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THE FRIENDS OF TREBORTH BOTANIC GARDEN
CYFEILLION GARDD
FOTANEG TREBORTH
NEWSLETTER CYLCHLYTHYR
Number / Rhif 41 May / Mai 2011
COMMITTEE
Judith Hughes ([email protected]) Chairman Dr David Shaw ([email protected]) Vice-Chair Sarah Edgar ([email protected]) Secretary Deborah Wieland ([email protected]) Treasurer Angela Thompson ([email protected]) Membership Secretary Jackie Read ([email protected]) Publicity Officer Nigel Brown ([email protected]) Curator Dr John Gorham ([email protected]) Events Secretary Enid Griffiths Committee Member Paul Lewis ([email protected]) Committee Member Tom Cockbill ([email protected]) Committee Member David Evans ([email protected]) Committee Member Lynwen Lloyd Hughes ([email protected]) Committee Member Jamie Stroud ([email protected]) Committee Member Rachel Bolt ([email protected]) Student Representative Thomas Stanley ([email protected]) Student Representative
NEWSLETTER TEAM Pete Wieland (formatting, photos) [email protected] Grace Gibson (adverts, articles) [email protected] Angela Thompson (commissioning articles, [email protected] planning, editing)
Cover Photos: See FTBG Photo Competition on page 11 Unless otherwise stated, all photographs are copyright of the article author
Issue No. 41 May 2011
INDEX
Introduction/News in Brief 3
Improvements to the Newsletter 4
Curator’s Report 5
Weather and Wildlife 8
Treborth Moth Records 10
FTBG Photo Competition 11
Experiences from Bangladesh 15
Botanical Beats 17
Lady Grace Gibson 18
A Garden for all Seasons 21
Vacancy 29
New Study Reveals Timing of the Formation
of the Menai Strait 30
The Forestry Commission: War-time Necessity
To Fiercely Defended Public Amenity 32
South Africa and Lesotho—Part 2 33
Rhizotron Research 37
Wild Science Day 38
Plant Collections Group 39
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Chairman’s and Secretary’s Introduction
Welcome once again to another edition of the newsletter. We have a very different cover this time, a lovely image of Angela, our membership secretary and newsletter editor. It is one of the winners of the photography competition, results further on (and we had to twist her arm to let us use it!).
I am delighted to be able to tell you that Nigel is staying on for another year. In this time, we can assure you that we shall all, Nigel, Friends, students and the university, be working hard to secure Treborth’s long-term future.
Please take time to read and respond to Angela’s article about the newsletter; we have all put a lot of effort into trying to get it right for you.
Finally, on a sad note for Treborth, after many years of involvement in different roles, we are saying goodbye to Jackie Read and Paul Lewis. They are leaving at the end of June for a new life down south, near both their families. We wish them a bright and happy future and thank them so much for all they have done for Treborth.
Judith Hughes and Sarah Edgar
News in Brief
The Treborth section of Gwynedd County Council’s coastal footpath has been completed. You can now walk along the edge of the Strait through rhododendron- and laurel-free woodland, from the Treborth drive to the Britannia Bridge and enjoy enhanced views of this lovely area. No wellies are needed now along this all-weather surface – there is even a stretch of boardwalk across a frequently muddy patch.
If you’d like to find out what’s going on in north Wales on the natural history front, have a look at Cofnod’s website at www.cofnod.org.uk/Calendar.aspx. Cofnod is our local records centre, or Environmental Information Service, at Parc Menai outside Bangor, and staff there put together a very comprehensive list of events, courses, training etc organised by the wildlife trust, bird groups, Pensychnant Centre and other bodies.
Thanks to Glenys Bridges, Andy Beaumont and Jane Acott for their kind donations; and also to Greenwood Forest Park for their annual £500 donation. We are very grateful for their generosity.
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Improvements to the Newsletter and Economies
We’re always looking to improve the newsletter, and, at the same time, to use our resources efficiently. This can be a difficult balance to achieve, but in the case of the newsletter, we think we may be getting there!
Following comments from members, we have decided to try out some colour in the body of the newsletter. We have always felt that black and white photos have not done justice to the high quality of colour photos submitted: they have often turned out to be uninspiring shadows of their former glory and it’s been a waste of photographic talent. But colour reproduction costs more and as you know, we are keen to keep expenditure down so that more can be spent on the Garden. Of a £7 yearly subscription from one person, more than £5 currently goes into the provision of three hard copies a year – that doesn’t leave much left over. However, we do feel that ‘the future is (sometimes) orange’ so, colour, here we come! This issue is an experimental one, and if it doesn’t work out, we may revert to B&W. This is your opportunity to tell us if it’s a success.
So how can we reduce costs to offset the extra expense of colour? One way would be to reduce the number of issues per year from three to two, but this would probably be unpopular. In past issues, we have positioned B&W photos in the text of articles. If we were to do this with colour photos, this would increase printing costs hugely, since many pages would then be ‘colour’ pages. So we have had all the colour photos (apart from the covers) printed together, and these have been numbered, captioned and referred to in the articles. No reduction in the number of photos, they’re just of a better overall quality and in a different place. And we have looked at relative costs of a number of printing firms in the area to get best value.
We could reduce the number of copies printed and mailed out, and thereby cut postage too. If we get the newsletter promptly onto our website (www.treborthbotanicgarden.org), you could probably access it there faster than a hard copy would take to get to you in the mail. Over 60 of you have already told me that you are happy to access the newsletter this way – if more of you are willing to do this and let me know, more money will be saved. And since our student members all have internet access through the university, we’d like to ask them to forego their paper copies for this alternative. If any student really does want to remain a paper person, please could they contact me, otherwise we intend to go online-only to students in September.
We always have spare copies printed to pass on to new members and to visitors to the Garden. If you don’t squirrel away your copies after you’ve read them (they’ll always be on the web if you need to refer to something anyway), how about sending them back to Treborth for recycling to others?
This is your newsletter so please let me have your comments!
Angela Thompson, tel 01248 712564, email [email protected]
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Curator’s Report Following discussions with the School of Biological Sciences, the College of Natural Resources and the University, my retirement from the post of curator and my involvement with teaching have been deferred until July 2012 after which I will have an option to remain associated with both activities in a part-time capacity for up to 2 years.
I hope that these new circumstances are beneficial to Treborth and the Friends. It should be seen as an opportunity to bolster efforts to secure funding for one of more staff to be appointed to keep the Garden operating and to help it develop particularly in terms of public engagement. Hopefully within the next 15 months a replacement for my post will be appointed in time for some overlap before I step down. In addition we need to strive hard to appoint further staff, horticultural and educational.
Of course these efforts are already in train with the Friends involved with submitting bids for funding from three main sources at present – Interreg, Mon – Menai Fund, and Esmee Fairbairn Trust. It is too early to report on their progress but the situation should become clearer in the next few months. I am extremely grateful to the Friends for their considerable help and support with these initiatives and also to my colleagues, John Latchford and Tom De Luca. Jackie Read accompanied me on a recent visit to Glasnevin Botanic Garden in Dublin to discuss potential Interreg funding.
There have been significant changes in the woodland quarter of the Garden over winter with further clearance of Rhododendron and Cherry Laurel and some necessary thinning for conservation and safety plus the laying down of the latest section of the Coastal Footpath for Wales. The new path has been laid on top of the existing main woodland track running parallel with the Strait and now with a much drier, robust surface of microgranite chippings from Penmaenmawr. There is wheelchair access for over half of its length and with the removal of invasive shrubs welcome views across the Strait. The aim is to provide a few look out points and some discrete interpretation of the wildlife and historic interest of the area. A brand new path now threads its way through the wooded section alongside the eastern end of the drive down to the lodge thereby directing pedestrians away from the drive, which of course can be busy with traffic at times. This welcome addition to the path network through Treborth will stimulate efforts to transform a somewhat derelict quarter of the Botanic Garden into a useful and attractive lower arboretum providing an attractive visual experience at the Garden’s main entrance. A small car park is being added half way up the drive to service the coastal footpath.
All of this woodland and pathway work has been overseen by Gerry Downing on an almost day to day basis during the last 3 months, a great effort and one of the single most influential changes to Treborth in the last 50 years – well
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done Gerry, and thank you! Funding and advice and manpower have been provided by the following: Gwynedd County Council, Countryside Council for Wales and Better Woodlands for Wales to whom we extend our great thanks. Mynydd Timber based in Mynydd Llandegai carried out most of the invasive scrub clearance this winter while last year’s work around the waterfall was skilfully completed by Snowdonia Tree Services. Students and Friends have provided excellent support help throughout.
