THE FRIENDS OF TREBORTH BOTANIC GARDEN

CYFEILLION GARDD

FOTANEG TREBORTH

NEWSLETTER CYLCHLYTHYR

Number / Rhif 44 May / Mai 2012

2

COMMITTEE

Judith Hughes (peter.c.hughes@btinternet.com) Chairman Dr David Shaw (shaw@sarvari-trust.org) Vice-Chair Sarah Edgar (sarahedgar70@hotmail.com) Secretary Angela Thompson (act.celyn@gmail.com) Membership Secretary Nigel Brown (n.brown@bangor.ac.uk) Curator Rosie Barratt Horticulturist Dr John Gorham (johnandchris.gorham@btinternet.com) Events Secretary Deborah Wieland (deborahwieland@gmail.com) Committee Member Enid Griffiths Committee Member Tom Cockbill (thomasjames83@hotmail.com) Committee Member David Evans (david.evans1939@zen.co.uk) Committee Member Jamie Stroud (jamie.a.stroud@gmail.com) Committee Member Ann Illsley (pencefn@rhiwlas.org.uk) Committee Member Liz Lemin Committee Member Berta Rosen (bertarosen@waitrose.com) Committee Member Natalie Chivers (natalie_chivers@hotmail.com) Student Representative Matt Kent (bsuc3f@bangor.ac.uk) Student Representative

NEWSLETTER TEAM Pete Wieland (formatting, photos) petewieland@gmail.com Grace Gibson (adverts, articles) grace.gibson@btinternet.com Angela Thompson (commissioning articles, act.celyn@gmail.com planning, editing)

Cover Photos (Both by John Gorham)

Front: Busy time at Wild Science Day Back: Shadow of Scissor Lift at Wild Science Day

Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are copyright of the article author

mailto:peter.c.hughes@btinternet.commailto:shaw@sarvari-trust.orgmailto:sarahedgar70@hotmail.commailto:act.celyn@gmail.commailto:n.brown@bangor.ac.ukmailto:johnandchris.gorham@btinternet.commailto:deborahwieland@gmail.commailto:thomasjames83@hotmail.commailto:david.evans1939@zen.co.ukmailto:jamie.a.stroud@gmail.commailto:pencefn@rhiwlas.org.ukmailto:bertarosen@waitrose.commailto:natalie_chivers@hotmail.commailto:bsuc3f@bangor.ac.ukmailto:petewieland@gmail.commailto:grace.gibson@btinternet.commailto:act.celyn@gmail.com

2

Issue No. 44 May 2012

INDEX

Introduction/News in Brief 3

Curator’s Report 4

Weather and Wildlife 6

The Rhizotron at Treborth Botanic Garden 9

Volunteer Hours at Treborth 10

Wild Science Day 11

The Genus Pelargonium at Treborth 15

Panj-Amu River Basin Project: Resource management in upper catchments in NE Afghanistan 17

Anglesey’s Verges: Roadside Refuges 23

STAG Update 29

BFSA Charcoal Burn 33 An Introduction to the Amazing Rust Fungi 34

Taxonomy and Botanical Latin—Part 1 38

3

Chairman’s and Secretary’s Introduction Welcome to our May newsletter, brought to you after hundreds of hours of work by many people: from Angela who co-ordinates it all, and Grace who researches articles and liaises with the university’s Print Unit, to Pete who does the formatting and layout, from the proofreaders, and from the people who put the newsletter plus inserts into envelopes for posting (affectionately known as the envelope stuffers). We must not forget the people who write the articles either – it is quite a daunting prospect to be asked.

There are two more items of news to tell you. Firstly, Nigel is not retiring this summer, so that means we have a few more years’ access to his vast knowledge and gifted teaching at Treborth, and hopefully a more secure future for the Garden. Secondly, by now, our new horticulturist, Rosie Barratt, a former student and Friends committee member, will have been in post for a few weeks. We hope she is happy with us and that she can make a real difference to the Garden.

Judith Hughes and Sarah Edgar

And… News In Brief

We would like to thank the following people for their very welcome donations to the Friends - Mr and Mrs Martin-Jones, and Mr and Mrs Bristow from the GreenWood Forest Park – and not forgetting those who contributed to our funds at the recent Wild Science Day.

One of our number has been recognised for her very stalwart work for the

North Wales Wildlife Trust: Pippa Bonner was made an OBE in the recent Honours list for her work over many years with the trading arm of the Trust.

And Paul Smith has drawn our attention to this interesting website at www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/ that helps to select plants for your garden using criteria such as pH, height, spread, sun/shade, perennial/annual, colour, soil type etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/

4

Curator’s Report

Firstly, let me say how pleased I am to be staying on in my role as Curator. The decision has been greatly influenced by the will and commitment shown by Friends and students in helping maintain and develop Treborth as a valuable asset for the university. This continuous and evolving effort has been a great spur for me and I hope by staying on to make the most of the new opportunities created by all the hard work volunteers have expended in and for the Garden over the last few years.

In April, we welcome Rosie Barratt, our new horticulturist, a part-time post funded by the Friends for 6 months. Rosie is no stranger to Treborth having volunteered tirelessly for the Garden during her undergraduate studies at Bangor, 2005-2008. She came to study Zoology but through her involvement with the Friends she quickly realised that she wanted to study plants instead and so she transferred to an Ecology degree, becoming ever more heavily involved with Treborth, especially with the successful student campaign to overturn the university’s decision to close the Garden in 2006.

With a successful degree result under her belt Rosie immediately set off surveying plants for a national environmental consultancy and then plunged into horticulture properly by taking a Botanical and Horticultural Studentship at Birmingham Botanical Gardens where over an intensely packed year she learnt her trade inside and out. She managed to fit in a spell as part of the landscape team at the Durrell Wildlife Centre, Jersey, by gaining a bursary, and whilst at Birmingham took up a special interest in alpine plants.

There followed another intense spell of horticultural instruction and practical experience at Tresco Abbey Garden on the Isles of Scilly under the Historic and Botanic Garden Bursary Scheme, followed in turn by four months at Ness Botanic Garden on the Wirral, where as well as taking up additional interests in cacti and succulents, Rosie acted as a research assistant for a climate research project. She also still found time to make it through to the final twenty in the BBC Young Gardener of the Year Award.

It is clear that we have been fortunate to attract someone with so much vitality and energy as Rosie, and a person intent on putting her skills to good use in the Garden where she was first moved towards plants. She has a deep affection for Treborth and its volunteers as well as a first hand understanding of the needs of students. Her academic achievements ensure that she is fully aware of the Garden’s role at University level. And she loves north Wales! So we look forward to welcoming Rosie back to the fold in her new capacity as horticulturist.

Through the generosity of the Friends we have also benefited from the good services of another former student, Tom Cockbill, who over the last three

5

months masterminded a very successful Wild Science Day. A total of 600 visitors enjoyed a plethora of attractions on the day including trips into the newly refurbished Rhizotron and rides in a scissor lift thereby gaining not just one, but two privileged views of Treborth. I would like to thank everyone concerned for an amazing amount of effort both before and during the event – out of necessity there was much preparation work to be done and Paul Hibbert, James Balfour and Tom worked tirelessly. Student Work Parties gave much needed support and I am grateful too to the College of Natural Resources’s Health and Safety Officer, John Latchford, for sensibly steering us through the risk assessments. For a fuller report on the day please see the accompanying article in this newsletter.

Despite unhelpful weather during the soil refill stage, the Rhizotron refurbishment work is all but complete thanks to the efforts of Mike Bambrick and Matthew Harris. This represents a huge milestone for Treborth, whereby we can soundly say that the Garden hosts a world-class research facility studying one of the planets most important processes, carbon capture. Bracken rhizomes will be cultivated alongside the windows and as they create their stands of fronds, Tom DeLuca will be there to measure the carbon mopped up in photosynthesis and transferred underground to the hungry subterranean centre of the bracken plant. Just how much carbon bracken sequesters is of importance to us all and no one knows the answer yet – but one day soon Tom will, and the academic world will take note.

Associated with the refurbishment of the Rhizotron, of course, has been the most welcome re-incarnation of Rivendell, the house next door to the curator’s residence. Having lain empty and derelict for 8 years, it is now fully modernised and fit for new purpose, accommodating offices and meeting rooms, as well as living space for visiting academics and research staff. Thanks are due to Oliver Hill from the University Estates Department for overseeing the building work so attentively.

Sara Oldfield’s visit for the Len Beer Lecture was a great boost for everyone involved at Treborth – she took time to explore the Garden and meet with volunteers and came away mightily impressed! We discussed various ideas for the future including further overseas twinning arrangements and ideas for post graduate courses in plant conservation practice. She was moved by the passion and commitment on display by students and Friends and also by the size and interest of her audience for the Len Beer Lecture which once again proved a highlight of the horticultural year in North Wales – thank you everyone for your support for this prestigious event.

