonably priced accommodation for the Annual Meeting in Glasgow. Fortunately RBG Edinburgh has very kindly offered to accommodate us and this year’s event will be on Saturday the 3 rd November. Our return to Glasgow is now two years overdue, and we apologise to west of Scotland members who will have further to travel. However we do hope to go west in 2008.

Abstracts of the 2006 Scottish Annual Meeting’s exhibitions are now posted here.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

BSBI delivers a further five Site Condition Monitoring Reports

The BSBI has just handed over a further five Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) reports to SNH worth £15,000. The five sites Ben Chonzie, Dalcroy Promontory, Glen Tanar, Keltneyburn and Rescobie & Balgavies Lochs were surveyed during summer 2006. The fieldwork involves relocating Nationally Rare and Scarce plant populations and assessing their size and condition. Field and desk work was undertaken by volunteers with help from the BSBI Scottish Officer

We found 20 of the 32 so-called ‘target’ species across the five sites. This is quite an achievement itself, given that many of the records we were asked to refind were old and vague. Of these twenty species, only ten had populations which could be considered favourable in SCM terms. Populations were considered to be unfavourable mainly because they were isolated and small.

However recording highlights included finding Poa alpina and Salix arbuscula in good numbers and Carex atrata and Veronica fruticans in smaller numbers on Ben Chonzie. And finding all three of the five ‘target’ species found at Rescobie & Balgavies Lochs – Calamagrostis purpurea,Cicuta virosa and Lysimachia thrysiflora – in favourable condition.

The reports will be made available to BSBI Vice-county Recorders.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

Second Computerisation Project Launched

Contracts for computerisation of four of the five datasets have been signed with contractors, and arrangements are being made for Recorders to handover their records.

Ian Green will computerise 35,000 of his own records in Moray (v.c.95). Andy Amphlett & Malcolm Ogilvie will each computerise 10,000 of Margaret Barron’s Species Card Index (v.c.96). Carl Farmer will continue with the work he began last year which aims to computerise the entire portfolio belonging to the Skye Recorder, Stephen Bungard, which he inherited from Catriona Murray, who recently retired. Some 27,500 records remain to be digitised. Finally Angus Hannah will computerise 16,000 records belonging to Barbara & Brian Ballinger in East Ross (v.c.106).

The work should be largely complete before the beginning of the field season next June. The project is kindly funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

Top of Page | Back to Home Page

 (J.Squirrell) Last updated : May 12, 2008