Jackie Read has co-ordinated an innovative environmental education project funded by Beacon for Wales; the emphasis is on sustainability born out of a better understanding of plants and the project provides information and practical experience in a range of activities, from growing your own vegetables to exploring the natural history of the living world. Participants make use of newly constructed raised beds for vegetable and wildflower production, as well as using the lab and the grounds to identify and examine plants and associated insect life. The recent involvement of four pupils from the local special needs school is very welcome. My thanks to all involved with this new venture whereby we are testing Treborth’s capability to deliver important life skills and knowledge to as wide a range of people as possible.
There was welcome news earlier this winter when we learnt that Professor Tom De Luca had been successful in attracting a £150K grant to upgrade the rhizotron and convert the second house on site (known as Rivendell) to a research hub complete with offices and accommodation. Work will begin in late July.
Sean Evans and Jack Fairhead have joined the Treborth team for 25 hours weekly for 26 weeks under a government-sponsored Groundwork Scheme – they have made a huge difference in a day to day gardening capacity, as well as a developmental role and I look forward to describing their achievements in my next report.
There has been significant teaching at University level at Treborth this winter, with second year Plant Diversity classes using the grounds and glasshouses every Friday morning, as well as an in depth assessment of the management options for the woodland area undertaken by MSc students in Environmental Forestry. We were delighted to receive a visit from a group of Indian foresters undertaking a short course on Climate Change and Forestry. Several undergraduates have been busy with their final year projects based in the Garden. One such project involves the deployment of hair tubes to monitor the relative numbers of Red and Grey Squirrels at Treborth – you may notice these along the main tracks.
STAG continues to provide fantastic practical help in the Garden mainly through the monthly work parties. Several second year students have recently completed their work placements at Treborth and each has contributed to the improvement of the plant collection - Karen Langley has been a great help in the
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propagating department under the kindly eye of Ann Wood; Karen O’Neill fell in love with the NVC Woodland display collection and gave Pat Denne invaluable help in the difficult job of encouraging the target wild woodland species whilst rooting out unwanted thuggish native ‘weeds’; Daryl Hughes masterminded a revamp of part of the tropical house in favour of crop plants and went to great lengths (literally – he went to Birmingham Botanic Garden!) to procure new specimens including sugar cane and pineapple; Niall Pettit ‘sorted’ the cool house and gave it air. Finally Sian Thompson set her sights on our sister field station at Henfaes and worked with Dave Shaw on maintaining his potato research facility there. To all our conscientious and enthusiastic students we say thank you for your friendly and stimulating involvement over the last few months.
Wild Science Day in mid-March, organised in association with Bangor Science Week (as part of a nationwide festival of science) attracted 175 people, including many children, and must surely rate as one of the most successful events Treborth has hosted. It involved a wide range of individuals and organisations who all went to great lengths to educate and entertain their audiences: the result - an afternoon jam-packed with fun and fact. I can think of no better outlet for Treborth’s natural resources and human enthusiasm and expertise. And in having Iolo Williams as our guest of honour, I can think of no better person to promote the respect, enjoyment and understanding of the natural world. I look forward to the next one as surely this must become installed as an annual event. Thank you to everyone involved.
One of those is Jackie Read who played a crucial organising role. With news that Jackie and her partner Paul Lewis are leaving North Wales in June we are losing two of Treborth’s dearest and most effective Friends. We wish them both well in their new lives in the south of England – they will be sorely missed.
Nigel Brown
Busybees - Bangor
Courses in Beekeeping
Vegetable growing
Fruit tree growing, pruning and grafting.
www.foodskillsforall.co.uk Tel. 01248 361 576
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Weather and Wildlife December 2010—March 2011
Month Rainfall Temperature ºC No. Of Days
mm inches Max. Min. Air frost
Ground frost
Snow lying
>5ºC >10ºC
Dec 24.5 0.96 11.0 minus 7.0 17 25 12 16 2
Jan 78.7 3.10 11.0 minus 4.25 5 16 0 26 6
Feb 96.8 3.81 13.25 0.5 0 4 0 28 18
Mar 26.0 1.02 14.5 minus 1.0 3 10 0 31 18
December 2010 probably rates as the coldest month on record at Treborth. Between the 16th and 25th there were 10 consecutive nights of air frost including two minima of minus 7 degrees, the lowest air temperatures recorded in the Garden since records began in 1988. These exceptional temperatures coincided with 12 consecutive days of snow lying, with a maximum recorded depth of 180 mm (7 inches), again a new record. In total there was a remarkable 25 nights of ground frost during the month. Luckily there were no strong winds during the month to exacerbate the chill.
All this rounded off a year which had begun in freezing fashion with the coldest continuous spell since the winter of 1978/79. There followed an exceptionally dry spring and even though July produced almost seven inches of rain, precipitation remained less than average throughout the remaining months. As a result 2010’s rainfall total was just 845 mm (33.2 inches), well below the mean figure of 1050 mm (42 inches) for the Bangor area.
This rainfall deficit has certainly not been made up during the first three months of 2011: quite the reverse, the deficit has been accentuated with just 8 inches up to the end of March. Indeed March’s very low total of just over an inch makes it one of the top 5 driest months since 1988 (interestingly the majority of the record dry months have been in winter and spring).
So how has the Garden and its wildlife fared as we enter a new growing season? Well understandably there have been losses of tender plants such as the New Zealand Hoheria and several herbaceous South African and Lesotho species. On the other hand it is pleasing to report only minor damage to Widdringtonia nodiflora, the rare Cupressaceous conifer from the Drakensberg, and apart from a little yellowing, Iolo William’s Wollemi shrugged off the winters snow and now proudly boasts not only male cones but also, for the first time, several female cones. Sadly another conifer, the veteran Juniper ‘Sky Rocket’ fell in the face of strong winds and heavy rain on the night of 3/4th February.
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As last year, early spring growth has been slow – snowdrops appeared two weeks later than usual but their flowering was prolonged throughout February, whilst there were few daffodils in bloom to greet St David’s Day. Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) did not blossom till late March and Wild Cherry (Prunus avium) just appeared in bloom on the last day of March.
Wildlife echoed the delay with few butterflies on the wing except for Small Tortoiseshell drawn out from hibernation by temperatures of 14 degrees on several days in March. Moths were very sparse in January with just 24 individuals caught of 4 species (Mottled Umber, Yellow Lined Quaker, Chestnut and Winter Moth) but picked up in February with 185 moths of 13 species. In March the monthly total shot up to 1341 of 23 species including Red Sword Grass (Xylena vetusta), arguably one of the finest twig mimics in the moth world. Now that Pat Denne has achieved the extremely praiseworthy goal of having computerised all Treborth’s moth records (see her article in this issue) we look forward to interrogating the database she has so painstakingly assembled. In future reports we will be able to quantify annual appearances and performances of moths and comment on any trends in a rigorous way.
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) announced its arrival with instantly recognisable song on March 18th, as usual uttered from the railway embankment. Last spring the first chiffchaff song was 23 March, whilst in 2009 the first noted arrival was March 17th.
Fox (Vulpes vulpes) may be making a welcome comeback in the Garden judging by the increased frequency of scats and the regularity with which their thick musky odour registers along woodland tracks and even by the curator’s house. Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) has been reported several times along the new coastal path entertaining the workmen over lunch. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) now frequents the new wildlife pool and the small breeding colony along the Strait has become more dispersed but still includes 5 pairs.
Amphibia abound, especially Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus) numbers of which exceed 100 in the old wildlife pond. It’s therefore somewhat surprising that they have not yet been reported in the new wildlife pond. The same is true of Frog (Rana temporaria) and Toad (Bufo bufo) both species making busy use of the old wildlife pond from mid February onwards. Mixed pairings were reported on several nights including: 26.02.11 – 9 hybrid pairs (all male frogs on female toads), and the following night 6 hybrid pairs (all male frogs x female toads). On each night there were also ‘pure’ pairs of frogs and toads. An apparent hybrid pair was seen to produce spawn but it did not develop.
Wild Science Day in March served to highlight some of the natural history interest at Treborth and we could not have wished for a better proponent of the natural world than Iolo Williams, who has given the Garden so much support over
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the years and who was delighted to officiate on the day. He was especially pleased to see so many children taking part and was impressed by the high standard of the exhibits and the care and detail which exhibitors took to explain their interests. It all served to stress the importance of really properly understanding the diversity of organisms and processes which go to make up a patch of the planet such as Treborth and how much we still have to learn. My thanks to all involved and hopefully Wild Science Day will become a regular fixture in the Treborth calendar. You can read more about the event in another article in this issue.