I look forward to being able to report on a number of exciting new developments in my next report so please watch this space! And thank you for the delighted responses I have experienced on news of my non-retirement – but so sorry to have spoilt any party plans!

6

Weather and Wildlife December 2011—March 2012

Month Rainfall Temperature °C Number Of Days

mm inches Max. Min. Rain > 5°C > 10°C > 15°C Air frost

Ground frost

December 175.3 6.9 13.0 2.75 30 31 14 0 0 3

January 82.7 3.3 11.25 -1.5 23 30 16 0 5 6

February 63.0 2.5 12.5 -6.0 22 30 2 0 6 10

March 39.1 1.5 19.0 0.0 10 30 10 6 1 1

December proved the wettest month of 2011 and boosted the annual rainfall total to 1088.8 mm (42.9 inches) – about average for Treborth. When you consider that we had only 414 mm (16.3 inches) of rain in the six months up to the end of June in 2011 it is surprising that we reached the long term average. And also notable is the contrast between Dec 2010 and Dec 2011, the former one of the coldest and driest months on record (minimum of minus 7 degrees with 17 days of air frost and a rainfall of just 24.5 mm, less than one inch).

2012 has experienced a fairly dry start similar to 2011. March has been the most noteworthy of the three months due to high pressure enveloping the whole of the UK for a total of 19 days ; the first high pressure block gave dull, calm conditions here in Wales but the second resulted in significant sunshine and elevated temperatures. Ambient air temperature reached 19 degrees at Treborth on 24th March (higher of course in direct sun) and sunshine hours exceeded 12. The intensity of the sunshine was notable with some exceedingly clear atmospheric conditions. Conversely night temps dipped sharply as the earth’s heat leaked rapidly under the clear conditions, giving large temperature ranges between night and day.

The effects of this high pressure period are well illustrated by the following account of a day at Treborth during the third week of March:

Saturn shone a modest speck of yellowish light at 20 degrees above the sharply defined south western horizon. My watch said 5am but I had forgotten to reset it and my body clock for BST – how we mess with nature, even our own! The lure of the planets had kept me entertained for several nights, the clarity of the sky coinciding with the confluence of Jupiter and Venus in the evening and later in the night the emergence of Mars and finally Saturn. Mars, not far short of its nearest approach, had earlier beamed like a minuscule ember; now it was Saturn’s turn to impress. But the clear air was also chill, the heat of the previous day when sun beat down from dawn to dusk now dissipated to the upper atmosphere leaving the thin

7

envelope we inhabit shiveringly cold. I pulled up my collar and listened....a wader contact-called urgently, high above and quickly sped on, a dunlin perhaps, migrating confidently by the patterned light show of the stars soon to be drowned out by fast approaching dawn. The song of a single blackbird suddenly punctuated the air – a ripple of intense rounded sounds washing over what we coarsely label ‘ territory’ but is in fact a most precious patch of earth, herb and tree to be celebrated appropriately in song by the incumbent individual for whom this is cynefin 2012. The purity of this blackbird’s song was matched only by the purity of the atmosphere it was launched upon and the effect was profound. The notes mutated and coalesced in a smooth progression as water moves over stones in placid streams. The performer remained hidden, part by dark, part by leaf. I quietly shifted my position to see the songster but only some 5 minutes later did he emerge from the gloom and reveal himself strategically. And by then he was in full flow, his notes coming faster by the phrase, the volume building, the range expanding until every corner of vegetation imperceptibly vibrated to the waves of sound. And now he was not alone – every far flung blackbird friendly patch of Treborth was being awakened by floods of flutes, warbles and chants each combination subtly distinct. In the half light I tried to note the loci of sound and estimate the number of performers but so intense a surround sound had been created that my inferior ear/brain/sight functioning could not cope – I just listened and pretended I could actually distinguish each performer in this complex chorus.

There followed a sustained chorus of resident song birds headed up by blackbird but including mistle thrush, great tit, blue tit, robin, wren, wood pigeon and a lone song thrush.

It must have lasted 15 minutes, no more, then gently this dawn chorus faded in the space of 5 minutes; then relative quiet – not a single blackbird broke its species silence – robins took their chance and warbled away, lesser players such as dunnock spiritedly threw in a jangle or two – but they must have known that the stars had left the stage and their efforts meant nothing to me after the extraordinary song of the blackbirds.

This remarkable habit is of course repeated daily throughout spring though rarely have I heard such volume and quality of dawn chorus. I put it down in part to the supreme air quality that morning, so still, pure and cool and little leaf yet to dampen the notes.

So intense the experience of the dawn chorus I had barely registered the regular departure of a mob of jackdaws, flitting their roost in Treborth’s wood in an ungainly squabble, swerving low over the canopy and careering away to feeding grounds south east of the Garden.

8

Moth trap duties took over shortly after – not much to be seen from the outside of the trap but when I began the daily routine of unpacking the egg boxes within I quickly discovered each one housed a cluster of quiescent moths in all totalling 187 individuals of 17 species. Pick of the catch was a superb red sword grass (Xylena vetusta).

By 9am the sun warmed and illuminated the Garden with the same lack of interference which had allowed such high quality transmission of sound earlier. Dandelion and daisy heads reared upwards to begin their diurnal tracking of the sun and the great goblets of pink Magnolia campbellii blossom eased open and gently shed their dewy cloak. A blackcap burst into song, abrupt, but certainly ear catching in its volume and quality, delivered with urgency and vigour yet no sight of the performer. The outburst was not repeated, the bird flown, onwards on migration. Chiff chaffs piped up, rather hesitant it seemed at first but then more assured - too soon to tire of their repetitive song which enlivens many a mid March day throughout the country. The first date this year was Mar 19th, one day later than 2011, four days earlier than 2010, two days later than 2009.

Bees began to patrol the Garden, singling out heather blossom. Peacock butterflies soon joined them, charging up into the blue sky in hot pursuits. Comma overtook me on my mower, while a Holly Blue after a short dash and dazzle alighted on some warming Griselinia leaves, lush and glossy and reflective in the morning sun.

By early afternoon, the scent of fresh mown grass, now dried of dew and at the mercy of the blade, filtered across the Garden and enriched the sight and sounds of spring. More butterflies on the wing including small tortoiseshell, the temperature still rising. The helioscopic dandelions now faced south west. Nuthatch piped from the ash wood and threw vehement warning calls at a great spotted woodpecker which threatened to give ‘their’ nest hole an unrefined makeover with its jack hammer bill.

As the sunshine mellowed gradually, blackbird once more sang, but this time its voice muted, the delivery slow, the rhythm gentle, the mood languid. The bird song had projected my thoughts into a summer frame despite the pitch of the fast descending sun. And on into the evening the blackbirds sang till the sun slipped below the Britannia Bridge and the still squabbly jackdaws rushed back to roost sparking the atmosphere with a crackle of avian gossip before falling abruptly silent. A crescent moon had pulled into view attended gracefully by Jupiter and the brilliant Venus, herself half moon shaped through my telescope. The sound of the night flight of waders and geese making for roosts mixed with the last song phrases of the blackbird whose voice had heralded a remarkable day some 14 hours earlier.

Nigel Brown

9

The Rhizotron at Treborth Botanic Garden (Pictures on page 13)

An exciting new refurbishment has recently been completed on the Rhizotron at Treborth Botanic Gardens. Professor Thomas H DeLuca, along with colleagues Professors Davey L Jones and Douglas L Godbold of Bangor University’s School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography were awarded a £150,000 Wolfson Laboratory Refurbishment grant through the Royal Society to refurbish and refit the existing Rhizotron (originally built in 1987) into the Wolfson Belowground Carbon Laboratory.

The structure, away from the main buildings at Treborth, is one of only two in the UK, and is the largest of its kind in Europe. It features a long corridor (16m) which is submerged about 2 meters below soil level. On both sides, there are 32 specially reinforced glass windows, each with separate soil bays outside with approximately 1 cubic metre of backfilled soil. All the windows have three access ports to the top, middle and lower parts of the soil profile window. Such access allows an extensive range of accurate readings and samples to be taken of, for example, soil moisture and temperature, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide gases, root and soil samples. Soil ecosystems are complex and fragile and the refurbished Rhizotron now has an additional function in that it allows extensive access, as well as a view, to the soil-plant root interface without disturbing the intricate interaction between roots, microbes and soil.

The original Rhizotron generated a number of publications by Malcolm

Cherett in soil fauna, nutrient effects, the effects of pesticides and anthropogenic disturbances such as ploughing. Sadly, as is the case in many large-scale research projects, lack of funding resulted in the Rhizotron’s neglect, until this refurbishment was proposed and went ahead.

The Rhizotron looks now quite impressive. It has become an underground laboratory for the 21st century. Each window has its own door to exclude light with benching in front. White toughened plastic paneling makes the interior feel light and spacious. Access is on both sides, with a disabled lift at the west entrance.

The renovation was beset with some problems, drainage being one. Towards the end of the renovation, a land drain was installed to the south of the Rhizotron to resolve this issue. In addition to the Rhizotron itself, a building nearby was also extensively refurbished under the grant, providing office and teaching facilities.

A wide range of studies is possible with the Rhizotron. There are proposals to plant bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) in the bays with differing ameliorant treatments, for instance charcoal.

10

As Professor Tom DeLuca explains: “Soils represent the single largest global carbon reservoir on land, larger even than the carbon held in plants themselves. Soils will therefore play a significant role in Wales’ attempt to curb net greenhouse gas carbon emissions by 3% per year over the next 20 years”.

Therefore the Rhizotron’s accessibility to undisturbed soil ecosystems

represents a great opportunity to extend our knowledge of carbon dynamics in soils, as well as providing an excellent educational facility for academics and students.

Mike Bambrick

Volunteer Hours at Treborth

Have you ever wondered how many hours Friends, students, graduates and occasional volunteers at Treborth work in a year, or what happens to the sheets of information we fill in when we sign in and out, or how many hours we work at home for the Friends and the Garden?

Well, I’ve been counting. I took all the sheets from 2011 and counted all the hours worked, filling in any gaps as truthfully as I could. We all sign in and many of us forget to sign out, me included, but I have a good idea of how long the regulars work on a given day. The sheets included student work parties and preparation time for special occasions too, and added up to an astounding 8000 hours.

I then asked all the volunteers who I know work many extra hours at home to add these up too. That little exercise yielded another 2000 hours. Given that we weren’t used to logging our home hours last year and that there are bound to be some missing, this is an amazing total.

Prof Tom DeLuca encouraged me to do this latest count and the detailed information is being passed to him. Volunteer hours can be used for match-funding and also show how hard we are all prepared to work to support the Friends and the Garden.

Could I ask all of you who do any voluntary work for Friends and Treborth in 2012 to count any hours not recorded in the folder at Treborth and pass them to me next January? Thank you.

Judith Hughes

11

Wild Science Day (Pictures front and back cover)

Treborth’s Wild Science Day on 18 March was part of National Science and Engineering week, a national event which aims to encourage people to learn more about science and engineering. This year’s Bangor Science festival was a great success, and Treborth’s Wild Science Day was one of the major events of Bangor Science Week, attracting well over 600 people to the Garden. There were a huge number of new faces, too. The theme for this year’s NSEW was “Our World in Motion”. Treborth’s Wild Science Day had this and, additionally, “Sustainability” as its themes.

The event started with a warm welcome from Nigel Brown, in which he explained the importance of the natural world and its effect on our daily lives. The event was then officially opened by Russell Jones, the presenter of S4C’s gardening programme “Byw yn yr Ardd”. The mass of spectators started to queue for one of the event’s highlights, the specially hired telescopic lift, for the chance to see the Garden from a treetop prospective. The lift was one of the most popular attractions, with a steady queue of people throughout the day. We must thank Erhard Nierada for operating the lift, and Pontio and Mrs Janet Mcfarlane for generously assisting with the cost of hiring it. Another major attraction on the day was the refurbished Rhizotron, which is now one of the most advanced underground laboratories in the world, and the largest of its kind in Europe.

A wide range of organisations ranging from the British Trust for Ornithology to the Friends of Anglesey Red Squirrels held stalls explaining their own areas of “Wild Science”. Russell Jones exhibited live examples of special breeds of chicken, and explained how they can play a role in a sustainable lifestyle. He talked to people interested in keeping their own chickens, and stressed the importance of selecting the best breed for the conditions available. Staff from Bangor’s branch of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology used microscopes to show the intimate life of the soil-dwelling animals such as springtails and worms. An indoor astronomy demonstration brought the heavens to life in a room in Rivendell, the previously empty house which has now been completely renovated as part of the Rhizotron refurbishment. The Tropical House was filled with insects and reptiles from Pili Palas and the Welsh Mountain Zoo, with a particular focus given to their methods of locomotion, in light of the event’s theme “Our world in motion”.

The newly cleared Cool House was transformed into a craft fair, with picture-framers, spinners and weavers, the Beaumaris and Menai Bridge Camera Club, silverware crafts, recycled cloth bags, wall plaques and bronze sculptures from reclaimed metals and textile and other goods mainly from recycled materials.

12

The students also took part, with STAG running children’s activities and crafts, as well as pond dipping, microscope work and ‘grass-head’ making. One especially popular activity (from the children’s point of view at least, if not necessarily their parents) was making a musical instrument from recycled materials such as wire and bottle caps.

The event was supported with donations from a number of people and

organisations, and without these it could not have taken place. £500 was given by Pontio, £250 by Mr Wyn Thomas (Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Welsh Medium and Civic Engagement), £250 by Mrs Janet Mcfarlane, and £200 from the Bangor Science Festival fund. Finally, of course, no event at Treborth could happen without the help of volunteers, and this was no exception, with dozens of people contributing their time to its organisation, set-up and running. At least 300 volunteer hours were logged for this event alone. Accordingly, we would like to thank all those who helped at all stages - Thank you!

Tom Cockbill and Jamie Stroud

Busybees - Bangor

Courses in Beekeeping

Vegetable growing

Fruit tree growing, pruning and grafting.

www.foodskillsforall.co.uk Tel. 01248 361 576

"On our infirm shoulders we must take up this heavy burden now - the task of restoring the health, the wholeness, the beauty and the integrity of our planet. We must start the Age of Healing now! Tomorrow will be too late." John Seymour.

http://www.foodskillsforall.co.uk

13

The Rhizotron at Treborth Botanic Garden (p9)

Top left: Internal soil windows Bottom left: External soil plots Above: Entrance

The Genus Pelargonium at Treborth (p15)

Left: Pelargonium barklyi

14

Pan

j-Am

u R

iver B

asin P

roje

ct: R

eso

urce

man

agem

en

t in u

pp

er catch

me

nts in

NE A

fghan

istan (p

17

)

Top

: Gu

lly con

trol

Bo

ttom

: Re

fore

station

To

p: P

lou

ghin

g on

steep slo

pe

with

ou

t soil co

ntro

l B

otto

m: Terraces

15

The Genus Pelargonium at Treborth (Picture page 13)

In recent months, we have received two Pelargonium donations, both of which have been placed in the Temperate House. Last September, amongst the many interesting specimens from Nick Wray of Bristol Botanic Garden were two plants of P. gibbosum, a species that has apparently been in cultivation in Britain since 1712, and one of twenty in the genus Geranium described by Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum of 1753. Several more pelargoniums were named as Geranium by other European botanists including Thunberg, a pupil of Linnaeus who visited The Cape in 1771/73. The name Pelargonium seems to have been first used by the French botanist L’Heritier in 1789. Several European botanists continued work on the genus, subdividing it into sections and describing new species, with R. Knuth (1912) in particular making an important contribution. In 1965, a group of botanists from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) began a major study of the genus that included detailed field work and cultivation, and making use of material from the major herbaria. Much of the information in this article comes from their publications.

Pelargonium is distinguished from other genera of Geraniaceae by its zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetric) flowers with a nectar spur, distinct from Geranium which has actinomorphic (regular) flowers and lacks a nectar spur. Pelargoniums are not frost hardy and so are not suitable for outdoor cultivation in Britain, although many cultivars are popular as summer bedding plants.

The geographical distribution of members of the genus Pelargonium is remarkable. Of the 280 species, about 75% occur in the winter rainfall area of Namibia and the Western Cape of South Africa where many are endemic. Rather fewer species are found in the rest of South Africa and Lesotho. Distribution continues northwards through the hilly and drier parts of eastern Africa and into Yemen, where one species occurs. The island of Socotra also has one species. Further north, in the Near East, a few species are known from Turkey to Iraq. Madagascar has two species, and seven occur in the southern parts of Australia and one in the north of New Zealand. The islands of St Helena and Tristan da Cunha each have a species.

P. gibbosum is frequent in rocky and sandy places near the west coast of South Africa from the Cape Peninsula northwards to Namaqualand. The specific epithet refers to the swollen nodes on the woody stem, which have also earned it the common name of Gouty Pelargonium. It has a rather lax habit and in nature tends to scramble amongst bushes. Its flowers are apparently yellow and night-scented (we have yet to observe this at Treborth).