Nigel Brown
Moth Records from Treborth Botanic Garden: a valuable resource
Every night of the year the Treborth BG “Robinson” moth trap is put outside, then the following day all the moths caught are recorded and released unharmed. Records were begun in 1986/87, stopped for a while, and then have been continuous from 1993 to the present, with only a few short breaks. This lengthy and meticulously maintained resource is unique for North Wales, and must be amongst the most comprehensive in the United Kingdom. All these records have now been put onto an Excel database, so are ready for scientific analysis.
Since 1986, a grand total of over 321,000 individuals of 396 species of macromoths have been recorded, plus 71 species of micromoths. Large yellow underwings are sometimes present in immense numbers with a total of 50,600 (560 of them caught on the single night of 31st July/1st August 1995, and almost as many of them on several other days). The heart & dart moth is the second most numerous species (totalling 26,300).
Some clear trends are emerging: some species have increased over the years, while others have declined. Species such as dingy footman, august thorn, and yellow tail were rarely seen at Treborth before 2000, but are now caught in large numbers. Conversely, a few species which were found in abundance in earlier years, are now scarce: rustic shoulder knot and treble bar for example, both present in considerable numbers in 1986, decreased over the next few years, and have not been recorded at all since 2005. Many other species (such as large yellow underwing, heart & dart, common quaker and common marbled carpet) have peak and trough years, but no clear trend.
As daily meteorological records are also kept at TBG, the daily, monthly, or yearly variations in moth records can be compared with climatic fluctuations: this remains to be done. Indeed, all these records have enormous potential for scientific analyses and interpretation.
Pat Denne
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FTBG Photo Competition – Results First, our apologies for the delay in announcing the results of this competition. A combination of circumstances resulted in the final decisions not being available in time for the deadline for the January Newsletter. The results were as follows: SENIOR TREBORTH BOTANIC GARDEN First: ‘Autumn Colour’ by Liz Lemin (inside fornt cover) Second: ‘Wood and Trees’ by Liz Lemin Third: ‘Menai Bridge’ by Sarah Edgar SENIOR PEOPLE First: ‘Angela’ by Liz Lemin (front cover) Second: ‘Ann’ by Liz Lemin Third: ‘Spuds R Us’ by Liz Lemin SENIOR NATURE/WILDLIFE First: ‘Broad-bodied Chaser’ by David Evans (inside back cover) Second: ‘Deilephila elpenor Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar’ by Manda Sansom Third: ‘Mullein moth caterpillar’ by Manda Sansom SENIOR PLANT PORTRAITS First: ‘Tulipa tarda’ by David Evans (inside front cover) Second: ‘Bilbergia’ by David Flitcroft Third: ‘Spiral Aloe’ by David Flitcroft JUNIOR NATURE/WILDLIFE First: ‘dragonfly’ by Juliet Turner (back cover) Second: ‘waterdrops’ by Juliet Turner Third: ‘spider’ by Juliet Turner JUNIOR PLANT PORTRAITS First: ‘underwaterplant’ by Juliet Turner (inside back cover) Second: ‘mushrooms2’ by Juliet Turner Third: ‘mushrooms’ by Juliet Turner
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A total of 148 images were entered, but none in the ‘Events’ category, and there was only one participant in the Junior competitions. The Plant Portraits category attracted the most entries (59), including some of the best images. The judges were faced with difficult decisions in balancing the different judging criteria, and I would like to express my thanks to Judith Hughes, Brian Iddon and John Hedley for their hard work. Thank you to all who entered the competition. The First place winners of each category are displayed on the covers of this newsletter. All of the winning images can be viewed on the FTBG website (www.treborthbotanicgarden.org). John Gorham
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A Garden for all Seasons (page 21)
Overgrown pond before work started Work in progress
Finished pond September 2010
Rhizotron Research (page 37)
Professor Tom DeLuca outside the rhizotron (Bangor University)
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Old-growth Ancient Woodland in Wales (page 24)
Children seek creepy crawlies sheltering in freezing weather and find them under a decaying log on the woodland floor
Iliff’s guided tours enable people to see the woodland as they’ve never seen it before, an interactive community consisting of its fauna, flora and geography
Paul the tree surgeon examines a naturally forming nest cavity in Coed Nant Gain. The projecting branch stub prevents the break from healing over. This is nature’s long term strategy as distinct from our nest boxes which short-term shelter in the absence of old decaying trees
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Experiences from Bangladesh Introduction
Bangladesh is a country that stimulates your senses. For me, the diversity of people, colours, and wildlife all contributed to a unique and hugely engaging experience. With over 150 million people, in an area the same size of Wales and England combined, the population exerts great pressure on the environment. I was able to spend two weeks learning about some of the country’s problems and to meet individuals who are working towards understanding the difficulties faced by Bangladesh. In this article I would like to share a few of these experiences.
Exchange project
A British Council capacity-building project links Rajshahi University, Bangor University and the University of Ghana. The aim is to share knowledge and skills through the exchange of staff and students. There have been four visitors from Bangladesh, and I had the opportunity to be the second visitor from Bangor to travel to Rajshahi University.
As part of the exchange, I was asked to give three formal presentations for the Department of Zoology and the Department of Botany. It was the first time I was to lecture an audience where English is the second language. It was suggested to me just before my first talk, that I should speak with a BBC accent and to speak slower. I’m guessing my excitement had made me speak too fast, mixed with a bit of Yorkshire twang! I hope the audience were able to understand my presentations on research methods and conservation field techniques.
Sundarbans Research trip
The highlight of the exchange trip was the four-day expedition by boat to the World Heritage Site – the Sundarbans, an area of mangrove forest in the delta area of the Ganges. My aim was to teach the MSc students field research skills and for them to collect data on the fauna. The journey started with an early morning rickshaw across the city of Rajshahi to the train station, where we met the excited group of MSc students, professors and staff from the University. In total, we were a group of twenty-two. The train took eight hours and was a fantastic chance to watch the countryside of Bangladesh slowly pass by. There was a great diversity of crops grown in the fields along the train line: aubergines, okra, various legumes, melons and acres of rice.
At the small port where we were to board our vessel, river dolphins frequently showed themselves, exposing their pale skin and long beaks. Only 2500 are estimated to survive toady, with the largest population inhabiting the Sundarbans estuaries. The density of boats and pollution in the Sundarbans are real threats to the remaining population. Research between Bangor University, the Institute of Zoology, London and Rajshahi University is currently investigating conservation options for this critically endangered species.
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The first morning on the boat I awoke to a blazing red sun filtering through the haze rising over the mangrove forest. The fishermen were already active, casting their nets in groups near the shoreline and with some with boats further out into the water. Our aim that day was to visit an area along the coast where the fish are dried. Here we would interview the fisherman to find out about the number of species they catch, quantities of each species and any changes they had noted. From our anchor point it would be another few hours slowly chugging alongside the forest. This was a great chance to spot some of the birds I had been hoping to see. I was fortunate enough to watch a fish eagle making a catch and return to its partner, nesting in a dead tree on the edge of the mangrove forest. Huge kingfishers with bright orange bills were abundant along the forest edge, where we also caught glimpses of the shy, white spotted deer.
As well as watching the diversity of wildlife go by, the hours coasting along in the boat was the perfect opportunity to get to know the Bangladeshi students. Because of the culture in Bangladesh I was able to connect more closely with the female students and I enjoyed learning about life in Bangladesh for young women. I think they were as fascinated by me as I was with them! We spent many hours discussing their country, the problems they have and their ideas for solutions. Climate change was high on their agenda and they described personal experiences of extreme flooding, typhoons and rising sea levels. Their enthusiasm for natural history and desire to create change in Bangladesh was a real inspiration. They were also very eager to learn about life in Wales. I tried to depict the wonderful mountains and plants we have here. The idea of snow was of particular interest, which I illustrated with a few animated displays of sledging.
At our destination, we disembarked onto the sand where we were immediately hit by the stench of thousands of fish drying in the sun. After fifteen minutes of acclimatising to the smell, I went to investigate the variety of fish laid out on woven grass mats. Some of the fisherman had worked in the Sundarbans for over thirty years and they talked explicitly about the decline in the number of species caught over the years and also the decrease in the size of the fish. Speaking with the fisherman was a great insight into the daily lives of many people dependent upon a natural resource that is potentially disappearing. Fish is a staple in the diet of most Bangladeshis and with a burgeoning population, the potential decline in fish stocks is an important food security concern.