16

The other newly acquired species, P. barklyi, has come from one of our hard-working volunteers, Erle Randall. He grows a number of South African plants from seed which are passed on to Treborth, either for sale or to be grown on. The specific epithet in this case commemorates Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of The Cape of Good Hope from 1870 to 1877. P. barklyi is a geophyte with an underground tuber and annual above-ground growth. The orbicular cordate leaves have deeply channelled veins on the upper surface and a purple lower surface making it an attractive plant in leaf. Cream-coloured flowers appear for a short period in the spring. In the wild, it is restricted to hilly country in Namaqualand where rainfall is low.

In previous years several other pelargoniums have been planted in the Temperate House, many of them supplied by Erle. P. fulgidum is a small shrubby plant with silky grey foliage and scarlet flowers. It occurs in western coastal districts often on rocky exposed areas. This is a striking species and a parent of a number of hybrids. P. carnosum has knobby stems due to swollen nodes and great variability in leaf structure. The flowers are small and white to greenish yellow. It is widespread from southern Namibia south to the Western and Eastern Cape in xerophytic habitats and on sandy soils.

Two closely related species, P. sidoides and P. reniforme, both occur in the Eastern Cape, but P. sidoides is also found further north and in Lesotho. Both have tuberous roots and velvety heart-shaped leaves. The flowers of P. reniforme are pink to magenta, whereas those of P. sidoides are almost black. The earliest record of P. sidoides is from a collection made by Thunberg in 1772/3. Both species are usually found in grassland and in dry conditions, receiving mainly summer rainfall and almost annual grass fires.

P. tonguense is known only from a small area in the Tongaland region of NE Kwazulu Natal. It is unusual in the genus in that it grows in the fairly dense shade of bushes in an area where the summers are hot and humid, and the winters warm and dry. It was not described until 1983 by Vorster, one of the Stellenbosch botanists. It is a vigorous species and appears to produce its flowers almost throughout the year.

P. quercifolium is an erect and much-branched shrub, strongly balm-scented, with attractive pinkish-purple flowers. It is confined to a small area which includes the town of Oudtshoorn, where rainfall is low but spread throughout the year. It is usually associated with fynbos vegetation. Unfortunately, it grows rather too vigorously in our Temperate House and has to be moved every summer to the South African bed in the outside garden.

Pauline Perry & David Evans

17

(The FTBG have recently instigated a series of lunchtime talks, on biological and environmental topics, for volunteers on Fridays. They are often given by volunteers themselves, and the following article formed the basis of the very interesting talk

given by Paul Smith)

Panj-Amu River Basin Project: Resource management in upper catchments in NE Afghanistan

(Pictures page 14) Background

When it convened in 2002, Afghanistan’s Loya Jirga (Grand Council) noted the deterioration in environmental conditions over the preceding 30 years of conflict and decided that addressing the environmental crisis should be a priority of the new government. Soon after, in May 2002, an international conference on the water resources management in Afghanistan was organised and attended by major donors, government departments, UN agencies and international NGOs. The findings of that conference, “Kabul Understandings”, set out how land and water management was to be improved in Afghanistan, and in particular the need to base water and land management on a river basin. The findings were later ratified in the Strategic Policy Framework for the Water Sector, approved by the Supreme Council for Water Affairs Management (SCWAM) in November 2006.

Also in 2002, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) undertook a survey of environmental conditions in Afghanistan at the request of the major stakeholders. In the ensuing report (UNEP, 2003) the widespread extent of environmental land degradation and deterioration of the irrigation infrastructure was described in detail. Soil erosion was widespread especially on hillsides as a result of poor vegetation cover and overgrazing. Gully erosion was rampant, often leading to destruction of fields and homes. The reduced vegetation cover had led to a noticeable increase in flooding downstream and the higher silt load meant that canals had to be cleaned more often. Of particular concern was the large scale destruction of pistachio and juniper forests in the north-east and east of Afghanistan which had been important sources of income and fuel.

The situation was brought about partly by inadequate government resources during the period (shortages of skilled manpower and funds), particularly for infrastructure maintenance. This lack was accompanied by changes in social dynamics, power of elders often being usurped by young fighters. Traditional resource management structures became less effective. The environmental changes were exacerbated during the conflict by some warlords selling timber in Pakistan to raise funds. Since the fall of the Taliban, returnees have caused further stresses as a result of their inevitable demand for land. This source of population increase has been accompanied by a rapidly increasing number of young people

18

becoming adults with their own land and fuel requirements. Rainfed agriculture was expanding by conversion of pasture areas. Traditional methods of soil conservation were no longer practiced.

Trees were fast disappearing and villagers were increasingly turning to small bushes for fuel, especially Artemesia spp. which were uprooted as the roots were considered to have a higher fuel value. Manure too was increasingly used for fuel instead of for fertilising fields. Some government officials were involved in illegal logging of what few trees remained.

To make matters worse, there was increasing evidence of the impact of climate change - winter temperatures had increased significantly and the area of snow cover upon which farmers depended for irrigation water, had decreased. Spring floods were more common and rivers dried up more rapidly in the summer.

In response to this state of affairs, the European Commission (EC) offered funding for a long term project in NE Afghanistan to put the river basin approach into practice. The first project was the Kunduz River Basin Project started in 2005 with Technical Assistance (TA) input from Landell Mills Ltd., UK. Later, in 2007, another EC-funded project, the Amu River Basin Project, was begun in the eastern part of the basin with TA input from Cardno Agrisystems Ltd., UK. In 2009, Landell Mills provided TA inputs for a follow-on project - the Panj-Amu River Basin Project (P-ARBP) and from 2011, took over the activities previously undertaken by Cardno in the eastern part of the basin. Components of these projects included: (a) institution building and facilitating development of legal frameworks, (b) government capacity building, (c) large scale infrastructure construction and rehabilitation, (d) social water management (water-user groups and small-scale infrastructure) and (e) upper catchment management. Upper catchment management and social water management projects were to be implemented by international non-government organisations (NGOs) as it was thought that they offered good value for money as they already had an intimate knowledge of the beneficiary communities.

After taking early retirement from the Centre for Arid Zone Studies at Bangor University at the beginning of 2006, I took up an appointment with one of these NGOs, Mercy Corps Europe (based in Edinburgh) as manager of one of the upper catchment management projects. I left the project in 2008 and since then have been doing the occasional consultancy mainly in Afghanistan on sub-projects under the umbrella of the Panj-Amu River Basin Project. The rest of this article is devoted to the strategies adopted for improving upper catchment management.

Resource management in the upper catchments

All the NGOs facilitated the formation of community natural resource management in one form or another. Some also promoted the formation of specialist groups

19

such as Rangeland Associations and Forest Associations (these are advocated in new laws going through the legislative process). Election to committees was undertaken democratically as far as possible - itself a paradigm shift. Committees formulated plans for improving the management of local resources and what penalties there would be for infringing bylaws. Some were trained in the use of Geographical Positioning System (GPS) equipment satellite imagery (for example using Google Earth) to plan their resource management. They also organised work parties (in some cases they were paid a small amount by the projects, in other cases they worked voluntarily) for work such as tree planting and gully control. NGOs provided training in soil conservation, tree nursery management and fruit tree growing (such as budding), pest control and pasture management.

Women are always elected onto the resource management committees but in most (not all) communities they are not allowed to attend meetings - merely informed about the result, though they can send a male delegate to represent their views. Inclusion of women in the projects therefore has been problematic and has been approached in different ways. In some projects, poor women identified by the community have been trained in handicrafts such as tailoring. In others, they have been trained to make charcoal briquettes from twigs and other waste plant material. Usually marketing is achieved through small co-operatives formed by the women. Other projects have promoted the formation of women’s Savings and Credit groups - a form of credit union to help them improve management of household finances.

Projects have supported communities financially to undertake river bank protection (using gabions and bioengineering approaches), gully control (sometimes using wild grapes (Vitis vinifera (subsp. sylvestris) to reinforce stone check dams), improve small-scale irrigation facilities and construct farm ponds. However, most effort has gone into increasing vegetation cover - trees and pasture.

Increasing vegetation cover

The guidelines provided by the EC emphasised the need to rehabilitate pistachio (Pistacia vera & P. kinchuk) woodland and this was the original strategy adopted by the NGOs. Partly because of the very long tap root developed in pistachios, dry planting in early winter (November) to achieve vernalization was the system advocated. In the summer, occasional watering was advocated by Afghan foresters. However it soon became evident that (a) pistachio was quite fussy about soil type preferring deeper loessial soils than the commonly rocky soils in villages Mercy Corps and other NGOs were operating in, (b) that porcupines, foxes and often small boys were delighted with the supply of pistachio nuts we left for them and (c) that trees would only thrive where there was some form of water supply however small. Watering from jerry cans carried by donkey rarely worked. It was later found that

20

for infilling pistachio plantations, pistachio seedlings could be grown in (tall) polythene pots over winter and planted out in spring after trimming the roots.