Rajshahi University Botanic Garden
On return from the Sundarbans I was able to spend an afternoon in the Rajshahi University Botanic Garden. The Garden has a wide collection of native species with a focus on threatened trees (for example, the Sundari tree Heritiera fomes and Sal Shorea robusta). The Garden has eight gardeners and an enthusiastic curator who recently developed a master plan for the design of the Garden. The
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planting scheme aims to incorporate the role of the Garden as an important ex situ conservation site for many species and the need to provide a teaching resource. With adequate support, the Botanic Garden has huge potential to be an excellent centre of education and plant conservation.
Conclusion My lasting memory of the trip is the hospitality of the Bangladeshi people.
The curiosity and attentiveness of my hosts provided me with an opportunity to gain an insight into a different country, culture and ecosystems. I hope that the link between our Universities continues so that other students have the chance to learn about such an interesting country.
Sophie Williams
Botanical Beats On Sunday 5th of June 2011, Treborth Botanic Garden will be hosting the ever successful Botanical Beats Festival. Be prepared for an afternoon jam-packed full of a mix of local music, dancing, nature-based arts and crafts, student volunteers, green woodworkers, local wildlife and conservation groups and so much more. Treborth House Band will bring their signature blues/rock sound, Anglesey based band Tacsi will be playing funky reggae beats and Banda Bacana will be creating African & Caribbean grooves. With so many more artists already confirmed, Botanical beats is set to be a sunshine-filled festival for everyone to enjoy!
The day starts at 1p.m and carries on until 7p.m. Tickets will be £6 each
and a free park and ride service will be operating on the day. Make sure you check out our website, www.botanicalbeats.org.uk , for all the information on the day and much more! We hope to see all you nature and music lovers there.
Jackie Read
“God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.” Anon
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Lady Grace Gibson, this is your Life…
Our occasional series of Treborth Friends resumes with Grace. Many of you will have unwittingly taken bits of her garden to add to your own from our plant sales. Grace has an uphill task in keeping her 2-acre garden tended since it surrounds on all sides her lovely old house in Llanddonna, overlooking Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey, at an elevation of 400ft. Complete with two ponds, two hills, a bog area and all the associated wildlife (more of this elsewhere in this issue), she lives with partner Bryan in the middle of nature.
Grace was one of the founder members of the Friends way back in 1997, and contributed to the Friends and Treborth as a committee member for many years. She has written pieces for the newsletter on a number of occasions, and for some years now has been a member of the small newsletter team, gathering adverts, suggesting knowledgeable local people from whom I might wring articles, and organising the ‘envelope stuffers’ for the newsletter mail-outs. She has a huge circle of contacts and frequently passes to me changes of addresses and circumstances so that I might update the membership records. Grace is also a member of the Alpine Garden Society, the Hardy Plant Society and the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust, plus, being a conservationist, the North Wales Wildlife Trust.
Grace was born in 1928 in Clapham, London, to enthusiastic gardening parents. Her father had been in the navy during World War I and sustained physical injuries, and her mother, in line with the social norm in those days, looked after the family at home. Grace had two brothers much older than herself, both of whom were very keen naturalists: one entered the navy and the other the Intelligence Corps and GCHQ.
The young Grace was schooled in London, but she often went to stay in the holidays with aunts in Buckinghamshire and developed an appreciation of the countryside. However, at the outbreak of World War II aged eleven, she was evacuated to Kennington in Oxfordshire to stay with an elderly couple whose children had left home. She was billeted there on the smallholding, which had orchards and poultry, with two other girls, and was kindly treated but miserably homesick and worried about the bombing of London. Grace stayed there for five years, occasionally visiting her family at weekends. She went to school in the village hall with three teachers from her London school, but when a school from the bombed east end of London and another school for children with special needs were added to hers, the quality of teaching declined with so many pupils to educate. Consequently she left school with virtually no qualifications. But she had had her interest in the natural world enhanced by many nature walks, by learning the basics of gardening (mainly in the vicar’s garden where she won a prize for the best onion – I wonder if she got to eat it?) and painting in the countryside.
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Grace left school in 1945 and started preliminary nursing training in a crèche of young children of women working in munitions in London. She was at one time in sole charge of 18 babies, and decided that nursing was not for her…
She worked for two or three years on the clerical staff of Peter Jones in Sloane Square and during that time she got to know a large group of other young people in London, and through them she met in 1948 her first husband Geoffrey Haines. He was a Sephardic Jew from India studying for his bar exams to become a barrister. He had many international and exotic friends – maharajahs and princes – from his childhood in India, and his time at Cambridge, some of whom were also in London. Grace’s first son, Michael, was 13 months old when they sailed for India. They settled in Calcot (Calcutta) and had an amazing social life with her husband’s family and friends, but there was much unrest in India at that time as a consequence of the Partition (when West and East Pakistan, later Bangladesh, were formed). Michael’s early school years were spent in India.
The family returned to Britain in 1953, amid all the excitement of the Coronation and the conquest of Everest by Hillary and Tenzing, and bought a house in Hampstead. In 1957, the couple had a second son, Julian.
Grace got a job as assistant to an art dealer and through him she received a very good education in the field and in theatre, opera and all that the museums of London could provide. However, the dealer died in 1964, and by this time her marriage was failing and she and her husband eventually divorced in 1968.
Her settlement was not very generous and she had to earn her living. She turned to gardening and enrolled at a horticultural school originally established for missionaries. This was headed by Colonel Shewell-Cooper, the person charged with the ‘Dig for Britain’ campaign during the war, and one of the founders of the Soil Association. She was particularly interested in garden and landscape design and was trained by John Brookes. One of her placements was with the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin and she went on to design and care for his garden for 12 years, meeting many eminent conductors and musicians (including the cellist Jacqueline du Pré). In addition, she designed a garden for Yehudi Menuhin’s daughter as a surprise birthday present from him while she was abroad. She also signed on to train at the Inchbald School of Design where she was taught by Frances Perry, Allan Patterson (of the Chelsea Physic Garden), Graham Stuart Thomas and other well-known horticulturalists. After her training, she set up a business with one of her fellow apprentices, maintaining and designing gardens on a contract basis, and teaching young would-be gardeners on day-release from school. She met many famous people in London through their gardens including Michael Foot and Jill Craigie, and Jennie Lee, the widow of Aneurin Bevan, and a number of diplomats whose gardens she tended while they were abroad.
Part of the large house in Hampstead was let at this time to a series of attachés to the American, Swedish and Danish Embassies, and to the daughter of the
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American Ambassador, Jock Whitney. She was the grand-daughter of President Roosevelt and she lived there with her husband, the concert pianist Anthony de Bonaventura, their children and the nanny. A Steinway piano was hired and the house resounded with music as Anthony practised for his debut at the Royal Festival Hall.
Grace cared for her ill mother for many years and when she died in 1975, Grace moved to Anglesey, to join her son Michael who had secured a teaching post there. Together they bought an old farmhouse in Llandegfan, and Grace took on a few garden design jobs. She had joined the Alpine Garden Society and it was at one of their meetings that she met Sir Donald Gibson, renowned architect and designer of post-war Coventry, and married again. She moved to Bryn Castell in Llanddona, where Donald had lived with his first wife who had died a few years earlier. It seemed a grim, cold place after the lovely garden in Llandegfan but Grace soon set to, planting up the garden and improving the house.
Donald served on the governing body of Bangor University and through this connection, Grace got to know many of the vice chancellors and professors. Donald had three sons and a daughter by his previous wife; two of his sons moved to North America, and Grace and Donald visited them in Canada, Alaska and other parts of the US. They went to see many of the famous botanical gardens there and this sparked an interest in Grace for the botanical gardens of the UK. At Bryn Castell, they kept goats and geese for a number of years. Unfortunately, Donald suffered a stroke that affected him significantly, and again Grace took on a carer’s role. But despite all, he was still fun to be with, until his death from cancer in 1991.
Grace stayed on in the house. She further developed the garden and opened it for the National Gardens Scheme. She also began to work for Cruse, the bereavement charity, in Bangor. In 1996 she met Bryan Hyde through the Alpine Garden Society (what is it about the AGS – is it a cover for a dating agency?) and together they manage the house and garden at Bryn Castell. She has three grandchildren and six great grandchildren in England and New Zealand.
The years have not diminished Grace’s horticultural expertise, and she is in great demand at Friends’ plant sales for information about a plant’s preferred soil, situation and propagation. Many will have been potted up from her garden and will come with a detailed history of origin. Hopefully, we shall have that support and knowledge gleaned over a very interesting life for a long time.
Angela Thompson
“The garden that is finished is dead.”
H. E. Bates
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A Garden for all Seasons Pictures on page 13
When I arrived at Bryn Castell 33 years ago, the old house was standing on a bleak rocky bluff 400ft above sea level, in undulating farmland with lots of gorse and thorny scrub. Not many trees- a small paddock surrounded by wild bullace (erin bach), two large ash trees and several old hawthorns.
Below the house the land sloped down to a field with a large pond, fed by drainage from the surrounding fields and the storm water from the house and out buildings. There were moorhens nesting and visiting mallards would sometimes arrive followed by single files of ducklings running the gauntlet of crows nesting in the ash tree. Water voles lived in the muddy banks and made tunnels through the vegetation, and the occasional pig-like squeal of water rail and call of a vixen betrayed their presence during the night as well as the squeaks of young tawny owls on the roof or in the large old sycamore behind the house.
There is also a smaller pond with an island on which adders sometimes bask in the sun. Frogs, toads and great crested and palmate newts breed, the toads in large numbers sitting in the lane on rainy nights in spring so that if we needed to go out one of us had to take a bucket and a torch to collect them, sometimes over a hundred at a time, and walk in front of the car while the other drove up to the main road. Their numbers have declined in recent years which is something of a relief though sad for the toads. We also find slow worms on our compost heaps or log piles.
One of the first things we did after our marriage was to plant acorns from the Dingle round the northern boundary of the land, Donald using his stick to make holes while I dropped in the seed and stamped down the earth. We planted many berrying shrubs for the birds and to provide autumn colour, as well as several fruit trees and crab apples for pollination and jelly!
As the years went by and the oaks began bearing acorns our visiting jays spread young oaks at intervals along the lane to the road. Our winding lane, one third of a mile to the road, is hedged by banks of gorse and scattered thorn and willow with honeysuckle and wild roses in places and good blackberries. An evening walk in summer is enlivened by bats swooping along between the trees on either side and sometimes lit by glowworms. The verges abound with flowers, changing with the seasons. In rocky places are squills (Scilla verna), violets and primroses as well as blackthorn, and later the bluebells, stitchwort with the may blossom and willow catkins. In the ditch are kingcups and orchids, meadowsweet and purple loosestrife as well as many ferns and mosses and numerous grasses and sedges. Later in summer the show is mainly dominated by red campion. Richly encrusted with lichens, stone gateposts - relics of days gone by - stand like sculptures, their gates long rusted away. Our walks are often enlightened by low flying ravens on their way
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to the roost in Pentraeth forest, half a mile to the west, and we often see and hear aerial disputes with the buzzards over the house. The recent abundance of rabbits having replaced the once numerous hares provide a good food source for these scavengers.
Two summers ago a pair of stoats moved into the eaves of the house with their family of four small fluffy babies, all tails aloft along the guttering and disappearing behind a broken slate. No chance of any roof repairs this year then! Since then they have moved into a remote corner of the barn- the only clue being a neat latrine near a stack of wood. They have invaded the glasshouse and eaten most of the tulip bulbs in pots, as well as leaving large holes in the raised beds.
In the early eighties I kept geese, hatching them in an incubator a la Conrad Lorenz, and they duly followed me around thinking I was their mother. They loved to come indoors in summer when the doors were open. They were allowed to graze freely and never tried to eat the numerous daffodils, and for a few years we had a colony of northern marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza majalis subsp. purpurella) by the pond side. Strangely, when the geese went so did the purpurellas! But there are plenty of other orchids on the other side of the pond to this day, the orchard being scythed back in August or September, and often flooded in winter.
In 1984 I took advantage of a tree planting job-creation scheme and had a patch of woodland, all native trees, put in to provide another habitat and more autumn colour from beech, field maple, birch rowan, oak, ash and alder. These shelter a shady walk, or will do if I can ever dissuade the abundant cow parsley.
As the years have gone by the large pond, which is shared by the neighbour’s cattle and sheep, has been getting overgrown with the arrival of various aggressive species such as reedmace, and branched burr-reed, as well as infested by some alien species (Azolla filiculoides and Crassula helmsii), which may have arrived on the feet of visiting ducks but I suspect were introduced with marginal plants purchased from nurseries. Many days for several summers were spent raking and composting the dense red carpet of Azolla, as winters were not cold enough to kill it. I was in despair until I heard from the Environment Agency about the Million Ponds Project, the aim of which is to reinstate the hundreds of farm ponds, which have been filled in or allowed to silt up all over Wales. Half of the UK’s ponds have been lost in the course of the 20th century.
The aims of ‘The Million Ponds Project’ are:
1. Restoring a million clean new ponds to the British countryside.
2. Advising gardeners to help them create perfect wildlife ponds.
3. Research to increase our understanding of how best to improve ponds to support native plants and animals.
The Wales Officer for the project, Rebecca Good, is now into the second year of
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her programme of BAP species pond creation (supported by Biffaward). A total of 27 ponds at 9 sites have already been created and funding has been applied for 80 new ponds at 10 sites which (subject to Biffaward approval) will be carried out in 2011/12.
In July 2010 we were thrilled to learn that we were to benefit from this scheme. Here I would like to express my gratitude to Geoff Radford (Chair NWWT), Dave Thorpe (Environment Agency Wales), Adi Moore (Countryside Management Wales) and Becky Good (Pond Conservation Wales). These people all made possible the restoration of the beautiful pond at Bryn Castell.
The metre depth of silt was soon replaced by rainwater and it was not long before the mallard and teal were back and the moorhens resumed their tugboat chugging and exploring the margins for nesting potential, and regular visits by the heron proved the abundance of frog spawn and amphibians. The bitterly cold December provided an icy rink for rabbits and foxes to cross, and during the long period when we were snowed in we enjoyed the good wildlife watching from the house.
Now spring has come, and kingcups are appearing on the banks as well as yellow flag iris, greater spearwort and water crowfoot, and the water birds are roaming the garden – let’s hope that they will mop up a few slugs while they are here!
Grace Gibson
Etm Books – Anglesey
Natural History books bought and sold
Rare, antiquarian and general Your ‘wants list’ welcome
Occasional catalogues issued
Contact : Nigel Jones
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Old-Growth Ancient Woodland in Wales Pictures on page 14
In the village of Cilcain in the Clwydian Hills of North Wales there is a church with a magnificent medieval roof dating from before the Reformation. It is a revelation to stand there and speculate how many large oak trees did it take to make this and, most poignantly, what did the countryside look like that it could produce so many oaks?
I own a woodland nearby that has evidently existed for hundreds of years. It’s called Coed Nant Gain. Gain, it is said, was a Welsh Princess who sheltered here from the marauding Saxon warriors in the 6th century. Prior to this, before man interfered, the prehistoric wildwood must have consisted of diverse native trees, huge amounts of fallen and decaying wood; numerous plants, some of which perhaps no longer exist; wolf, bear and beaver; it was symphonic with birdsong and had a myriad of insects and fungi. This would have continued for miles in every direction. Now, all but a few fragments survive, such as Coed Nant Gain, indicating how prehistoric wildwood functioned.
Over the millennia man has cleared the woodland for agriculture and imported new tree species for timber. As recently as the First World War there were large trees in Coed Nant Gain of oak, ash, alder. In the last century Coed Nant Gain was abandoned and became waste land, perhaps for the first time in its history. It now has no commercial value, being of very difficult access for modern machinery. It has thus become isolated, a relic of its former self in the windswept countryside that surrounds it. How medieval man would weep if he were to see this!
Coed Nant Gain, as the name suggests, is a steep-sided ravine or glen. It is on limestone, is geologically complex and has thus never been ploughed. As a result it is exceptionally rich and diverse. Its features indicate that it has existed for a very long time, probably since the retreat of the ice age. Its soils are diverse; there is evidence that the river once ran above the tree tops; it has exceptional fauna and flora; there are multi-stemmed oaks whose stumps possibly dates back to the time of the Armada indicating that its genetic stock may possibly originate from the wildwood; and there are diverse bryophytes, ferns and mosses. I have plotted this as a Habitat Jigsaw (described on the website– see footnote) making a highly complex mosaic. What’s special about Coed Nant Gain is that it has survived- intact, typical of what was once common place. No wonder it has been described as unique in this part of Wales!