In the second year, there was a greater emphasis on developing water supplies piping water from local springs or hydraulic ram pumps that brought water from the valleys below. There was also more emphasis on planting other species such as Russian willow (Ailanthus altissima), Afghan pine (Pinus eldarica), false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), Russian olive (Elaeagnus latifolia) and the Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum and C. griffithii). These species were obtained from large commercial and government nurseries or from community nurseries that had been established during the first year. (Experience was to show that community tree nurseries rarely performed well as there was no proper sense of ownership and district level government tree nurseries also did not do well because they were not allowed to keep income from sales of seedlings but had to send it to the Treasury in Kabul).

In addition to fuelwood and pistachio trees, other fruit and nut species already grown in the valleys were also tried (at much wider spacings) on the more favourable mountainside sites if supplementary irrigation facilities could be provided. These included apricot (Prunus armeniaca), almond (Prunus dulcis syn P. amygdalus), peach (Prunus persica), black mulberry (Morus nigra) and walnut (Juglans regia). Farmer groups were more inclined to care for these species than fuelwood trees because of the potential income. This made me realise rather late in the day that, counter-intuitively:

reforestation of mountainsides in Afghanistan cannot be achieved by planting trees!

The problem of protection has already been mentioned. What was observed by many of us was that natural regeneration can take place if there is sufficient protection that has the full backing of the communities. There are several examples of large expanses of regenerated areas that were the result of a local commander or warlord who was environmentally astute enough to threaten people if any more trees were cut down.

Thus in the later stages of the upper catchment projects and in second phases that were later approved by the EC, there was a much greater emphasis on protection. One approach adopted by my successor was to enclose areas that were considered to be communal forest or grazing land, especially if supplementary irrigation from springs could be arranged. These areas were planted with economically useful trees, wild herbs and fodder species such as rainfed cultivars of alfalfa (Medicago sativa). However the most promising approach has been the Forest Associations promoted by Afghanaid, a London-based charity in which small community owned irrigated orchards are planted but with a greater emphasis on protecting large areas of previously wooded mountainside. Such protection

21

requires a long process of negotiation with neighbouring communities to ensure they do not bring animals on the protected areas and the appointment and paying of guards by the communities.

The mainstay of the rural economy is the livestock and there is an increasing fodder shortage and deterioration of pasture areas. A similar approach to Forest Associations has been adopted for rehabilitation of pasture areas. In fact often the boundary between wooded areas that were traditional sources of fuelwood and grazing areas were blurred. An important innovation was the use of satellite imagery (Google Earth) and GPS equipment to map the various pasture areas, to assess their condition (species and cover) and to document the pattern of usage (type of animals and season in which they are used). These pasture areas are often shared with neighbouring communities in a very complex manner and again, long negotiations were necessary before an improved management strategy could be put in place. This often consisted of total or partial exclusion for a number of years (3 to 5) of defined segments of the pasture areas. Two highly valued species for animal feed are Prangos pabularia (and possibly P. uloptera) and Ferula sp. (probably F. vera). Wild rhubarb (Rheum maximowiczii or R. turkestanicum) is widely used also as a winter fodder (and makes a passable rhubarb crumble). Where the Prangos and Ferula have become depleted, experiments with reseeding are under way.

As in Europe, bees are an essential part of the ecosystem and help to improve vegetation cover. Some projects therefore have promoted bee-keeping through training and provision of sample hives and equipment. A number of co-operatives marketing honey have grown out of these initiatives and the activiy is also one that women can be involved in (their burqas may also function as protection clothing!).

One of the main sources of increased erosion is the expansion of rainfed agriculture on steep land. The main crop is winter and spring wheat and in summer, melons and water melons. In favoured positions, flax, also known as linseed (Linum usitatissimum) is grown for oil and fodder. Projects have stressed the importance of reviving and improving on traditional soil conservation practices. Terracing has also been demonstrated, though this is not suitable in many areas because of the shallow soils. In those areas where the soil is deep enough, farmers are now adopting the technology.

Terracing and other soil conservation practices consume a lot of resources (money or labour) and so searching for rainfed crops that could provide higher incomes has also been part of the strategy (it is also not unrelated to the desire to provide alternatives to opium as a cash crop though this has been mostly stamped out in NE Afghanistan). Some of the indigenous wild plants crops which projects are trying to cultivate are shown in the table below together with UK prices.

22

Common name Botanical name Price range per kg in UK

Heng / Devil’s dung Ferula asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida L.)

£38 to £98

Black cumin Bunium persicum £16 to £50

Angelica Angelica sinsensis £19 to £42 (candied), £60 (root)

Saffron Crocus sativus £3,154 to £3,699

Liquorice Glycyrrhiza glabra £60 (powdered root)

It remains to be seen whether an adequate production and marketing chain can be established. Finally I would like to say that contrary to what those in the West may think, I have always found Afghans a friendly and hospitable people. I am proud to call many of them my friends and will always be grateful to the many kindnesses that were shown to me during the time I lived there and on the many occasions since that I have returned for visits.

Paul D Smith References

UNEP. 2003. Afghanistan Post-Conflict Environmental Assessment Report.

UNEP. 2006. Afghanistan Environment Recovery - A Post-Conflict Plan for People and their Natural Resources.

ABERCONWY NURSERY The Welsh Alpine

Plant Specialists

Interesting home grown alpine plants, including dionysia, androsace, saxifrage, gentians and dwarf ericaceous

subjects as well as other choice plants all grown on our attractive hillside nursery in the Conwy Valley, overlooking the Carneddau

On a minor road just off the A470, about 2 miles north of Bodnant Gardens we’re open in the Spring, Summer and

early Autumn but never on a Monday.

Graig, Glan Conwy, LL28 5TL. Tel. (01492) 580875

23

Anglesey’s Verges: Roadside Refuges (Pictures page 27)

Roadside verges in Gwynedd were surveyed by a team led by Mike Prosser and Hilary Wallace in 1978/79 and again in 1993. The aims of the first survey were to classify the roadside sites based on their biological (i.e. botanical) value, to identify areas of conservation interest within the road network and to investigate the effect of differing management regimes.

The verges surveyed in ‘78/’79 were selected by random sampling. The surveyors recorded the species seen along a 50m stretch of verge at each site: 697 species were recorded of which 598 were considered to be native to the area. They estimated that more than two thirds of the county flora could be found by the roadside and stated that for many species the roadside had become the major habitat. As might be expected, verges in limestone areas of Anglesey were found to be particularly rich. A numerical value was assigned to individual species according to rarity on a scale of 0 – 7: less common species were rated more highly than the more abundant species. On the basis of the scores for the individual sites, they categorised the verges according to what they perceived as their conservation value – Very High Value (VHV), High Value (HV), Moderate Value etc and drew up a list of verges of conservation interest.

In the second survey carried out in 1993 the Very High Value and High Value verges were re-surveyed to ascertain what if any changes were discernible as a result of the management that they had received over the intervening 13 years. They found that the total number of species recorded was little changed but the floral diversity of individual sites had declined. 100 sites were re-examined for species of particular interest but at 35 of these sites the target species were not re-found. The VHV verges had deteriorated to match the HV verges in the earlier survey but the latter had more or less remained HV. There had been a marked increase in the amount of bramble and scrub on the verges. Arising from the first survey, a list was drawn up for the Highways Authority to be aware of the High and Very High Value verges so that they could be taken into account when road improvements and verge management was being planned. Prosser and Wallace drew attention to the erosion of verges by traffic, particularly farm machinery, and this continues today with more vehicles and ever bigger tractors, trailers and slurry wagons with extra wide tyres.

Because the sites were selected for survey by random sampling many – if not most – of the more interesting (from a botanical point of view) and dare I say it, more attractive, verges on Anglesey were missed. Using the list that Prosser and Wallace produced, together with local knowledge accumulated by staff of the Nature Conservancy and local naturalists, the North Wales Wildlife Trust drew up a “Schedule of Roadside Verges of Nature Conservation Importance” for Anglesey for the Gwynedd Highways Department and this was carried over to Anglesey County Council

24

after Local Government re-organisation. About 12 of the verges were selected for special treatment deemed necessary to maintain their interest – limited cutting in the summer (½ swathe cut along the edge) followed by strimming, raking and removal of arisings in the autumn. Money to carry out this work was found from various sources, to start with from the Planning Department, then from Landfill Tax funds via Entrust and most recently from various EU funding streams through the kind offices of Menter Môn’s environmental programmes led by Hugh Knott. I would also like to thank Anglesey County Council Highways Department for the increasing level of co-operation and goodwill that we have received over the years even though they have not yet been able to put any money into the scheme!