Standing in the woodland, look, what do we see? Trees - of course. Right? Wrong! There’s much more - shrubs, bluebells, bird song, leaf litter, fungi, moss, ferns and much more. There’s decaying wood everywhere (hopefully) with numerous creepy crawlies at work, insects flying, foxes, badgers, even stoats,
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weasels and so on. There are trees with nesting cavities, windblown and standing. We must stop thinking of this as we do our garden, a collection of plants, but rather a complex, diverse community that is dynamic and interactive, a self-sustaining ecosystem. To the inexperienced eye this is grossly untidy, a mess without apparent rime or reason. Yet Darwin, in the last paragraph of The Origin of Species, recognizes why this is (on our website- see footnote).
Decaying wood is an essential component of a healthy woodland without which much of the fauna and flora could not thrive. In America I have seen that unlogged, untouched old-growth forest has far more decaying wood than anything I’ve ever seen in this country. Unless we take care, our mania for wood burning stoves is but the final act of asset stripping our woodlands and we are thus witnessing their final destruction. Reluctantly I admit to taking some logs to heat my house and for cooking, knowing that in so doing I am harming the woodland. To compensate I make sure I leave plenty to decay, standing and on the ground. A decaying wood policy will, in due course, be added to our website (see footnote).
It’s a great challenge and responsibility to own a woodland, it’s so precious. I have observed that, in our stressful age people gain great spiritual refreshment visiting my woodland. The sound of wind in the trees, the sense of peace and tranquility and sense of adventure is crucial for us all. I feel I do not have a God given right to do as I please or take whatever I want, but must conserve this. As with the air, water and sunshine, I do not ‘own’ it but rather I’m its guardian, obliged to care for it, protect it from the ignorance of our age and restore its health, so that I pass on to future generations my woodland in rather better condition than I inherited it.
Paul Goetzee, tree surgeon, contributing to the restoration of Coed Nant Gain, describes how working there has turned on its head everything he has learned. He says much of what he does centres around creating glades. As with nature, a gale blows over a tree letting light onto the woodland floor. As a result flowers bloom, insects dance, fungi fruit in the humid, damp conditions, tree seeds germinate and grow, nature creates natural nesting cavities. We mimic this by working with nature giving a helping-hand accelerating natural processes of recovery. For nature and Paul, creating prolific amounts of decaying wood is vitally important. He has learned to be untidy, very, tearing off branches and leaving the debris where it falls. In this way glades can start small and be enlarged. Clearings on the other hand are generally too big, letting in too much light and air so that nature has too protect the soil, frequently with a dense bramble cover.
This is Natural Forest Practice whereby we learn to observe the forest and work with nature. Coed Nant Gain has become a demonstration woodland illustrating how the natural ecosystem functions. As a result we are far less intrusive and rather more effective in caring for the forest. We are thus ensuring that it is in good health to pass onto the next generation with pride. You can see
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this on our website. However, prepare yourself for some surprises, for the more we observe, the more we find we have to learn.
We now consider Coed Nant Gain as much older than that defined by the technical term Ancient Woodland, (at least 400 years). Rather, the collective evidence indicates that it is very much older; leading me to believe that it has must have been continuously wooded since the retreat of the glaciers 12 millennia ago. It is these surviving fragments of woodland that I refer to as Old-Growth Ancient Woodland. Wales is especially well endowed with such woodland yet this treasure is totally ignored and as a consequence its international significance unrecognized. The result I’m sorry to observe is that great damage is being done as the last remnants of the prehistoric wildwood disappear.
Iliff Simey © March 2011
(You are welcome to copy this for your own use but for any other purpose please contact me first)
Footnote:
Darwin’s last paragraph of The Origin of Species is on our website at http://www.naturalforestpractice.com/
Our contact details are on the website. While there be sure to look at the Guest Book. I invite you to come on a guided tour and see what we have achieved. Spring peaks in April/ May when the flowers become a paradise on earth.
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
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New Study Reveals Timing of the Formation of the Menai Strait (page 30)
Dr. Mike Roberts with an eleven thousand year old peat sample
Menai Strait drilling rig
South Africa and Lesotho—Part 2 (page 33)
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Wild Science Day (page 38)
Wild Science Day was part of Bangor Science Festival, organised with the help of the Dr Tom Parry Jones Fund, which was set up by the Bangor University alumnus (left, in white jacket) to promote science and engender entrepreneurship in young people. He is also the inventor of the electronic breathalyser.
Iolo Williams at Wild Science Day
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Friends of Treborth Botanic Garden – Work Vacancy
Position: - Part-time gardener/plant maintenance person.
From: - July 2011 Hours: - 20.5 hours per month (Winter) 24.5 hours per month (Summer)
Rate of Pay: - £10.00 per hour
The Friends of Treborth Botanic Garden are looking to employ a casual part time gardener/plant maintenance person to care for a number of planting schemes/display plants at locations around Bangor University.
Over the last few years Paul Lewis has worked in conjunction with the Friends and created planting schemes at the Wheldon Building, Lloyd Building and also Main Arts. All these schemes have a monthly maintenance schedule. In addition the Friends also carry out maintenance at the Brigantia Building atrium planting scheme and provide indoor display plants to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).
The position requires someone with excellent plant cultivation knowledge, attention to detail, as well as flexibility and reliability. The role requires twice-weekly visits to maintain the display plants at CEH and weekly visits to Brigantia (twice-weekly in the summer). In addition the outdoor planting schemes require regular maintenance. As the nature of the work is spread over different times/days of the week, the position would suit somebody who is local to Bangor and can be flexible to suit requirements. The role will also require someone who can liaise with the various departments and who is excellent at managing their time. The maintenance work involves all aspects of plant care and good knowledge of alpine plants, herbs, herbaceous perennials and indoor plants is essential.
The Friends of Treborth support this role with expert help and advice whenever it is required.
The deadline for applications is Friday 27 May. Please apply to Sarah Edgar by letter (at the Botanic Garden) or email ([email protected]). Your CV would be helpful but not essential.
For further details please contact Paul Lewis, Judith Hughes or Sarah Edgar.
Paul Lewis – 07974 138540 or [email protected]
Judith Hughes – 01248 670673
Sarah Edgar – 01286 674934 or email as above.
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New Study reveals timing of the Formation of the Menai Strait Pictures on page 27
Ynys Môn, Anglesey, also known as ‘Môn, Mam Cymru’ or the ‘Mother of Wales’, is separated from its metaphorical ‘offspring’, mainland Wales, by that unique stretch of water we call the Menai Strait. The Strait provides the backcloth for many of our lives in North Wales, especially the Treborth community since it constitutes the major, and most picturesque, natural boundary of the Botanic Garden. Many of us commute across it twice a day, many of our houses look out onto it, we take our walks (with our dogs in Treborth!) along its shores and it has brought the region commerce and prosperity over the years. There was a time, however, when it looked completely different and an even earlier episode when it didn’t exist at all. Now, thanks to a newly published account in the Journal of Quaternary Science of some meticulous research undertaken by Mike Roberts and colleagues from the School of Ocean Sciences in Menai Bridge, supported financially by the Cemlyn Jones Trust and the Countryside Council for Wales, we know exactly when the Strait formed and the timing of the separation of Anglesey from the mainland. For his Ph.D., Mike used a drilling rig to recover some long sediment cores from the northeastern Strait between Bangor Pier and Gallows Point. These contained multiple layers of peat interbedded between estuarine and marine sediments which Mike was able to radiocarbon date to reconstruct how sea level has changed over the last 14,000 years. Pollen analysis of the peats also enabled the dating to be refined by correlation of the pollen assemblages with the detailed and complete pollen record of the last 10,000 years from Llyn Cororion near Bangor published by Ruth Watkins and colleagues in 2007.
The results clearly indicate that sea level is now at its highest over this
entire period; 14,000 years ago sea level was about 30 metres lower than now, mainly because ice sheets then – towards the end of the last Ice Age – contained so much of the water in the form of ice. As the climate warmed, so the sea level increased; by 10,000 years ago it had reached 15 metres below present and the rate of rise tailed off after about 4,000 years ago. Because the elevation of the seabed of the Strait is known, it is possible to calculate that the shallowest part of the Strait, in the Swellies adjacent to Ynys Gored Goch and the Botanic Garden, was first breached by a very high spring tide sometime between 8,800 and 8,400 years ago. Before this time it would have been possible to walk across the valley to Anglesey without getting your feet wet! After this time, for four thousand years until sometime between 5,800 and 4,600 years ago, there existed a tidal causeway linking Anglesey with the mainland at low tide in the same way that Llandwyn Island is now linked to Anglesey. There came a moment, however, when even the lowest of the low spring tides failed to reveal any dry land and the tidal strait as we know it today was first formed. This moment coincides with the timing of the transition from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to the first Neolithic farmers in North Wales when
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the slopes fringing the Strait would have been thickly covered by mixed oak forest. The breakthrough in the central Swellies converted two estuaries – one in the east draining into Conwy Bay past what is now Bangor, and one draining westwards into Caernarfon Bay – into the modern tidal strait. This fundamentally altered the pattern of currents, caused deep scouring of the seabed – off Gallows Point for instance – and transported huge quantities of sand to either end of the Strait forming the Lafan Sands and Caernarfon Bar. This sand then became available to build the sand dunes at the western end of the Strait. The new study therefore raises the hypothesis that the sand that now forms Newborough Warren started to accumulate after the breaching in the Swellies and only after the formation of the Menai Strait.
By comparing the new data with numerical model simulations of sea-level
for the whole of NW Europe, this newly-discovered pattern of how sea level has changed in North Wales also reveals information about the thickness of the former ice sheets that covered Snowdonia, the timing of their melting and how rapid this melting was, as well as important constraints on the properties of the Earth’s mantle beneath Britain. This new study not only unlocks the recent geological history of the region in which we work, it also demonstrates that the NE Menai Strait is one of the most important localities for sea-level reconstructions in the whole of Europe since this amount of sea-level data from a single locality is unprecedented.
James Scourse School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge
ROBERTS, M.J., SCOURSE, J.D., BENNELL, J.D., HUWS, D.G. & JAGO, C.F. Published online 2011. Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea-level change in North Wales. Journal of Quaternary Science. doi: 10.1002/jqs.1443.
WATKINS, R.M., SCOURSE, J.D. & ALLEN, J.R.M. 2007. The influence of topography and anthropogenic activity on the vegetation history of the Arfon Platform, North Wales, UK. Boreas 36, 170-181.
“Sweet flowers are slow and weeds make haste.”
William Shakespeare
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The Forestry Commission: War-time Necessity to Fiercely Defended Public Amenity
I was approached to write this article on forestry by the Friends due to my position as president of the University Forestry Society and committee member of the Friends.
This is a challenge as I am neither a writer nor am I truly a forester. As a student I study Environmental Science, but in my spare time I have a great love for forests. This is true of many people, people whose professional lives have nothing to do with forestry and who have no interest in the production of timber, the traditional purpose of managed forests.
There are many people who want to see our forestry protected for future enjoyment; hence the national outcry at government plans to privatise this much-cherished amenity. Looking at the origins of the Forestry Commission it is understandable that the government might think privatisation was a good idea, as past objections would suggest a lack of public affection for its methods.
The Forestry Commission was brought into being in 1919; national timber resources had been on the decrease since the middle ages but this decline really began in earnest during the industrial revolution. The First World War finally tipped the balance on national forest cover as trees were felled for use in trench warfare, bringing stocks to an all-time low. Plans for afforestation began in 1916 with the Commission being established in 1919. Initially the sole aim of the Commission was to rebuild and maintain a strategic timber reserve for what was an uncertain future. With the agricultural sector suffering from a severe post-war depression, land prices were low and even with a stringent budget the Commission was able to buy up large areas of land and plant swathes of fast-growing conifers.
By the time the Second World War came around timber was no longer used directly in warfare in the ways that it had been in the First World War, but it was still in great demand for use as pit props, coal being the essential fuel for industry and thus wartime armaments.
Post WWII, the need to once again restore timber stocks clashed with a desire to ensure that the country had a self-sustainable food supply in case our trade lines became threatened in the future as they had been during the previous war, which led to a focus on planting on marginal land which would be unsuitable for crops. There was also a shift at this point towards the planting of broadleaves rather than conifers. This shift came as a result of public complaints that the forests planted in the 1920s, which had now reached maturity, were an unnatural eyesore within the British Isles. Since that time, all Forestry Commission-owned forests have had a Forest Design Plan attached to them, aiming to strike a balance between the objectives of timber production, natural landscape retention, wildlife conservation and recreation provision.
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As the second half of the century progressed, the emphasis on timber security was reduced, with value being placed more than ever on wildlife conservation and the provision of public leisure amenities. This shift has been caused by various factors, the low cost of imported timber for one, along with the public’s desire to escape the urban areas in which they live and work in order to enjoy their weekends in the countryside, taking part in activities such as horse riding and mountain biking, the provision of which is at the forefront of forest planning.
This brings us neatly back to the start of this article, the reason for such a
great public outcry at the mere idea of Forestry Commission land being sold to private companies. The public no longer sees UK forests as merely a source of timber; they represent fun and enjoyment and pleasant landscapes. History has taught us that private companies cannot be trusted with things as simple as the running of an efficient railway network, something that most of Western Europe has achieved. There is no way we are going to let them loose on something as important as our forests.
Thomas Stanley, edited by Adam Crowe
South Africa and Lesotho – Part 2 Picture on page 27
We flew over to Durban, picked up a car and drove north to the Drakensberg Mountains. As we travelled further north through the KwaZulu-Natal plains the temperature increased and we eventually arrived at Montusi Lodge, just outside the Royal Natal National Park, in a hazy sunset. The lodge looked out over the valley to the Amphitheatre – a vast crescent shaped wall of rock, five km long, with mountain peaks either side of over 3000m. In the middle a small notch indicated the top of the Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall in the world at 947m. The first day we had a guided walk behind the lodge with a local Zulu who was a fount of knowledge about the history, cultural traditions and wildlife of the area. Several times he said that he wasn’t interested in politics, before giving us his views on the South Africa President Jacob Zuma and Robert Mugabe, and plying us with questions about Gordon Brown and George Bush. We learnt that the lodge had helped to set up a business in the village growing thatching grass for the traditional rondavel houses. We had hoped on the next day to walk to the Tugela Falls in the Royal Natal National Park but we were told that they were less than spectacular because of the unusually dry winter. However we still had an excellent walk in the Park and we saw a family of baboons. There was not a lot in flower because it was still very early in the season at this height, but there were bright splashes of red across the hillside from the bottle brush Greyia sutherlandii. The Park management includes a controlled
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burning programme and we saw extensive areas of burnt ground. We were intrigued to see many large bulbs, blackened from the burning but just showing new green growth; we were to identify these a few days later.
The final stage of our trip was to Lesotho. As the crow flies Lesotho was not far from The Royal Natal National Park; the South African Drakensberg Mountains are contiguous with the Maloti mountain range of Lesotho. But we had a long drive round to the north, in order to enter Lesotho by the Calendonspoort border crossing. The first village we came to was Butha Buthe, a busy market town with street traders’ stalls all along the sides of the road. Then we headed south, up into the mountains. Lesotho is the highest nation in the world, with all of its land above 1400 m (4600 ft), which is why it is called “The Kingdom in the Sky”. The twisting, tarred, but rock strewn, road took us over higher and higher passes until we reached Mafika Lisiu pass at 3090 m and started going down towards the Katse Reservoir. There were very few other vehicles on the road, but plenty of people walking between villages, children (in smart uniforms) going home from school, and men and boys on horseback, wearing the traditional Lesotho blankets and herding a few cattle.
Katse Reservoir was created in the mid 1990s when a vast curved dam (185 m high, 710 m thick) was built on the Malibamat’so River to hold almost 2,000 million m3 water to create hydroelectric power for Lesotho, but primarily to supply South Africa’s heavy industrial region around Johannesburg and Bloemfontein with water. Katse village, where we were staying, was built to house the construction workers for the scheme, and it was quite a surprise to find suburban streets and modern bungalows within a gated (and guarded) community after hours of seeing nothing but traditional thatched rondavel houses.
Treborth Botanic Garden was twinned with Katse Botanical Garden in 2004 and has had two visits by Friends since then – Pete Frost and Sophie Williams. So we were very much looking forward to meeting the Curator, Bongani Ntloko and being shown the Garden. Bongani explained that the Garden was set up by the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) as part of the environmental compensation to local communities for the disruption caused by the dam project.