Anglesey’s Biodiversity Action Plan and the AONB Management Plan both recognise the value of road verges for their attractiveness in full bloom and also as refuges for wildflowers that have become less common on farmland in recent decades due to changes in farming practice. Our verges, particularly beside the minor roads, are in many cases fragments of a vanished landscape – slivers cut off from the adjacent land at the time of the enclosures alongside roads that have been in existence for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Prosser and Wallace described the verge estate as “comparatively undisturbed, natural and in many cases, ancient series of habitats”. In at least one location a plant can still be found 200 years after it was first recorded: Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica) was recorded beside the road at Lleiniog by the Rev. Hugh Davies in Welsh Botanology, published in 1813, and it can still be found today at the same location. Verges and their associated hedgerows and ditches also provide corridors - linear routes allowing wildlife to move between unimproved fragments of farmland or small areas of woodland. Of the 1400 plant species so far recorded on Anglesey, between 600 and 700 have been found on the island’s verges including quite a few less common species such as Greater Knapweed, Cowslips, Twayblade, Betony, Bladder Campion, Harebells, Bitter Vetch, Bloody Cranesbill, Common Rockrose, Marjoram, Wild Basil to name but a few. National rarities are occasionally found such as the impressive Greater Broomrape (Orobanche rapum-genistae), a parasite on gorse, found on one of the lanes leading to Red Wharf Bay.

Of the 1070 km of roads on the island, probably less than 30 km have a really rich and diverse flora. The “best” verges are found bordering unimproved farmland and particularly in those parts of the island on limestone. Where verges border intensively farmed land with a high input of fertilizer, the drift or seepage of nutrients favours coarse grasses such as Dactylis glomerata and Arrhenatherum elatius and agricultural weeds such as Nettles, Docks and Hogweed. This enrichment is supplemented by the deposit of oxides of nitrogen from vehicle exhaust fumes. Of course these are not without wild life value: Nettles play host to the caterpillars of several attractive butterfly species such as Red admiral, Comma and Peacock. Most of the habitats on the island are represented on our verges: dune and heath, woodland

25

edge, semi-natural grassland and ditches with Water Voles, Newts, Damselflies and frogspawn in the spring. Common Lizards, Slow-worms, Glow worms and a variety of butterfly species can all be seen on our verges.

Until now there has been a three-cut regime on the rural roads. The first single swathe cut taking place in May, the second in July and a double swathe cut in September/October – cutting approximately 2 m. width and intended to cut back brambles and shrubs that might otherwise invade the verges to a greater extent than they already do! In practice, this second swathe cut is not as effective as would be ideal. The conservation verges are marked by white triangles painted on the roads at the beginning and end. In the autumn these verges are strimmed and raked and the “arisings” are removed. If cut vegetation is allowed to lie on the verges where it decays and returns nutrients to the soil, the growth of more vigorous grasses and agricultural weeds is favoured at the expense of wildflowers which thrive in nutrient poor situations. Piles of cut vegetation can also smother and kill many species of flowering plants by depriving them of light.

Under this regime the number of Early Purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) recorded on the limestone verge as you approach ‘Hooton’s Homegrown’ has increased from 80+ spikes in 1994 to 200+ in recent years. A notable recent addition to this verge has been the appearance of Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola) spotted by Andy Harding when he was doing the autumn strimming. Another of our success stories is the large triangular area at the junction of the A5025 with the minor road to Llanbedrgoch. This was originally included in the schedule because the Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia) had been recorded there. For many years it was managed by the raking and removal of vegetation but no sign of the orchids. Then all of a sudden 2 spikes re-appeared in 1996 only to disappear again. In 1994 Hay Rattle (Rhinanthus minor) was re-introduced to the sward and this has proved a useful management tool. It weakens the grasses but tends to favour Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata). With the continuing regime of impoverishment by raking and removal of arisings, Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) has become more abundant year on year. Then in 2010 a spike of Lesser Butterfly Orchid was seen and again in 2011 when 3 flowering spikes were seen.

In the early days of our verge conservation efforts it was possible to use volunteers to carry out management tasks but that is not easy today because of health and safety considerations. However, with care, volunteers can help by monitoring the verge flora and by recording under-recorded verges. Sadly two of our most conscientious verge surveyors, Margaret and Bill Walton, died last year. Over time some verges may be removed from the category of HV and others may be added to the list. This has already happened: at least 2 verges have been removed because they were invaded by scrub and trees – Ash is a particularly invasive species!

26

In villages and urban areas inside the 30mph limits, cuts are made much more frequently and start at the end of March. On Marianglas Common, NWWT is working with Menter Môn, the Community Council and the Highways Authority to get a mowing regime that is more sympathetic to the botanical interest of this area of limestone grassland. In 2010 small areas were demarcated with white painted stones to allow the Early Purple Orchids and some of the other flowers to bloom and to protect them from being mowed. This was repeated in 2011 and the plots were marked out again this year on March 15th. Green-veined Orchid (Anacamptis morio) was seen last year but not in the marked plots!

From 2012 onwards it is probable that there will only be two cuts per year on the roads beyond the 30mph limits. NWWT has been asked to specify how the conservation verges should be managed. Anglesey County Council Highways Department is taking its responsibilities to protect Biodiversity seriously and we are very pleased to have been consulted.

In a rural area such as Anglesey, it is sad to see the creeping suburbanization of verges with showy daffodils in inappropriate places, overzealous private mowing and the spread of garden escapes such as Japanese Knotweed and Montbretia which has the potential to become a real nuisance.

By the time you read this, the first verge cut of the year may have taken place and many people will have been dismayed to see their favourite display of spring flowers cut back. Others will have been pleased to see the removal of roadside plants that might touch their cars or obstruct their view on narrow lanes. It is difficult to reconcile these opposing views. The good news is that the flowers will be back again next year.

For many people, cycling or walking along a country lane is their main contact with wildlife and the countryside. Their enjoyment is enhanced if there is a range of attractive wildflowers in the verges. Visitors to the island enjoy seeing flowers such as Primroses, wild Orchids, Lady’s Smock, Bluebells and Red Campion in our verges: plants that have disappeared from roadsides in their home areas. Thus attractive roadsides, as well as playing a part in wildlife conservation, can also contribute to the local economy and to our general health and well-being.

STOP PRESS! NWWT has been awarded a grant from the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) managed by the Anglesey AONB. We need volunteers this summer to monitor and survey roadside verges particularly in the Anglesey AONB. We also need volunteers in August/September to rake up arisings on the two very large – safe – verges. Training and high visibility waistcoats will be provided. Please contact Jane Rees on 01248 714438 or by e-mail at ivorerees@hotmail.com.

Jane Rees

mailto:ivorerees@hotmail.com

27

BFSA Charcoal Burn (p33) Top left: Loading the kiln Centre left: The finished product

Anglesey’s Verges: Roadside Refuges (p23)

Bottom left: Greater broomrape Below: Hay rattle and red clover

28

BFSA Charcoal Burn (p33) Left: Packing up the kiln

An Introduction to the Amazing Rust Fungi (p34)

Right: Gymnosporangium clavariiforme on Juniperus communis Below: Puccinia urticata on Nettle stem Bottom right: Gymnosporangium clavariiforme on Hawthorn berries

29

STAG Update!

The story so far...

From the moment we counted the new member lists from Serendipity Student Fair at the end of Welcome Week 2011, and realised that over 200 students had signed up to help at Treborth, we knew it was going to be a successful year! With over 60 paid members (and counting!), we have had so much help and support at events run by STAG and the Friends, and have an ever growing and blooming student botanical family full of intelligent and lovely people.

Work parties

Our work parties are one of the key features of STAG, and this year they have been fantastic; always a great turnout of students (I think the Friends’ super lunches have something secretly to do with that, although ours aren’t bad and getting dangerously better!), and Friends that help supervise a plethora of activities. The whiteboard is always full of jobs, and we always get them done!

It is so rewarding to know how beneficial these work parties are to the maintenance of the Garden; it is incredibly satisfying to put your shovel/trowel/scissor lift (ha-ha) down at the end of the day, and see a real difference. Not only that, but how wonderfully fulfilling they are for us and our fellow students. This goes for Treborth as a whole, whether it is a day trip out with Nigel, scaling a mountain side for a rare fern, a Latin taxonomy workshop, or shovelling five tonnes of gravel down to the coastal footpath, we have gained so much experience and enrichment from the Garden – not to mention made lots of new friends (students and Friends!), useful contacts, and enjoyed a welcome break outside in the fresh air instead of sat behind our desks. Long may this continue into the future!

The work parties have been so popular with our members that it was decided to make them more frequent in the second semester, so much so that it would demand more supervisors than the already hard-worked Friends could realistically provide. If not Treborth, then where? This was when we decided to approach Treborth’s twin university research facility at Henfaes which, equally resource-strapped and without a supporting student or Friend’s group, seemed a natural choice. We have now started small work parties there, every other Wednesday when we have the afternoon free, to help with their projects. These include the large walled garden behind the offices, which Llinos Hughes (Chief Technician) thinks could be a very useful and beautiful space. We are also giving a helping hand with the general maintenance of the polytunnels and glasshouses, for the small payment of some of David Shaw’s splendid homemade chips! By cementing links with Henfaes, and showing how students are committed to both, it

30

secures both Henfaes and Treborth as sister assets to the University so much more. We hope it will continue to be a successful endeavour, but we assure the Friends that our first priority will always be Treborth!

A visit to Ness Botanic Garden (Natalie)

Attending the Plant Network ‘University Botanic Garden Discussion Day’ at Ness Gardens at the end of February was an enlightening and useful day. We heard about the opportunities and challenges facing other botanic gardens concerning their relationships with their respective university, funding and the teaching and research taking place (or not).

As a student, it was an extremely valuable experience as not only did I receive an insight into the issues confronting university botanic gardens (and strategies to improve them), but I was also able to express my opinions to an important and influential group of people, and even advise them regarding student volunteering. From the 11 or so universities that were present, Bangor University by far had the largest and most involved student community at their Botanic Garden! They even asked me how much I was being paid for my position (both myself and Madame Chairman nearly fell off our chairs!). I think I speak for all of us that attended, in saying that although Treborth has it challenges ahead, we left with our heads held high and our chests puffed out! This was mostly down to the fact that Treborth is almost entirely run by volunteers, and I thinking we should all be extremely proud of that. I know I was when representing you all.

What for the future

STAG isn’t just about the maintenance work that we carry out at the garden; we actually consider ourselves the premier natural history society at the university. Being based at Treborth is perfect for us, because the Botanic Garden is a nature reserve in its own right! Our interested, committed and passionate members visit the gardens for numerous reasons and we have had great fun learning about bats, gazing up at the night sky and searching for weird and wonderful fungi. We have also been going on day trips around north Wales to learn about myriad habitats and the organisms that inhabit them. This is all recreation for us, but it allows students to pursue their curiosity with the natural world and reinforce the material they are learning in lectures. So there is very much an important educational aspect to STAG’s activities. And hopefully many will leave university with fond memories, and some snippets of Nigel’s encyclopaedic knowledge!

But more than that, we are consciously trying to create opportunities that will help equip students with real skills that will be useful far in to the future. Academia is already competitive, but this is likely to increase dramatically with the

31

hike in tuition fees. Students also find it very difficult to find employment in their given degree area simply as there are not enough jobs in those fields. So STAG is also trying to use all the resources it has in order to improve prospects for leaving students. Siân, our volunteer coordinator, has successfully got the ball rolling and has arranged to have volunteer hours accredited by Millennium Volunteers. The time given by students can now be quantified and added to a CV.

Increasingly, leaving university with a great degree isn’t quite enough as many students are not taught the basic and very necessary skills that they’ll need for employment, e.g. identification and taxonomy skills that are fundamental to jobs relating to biology, environment and conservation. To address this we have initiated talks with Natur Cymru. They have been looking to provide experts to teach students these vital skills, and STAG has the perfect member base, positively brimming with brains and enthusiasm! We hope that in the next academic year we will be able to provide students with opportunities to go out in to the field and learn to identify and classify an array of organisms.

Following a recent talk by Sara Oldfield, Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, members of STAG were also shocked to hear that Europe faces the possibility of losing 50% of its native flora in the next 70 years. Next year we hope to see student-led initiative led by STAG, centred at Treborth, to address this apparent conservation issue. The most obvious conservation targets would be our threatened natives. It would be a great opportunity for a botanic garden to move beyond a focus on impressive and rare "alien" ornaments and move further in to the role that this paradigm demands as, if Sara is correct, they may become ornaments in their own right in the future. European/UK natives may not be the most numerous nor glamorous of species in the plant kingdom, but perhaps their ecological importance can be emphasised as their beauty?

Treborth has already been shown to be unique with regards its solid foundation of volunteers that maintain it. This could be another very exciting step forward to have a botanic garden adopt the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation as a core mission, and for the students to be actively driving it forward and planting seeds for the future!

STAG are absolutely delighted to have another year with Nigel continuing as curator at the garden. On top of that, the University’s Vice-Chancellor appears to be giving Treborth the support it needs. Furthermore, it appears that there is lots of interest by people wishing to take places on the STAG committee next year, and there is little doubt that it will display both energy and dynamism. We think that there is a lot to be optimistic about regarding the future of Treborth, and for this we have to thank the hard work and commitment of students, Friends and the public, over the last few years. STAG is still in its infancy, but we are very happy about the

32

progress that has been made this year... May we, and Treborth Botanic Garden, live long and prosper! Many thanks go out to all our members (the finest students Bangor has to offer!), and those who have supported and encouraged us in our undertakings.

Mattalie (co-chairs Matt and Natalie) Siân (volunteer coordinator) Rob (treasurer) Emily (events officer)

Marquee Hire Exclusive offer for members

only Many of you will have seen the white marquees we have used at Treborth for several events over the past couple of years. These are strong steel poled units that are totally waterproof and can withstand fairly strong winds. They are not flimsy garden centre gazebos! We have 3 units, 10m x 4m, 6m x 4m and 3m x 3m.

We are now able to hire these marquees to members, for events at Treborth or your own home, delivered and erected for you

Prices:- 10m x 4m £75 6m x 4m £50 3m x 3m £30

Prices include delivery within 30 miles of Treborth, erection, dismantling and collection. Normally delivery will be the day before your event, collection the day after. Please note that they can only be used at Treborth or the members private address at the member’s own risk. Treborth Botanic Garden events will take priority. All profits go to FTBG.

Contact Pete Wieland:- petewieland@gmail.com or 01248 370551

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.

Mahatma Gandhi

33

BFSA Charcoal Burn (Pictures pages 27 and 28)

On Saturday 28 January, the Bangor Forestry Students Association (BFSA) had the chance to take part in a small-scale charcoal burn that took place at a private residence in Treborth village. This was helpfully organised by Gerry Downing and James Slack. Gerry kindly did all the wood prep for us so that all we had to do was load it up. This was a great success. Everything from loading the kiln to shutting the burn down and emptying the finished product was included. It was a lovely day out with my fellow class mates James Slack, Edward Cooke and Dafydd Lewis, all forestry students involved in BFSA and, of course, Ellis Jones who was kind enough to let us use his property and share his knowledge of charcoal burning.

We started the day by clearing out the charcoal from a previous burn and

getting a sneak preview of what our finished product would be. We then commenced the specified task of cutting and loading the wood into the kiln; this required a lot of splitting and rearranging of wood and patience on Ellis’s part as he guided us through the process but we finally got it right and it looked spectacular. After loading the men got very excited as a fire blower surfaced to light up the wood through the tunnels. After this task was done we closed the tunnels up and left the kiln to do its job. Weather conditions were just perfect for a day out.

When we arrived back early the following morning, it was extremely satisfying to open up the lid and see the finished product. We all learnt a lot and never realised the intricacies of charcoal burning. A plus side was definitely being able to reap the finished product (perhaps for a summer barbeque). It was satisfying to know that the wood being used was from Treborth Botanic Garden and that we could help complete a somewhat sustainable cycle of goods from the Garden. Thank you to Ellis whose charcoal kiln we used and who made such a great success of the day with all his help and thank you to Treborth Botanic Garden whose support for Bangor Forestry Students Association never wavers.

Megan Saywood, Secretary, Bangor Forestry Students Association

Though an old man, I am but a young gardener.

Thomas Jefferson

34

An Introduction to the Amazing Rust Fungi (Pictures page 28)

To most keen gardeners the word “RUST” will conjure up pictures and memories of orange covered leek leaves, brown pustules on broad bean pods and leaves, and mint leaves covered with orangey-brown, powdery spots – and that’s just in the vegetable garden. In the flowerbeds, roses, fuchsias, hollyhocks and geraniums are only a few of the plants that can be prone to rust infections. My attempt to try and share my enthusiasm for Rust Fungi may therefore be an impossible and futile task, but I hope that on reading this article many of you will at least have some admiration for these very interesting, complex and unique plant pathogens. I was first introduced to the rusts over 10 years ago by Dr Richard Shattock when he gave me the challenge of finding a rust called Puccinia aegopodii on Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) and yes, I found it, a first Caernarfonshire, VC49 record. This was easy! And rust recording soon developed in to a huge passion and I fully admit to being an “incurable Rustaholic”.

The name “RUST” is descriptive as many of the spore-containing structures and the spores themselves are orange or reddish-orange in colour especially when released en masse. Rust Fungi have been known about from as far back as the Cretaceous period, 130-150 million years ago and are extremely common worldwide with probably over 7000 species and a number of these cause some very destructive plant diseases. (About 300 species and varieties have been recorded in the British Isles). A species of rust parasitises nearly every type of plant important to humans, but it is the grain ones which are most often described in history and rust spores have been found on wheat grains at least 3000 years old. Wheat and other grain crops and their rusts originated in Asia Minor and were moved out to Europe and eventually to other parts of the world including the USA. There have been rust epidemics and resulting famines recorded since biblical times and they continue up to the present day. The Romans even had 2 rust gods, Robigo (female) and Robigus (male) honoured in a special religious ceremony called the Robigalia, where reddish coloured animals were sacrificed in an attempt to ward off infections. The war against grain rusts continues today as sporadic epidemics can cause the loss of billions of dollars to a grain-producing region, and there is an ongoing arms race between the farmers, scientists and breeders and the new strains of rust fungi which continue to appear.

Other rusts of great economic importance include Coffee Rust; this ruined

coffee plantations in Ceylon in the 1870s/80s and it is thought to have prompted a shift to tea production there and subsequently to tea drinking in GB. A further species called White Pine Blister Rust originated in Siberia and spread to the USA in

35

the late 1800s where it decimated forests of 5-needled pine like the Weymouth pine, a prized timber used for timber masts and it too continues as a problem today. Many other commercial agricultural and horticultural crops are prone to rust diseases.

A large range of rust species also infect wild plants, trees and ferns where

they often live in balance with their hosts. This balance is upset when susceptible host plants are grown in monoculture, especially where the cultivars are genetically uniform as occurs with grain crops, or if a foreign rust is introduced where the host has no resistance, and this is why disease epidemics can occur in these situations. It is the “wild rusts” that I mainly collect and study but interesting species do occasionally turn up in gardens including at Treborth.

The Rust Fungi are members of the Basidiomycetes, which include the

typical cap and stem fungi and the Smut Fungi, another group of parasitic, plant infecting fungi. All members produce basidiospores as part of their life cycle. Rusts are called obligate biotrophic parasites because they are dependent on host plants to complete their life cycles. They feed on the living tissues and they are unable to grow outside or independent of a host. This relationship of the parasite with its host is very specialised and the two have co-evolved together over many thousands of years. The rusts have probably played a big role in the way plants have adapted and evolved into those we see today.

The Rust Fungi have some unique features not shown by other

Basidiomycetes. They have much more complicated life cycles and a single rust species can produce up to 5 different spore types which are both morphologically and functionally distinct. These spores are formed successively in different spore containing structures or sori found mainly on the leaves and stems of plants and trees. The majority of rust species are host specific or have a narrow range of host species that they can infect. For me however, the most amazing and interesting feature of the rusts is that although many species can complete their life-cycle on a single host, (autoecious), many use 2 completely taxonomically unrelated host species to complete their life cycle, (heteroecious) e.g. a fern and a coniferous tree, or a flowering plant and a grass. Some of the spore stages are produced on one host and some on the other. The big question for me is always “how did these complex relationships evolve?” All these features make the rusts very interesting and there are many variations in the life cycles ranging from rusts displaying all 5 spore types to species where one or more spore stage has been lost. The most extreme example is a microcyclic species where only teliospores and basidiospores are produced.

36

A Summary of the Spore producing Structures and Spore types

Structure (plural) Spore Type Spore Stage

Spermogonium (spermogonia) Spermatium (Pycniospore) O

Aecium (aecia) Aeciospore I

Uredinium (uredinia) Urediniospore II

Telium (telia) Teliospore III

Basidium (basidia) Basidiospore IV

The classic heteroecious rust studied by students is Puccinia graminis which is responsible for Black Stem Rust, a major disease of wheat and other cereals particularly in North America. This rust alternates between various grass species, including wheat and wild grasses, and Barberry (Berberis). It affects all parts of the wheat, drastically reducing the yield and heavily affected plants may die. Even before the relationship between the rust life cycle and the 2 hosts was fully understood, farmers noticed that if the barberry was removed infection of their crops was reduced. It is not a big problem in GB with little wild barberry present, and crown rust and brown rust are the biggest problems for farmers.

There are many rust species that can be readily found both in the wild and in gardens and there is only room here to describe a few examples. In some rusts, the aecia containing the aeciospores are in the form of little cups often with a torn rim or peridia. This makes the structure appear like a delightful little flower when viewed with a hand lens or low power microscope. Orange “cluster cups” of Puccinia urticata can be commonly seen on nettles and the rust often galls the stems or leaves and may cause an attractive orange or red reaction to the plant tissue around the cups. Last year it was particularly common and one to look out for this spring. One of my favourite rust species is Puccinia phragmites which infects Docks and Sorrels, Rumex species. The leaves exhibit bright pinky-red spots and on the underside there are groups of pretty little pale, white-fringed cups against the pink background. This rust alternates with Common Reed (Phragmites australis), and both hosts need to be growing close-by. The brown uredinia and dark-brown telia pustules are formed on the reed leaves. It should be looked for on Rumex species in late spring. A second rust also infects the reed called Puccinia magnusiana and this species alternates with Buttercups, Ranunculus species, where yellow aecial cups are formed.

In the garden many people will have noticed rust infection on Daisy (Bellis cultivars) in the last few years. This rust only reached GB from Australia in the 1970s and in 1997 it suddenly appeared on wild daisy (Bellis perennis) and is now very common on both wild and cultivated plants which both exhibit yellow cups on the leaves. This rust completes its life cycle on the single host. Many councils still surprising use Bellis cvs in their flowerbeds and it is rare to see plants free of infection.

37

One very unusual group of heteroeious rusts I would like to receive records of are the Gymnosporangiums. This rust genus uniquely produces its telia in the form of orange, gelatinous tongues which can be found emerging from the bark of Juniper trees, both Juniperus communis and J. sabina. There are four species using different aecial hosts. Last spring I was told of an infected J. communis tree in a Menai Bridge garden and this turned out to be G. clavariiforme, a species alternating with Hawthorn. Later in the early summer a hawthorn tree in the same garden was showing a heavy infection, demonstrated by the strange brown projections of the aecial horns on the leaves, petioles and fruits. Unlike the Phragmites rusts discussed above, the Gymnosporangium hosts do not need to be growing close by and spores must be carried long distances in the wind. Pear rust, G. sabinae, was in the news in 2011, although to my knowledge it did not reach NW Wales. The aecia are formed on the pear leaves with orange spots seen on the upper surface and the brown aecial horns underneath; the alternate host is J. sabina. A further species G. confusum also infects J. sabina but can use Hawthorn, Quince, or Medlar as its aecial host. The fourth species infects J. communis and Rowan with no recent records in N Wales. I would be delighted to hear of any infections seen on Juniper and any of the aecial hosts.

Box rust is caused by Puccinia buxi and this microcyclic rust only visibly produces telia and teliospores, evident as dark-brown to black pustules on the leaves. This is becoming a rare rust in GB as it appears to only exist on old box hedges and trees and doesn’t appear to readily infect young bushes or cuttings despite the amount of box grown in gardens. The Vaynol Estate has infected box in the woodland, a legacy of the old walled garden there. I welcome records of any infections seen on young or old box in gardens.

Last spring a Rust Workshop was run at Treborth and two interesting collections were made in the Gardens. I saw the aecial cup stage of Puccinia coronata for the first time on Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus). This is an alternate host (along with Buckthorn), for the very common rust affecting many grass species and the cause of Crown Rust in grain crops especially barley and oats. The infected grass can be covered with orange uredinia containing the urediniospores. Later the darker telia containing the teliospores are formed. These latter spores are characteristic in having small projections on the top of the spore looking like little crowns. Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) can be one of the aecial hosts of another common rust Melampsora epitae and this was also found in the Gardens. The aecia found on the flower buds, petioles and leaves of the Spindle are caemoid (without a definite structure) rather than cup-like. This rust is extremely widespread on the many Salix species, both wild and garden trees that it uses as a second host, and infected leaves often look more yellow and can be covered on the underside with yellow uredinia. (Garden records on Salix species should include the specific variety and name if known). Both these records were the first host records for the respective rusts in VC49. One further interesting rust I found at Treborth later in the year was Pucciniastrum agrimoniae on the Common Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) in the wild flowerbeds. This was only the third VC49 record, the

38

other records being from the Great Orme. The leaves of infected plants look paler, and bright-orange uredinia cover the unde