There were expeditions to dig up plants, particularly rarities and ones used for traditional medicine, before the valley was flooded. These were moved to a 17 ha site on the hillside above the reservoir, which became the Botanical Garden. Bongani has worked over the last few years to landscape and plan the garden properly, creating themed habitat areas and a medicinal garden. Pride of place was given to the National Flower garden - a display of spiral aloes Aloe polyphylla. By his office was an aloe with a rather misshapen spiral effect which he thought may have been an accidental hybrid of Aloe polyphylla and Aloe aristata. There were not many plants in flower but he had a specimen of the bulb we had seen blackened by fire in the Royal Natal National Park – this was Scilla natalensis, a poisonous bulb with a beautiful blue flower spike that was traditionally used as an external treatment for wounds, sprains
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and boils. Bongani was concentrating on developing the core garden area of 2 ha, as he did not have the staff and funds to work on the whole area (we sympathised!). His staff came on short-term work experience contracts for about three months (earning about £5/day), so it was frustrating for him when they left after getting trained up. Other difficulties stemmed from the management structure; his employer was the LHDA and his immediate boss an engineer who did not appreciate the Garden’s requirements. Finance was haphazard – a splendid new visitor centre had been built but not quite finished and he had no idea when more funds would be found to complete the project, and a tractor (a vital bit of equipment for moving materials on the sloping terrain) was unusable because a new tyre could not be delivered.
However despite these problems he was full of enthusiasm and ideas. He saw conservation of native medicinal species, and education about this, as a high priority. Because of the very low incomes of many of the Basotho people they welcome payment, or inducements such as cigarettes, to show collectors where certain plants can be found; these are then sold in South African markets. He therefore did a lot of work with local communities to explain about the importance of conserving these species, and also encouraged them to propagate and grow their own medicinal herbs. After discussions with various traditional healers he went on plant hunting expeditions every year to collect seed from rare species. He had helped them to set up allotments, and showed us the legal documents; these have to reflect that fact that all the land in Lesotho is owned communally.
Coincidentally Bongani had a connection with Maliba Lodge in northern Lesotho where we were to spend our last two nights: he had set up a native plants garden there. He needed to visit there to check on progress so we gave him a lift. As he was a member of staff of the LHDA he was allowed to drive over the dam itself; we stopped half way and looked down the incredible drop to the river below. As we drove we discussed ideas for co-operation between our two gardens, and how we might be able to help him get some training. Then we stopped off at a village called Ha Lejone. Here lived an old lady whom he had contracted to propagate the spiral aloe; he had helped her to set up a cold frame and shelter for the propagation, had provided her with seeds, and he needed to visit her to give her some money for the mature plants that he bought back off her. She lived in a traditional rondavel, and her daughter and three grandchildren lived in a conventional bungalow next door. The primary school was just behind and we could see the children all sitting outside and turning curiously to see our car drive up to the house. When the three grandchildren realised that the car was arriving at their house, they abandoned school for the day and came rushing over to see who the strangers were. They were fascinated by the camera and Sarah was happily occupied for a while taking photos of them and then showing the photos to them, while Grandma showed Gerry the spiral aloes. We then continued to Maliba Lodge, and Bongani showed us the garden he had designed. We learnt from his excellent
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interpretation boards about some of the flora of the Ts’ehlanyane National Park in which the lodge lies. Sadly we then had to say goodbye to him.
We were looking forward to a couple of days exploring the National Park. The next morning we went for a walk up the valley. The Park is particularly important for its large area of Leucosidea sericea, the indigenous Cheche tree with its attractive serrated leaves and yellow flowers. We also saw plenty of Erica and also the only native bamboo in southern Africa, Thamnocalamus tessellattus. It was a very hot day and we walked for a couple of hours until we found a very welcome sight – a small pool known as Black Pool where we had a refreshing dip before setting off back to the lodge along the mountain side. We saw some smoke in the distance and wondered if there was a controlled burning programme in the Ts’ehlanyane National Park as there was in the Royal Natal. However as we got nearer we realised that it certainly wasn’t controlled; the wind had changed direction and there was billowing smoke and flames moving up the hillside towards the lodge. We then started to get really worried – all our belongings were in our rondavel, with passports, money and car keys locked in the safe. As we ran down the hillside we were making plans for what to grab first – if indeed we got the chance to get back in the rondavel. Luckily the fire hadn’t reached the lodge buildings when we arrived. There were men sitting on top of the some of the buildings with hosepipes, trying to dampen down the thatched roofs. The chef, with whom we’d had a long chat the night before, was almost in tears and we gave her a hug before we threw all our gear into the car and headed off down the track to the park entrance. There were occasional small outbreaks of fire near the road but not so severe as to block our path. We passed a truck with a gang of men heading back towards the lodge presumably to help fight the fire – no reassuring fire engines here of course. We didn’t try to find other accommodation in Lesotho that night; we were going to leave early the next morning anyway to get to Johannesburg for our flight home, so we just drove north, out of Lesotho and into South Africa. Eventually we got to Harrissmith and found a hotel and finally we could breathe a sigh of relief that we were safe and sound.
The first thing we did when we got back home was to email the lodge and find out how things were; fortunately, although the fire had continued for two days, there was very little damage to the buildings and nobody had been hurt. The other important task was to follow up some of the ideas that we had discussed with Bongani. Gerry emailed Chris Willis, the Director of the South African National Botanic Gardens whom we had met at Kirstenbosch, to ask if Bongani could be included in the network of Curators of Botanic Gardens so that he had access to more training and also to help with plant databases. But then we heard from Gill Scott, our other contact at Kirstenbosch, that Bongani was no longer in post as Curator of Katse.
Sarah Edgar and Gerry Downing
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Rhizotron Research Picture on page 13
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 have been awarded a £150,000 Wolfson Laboratory Refurbishment grant through the Royal Society to refurbish and refit an existing rhizotron (a below-ground laboratory used in the study of soils and plant roots) at Treborth Botanic Garden. Work began in March. The rhizotron is said to be the only one of its kind in the UK. The grant also covers the expense of refurbishing an out of use residence at Treborth as offices and control centre for the laboratory.
The rhizotron is an enclosed bunker with 34 windows allowing researchers to see the soil (to about 1 m depth) and its inhabitants without disturbance, which could change microbial activity, increase carbon emissions and release nutrients. The refurbishment will also allow samples to be taken from the soil instead of just observing it.
Professor Tom DeLuca explained: “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. Centuries ago, Leonardo Da Vinci stated that ’we know more of the movement of celestial bodies than we do of the soil under foot.’ This is still true today! Scientists currently have a limited understanding of how land use, the variety of plants, and climatic variables influence how much carbon is stored or released from the soil over long time periods.”
The grant from the Royal Society and the Wolfson foundation has made it possible for the University to refit the historically significant rhizotron to study carbon storage and turnover in soil ecosystems from the bottom up. The rhizotron will allow researchers to peer into intact soil profiles from an underground observatory and the Wolfson refurbishment will allow them to actually interact with the soil at depth and sample soil atmosphere or soil solution, or root tissue without disturbing the soil itself.
Said Professor DeLuca: “The refurbished rhizotron will promote novel research and greatly advance our existing studies on soil carbon dynamics and plant-soil interactions including how adding ‘biochar’ or charcoal to the soil affects carbon storage and root colonization, and other aspects. We believe that the Wolfson Belowground Carbon Laboratory will be an important compliment to the research infrastructure at Bangor University and attract researchers from around the globe to study belowground processes”.
(information taken with permission from Bangor University’s website)
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Wild Science Day Pictures on page 28
It seemed that a whole week of praying to the god of sun had thankfully paid off, as Sunday 13th of March was a beautiful day to host Wild Science Day. The morning of the event and the few days previously had been spent transforming the Treborth Botanic Garden into an afternoon’s worth of activities and stalls for all of the families of the local area to come and enjoy. Despite helping organise the event I had never previously been to something held by the Garden, and honestly, I did not know quite what to expect.
The event was officially started by the Curator of the Garden, and lecturer at Bangor University, Nigel Brown. He reminded us of the importance of experiencing nature first hand and explained how it was so important to have fun whilst learning. Iolo Williams, a nature observer and television presenter, was also introduced. He explained how his childhood had been spent outdoors, investigating nature and figuring out how the natural world works. He urged all of the children to experience the day asking as many questions about nature as they could (I’m sure to the slight annoyance of the parents when they got home and the children were still asking ‘Dad, What’s the difference between a moth and a butterfly?’).
After the welcoming, the families were free to experience the day as they pleased. Dr Rachel Taylor was there actively demonstrating ‘bird ringing’. They had a net set up to catch the birds in the area, so that they could be tagged. Children absolutely loved this stall as they were allowed to stroke the little birds’ heads and then watched in wonder as they were set loose into the world again.
There was also a tree surveying stall where visitors could see the insides of a tree mapped out using 3D imaging. This technological bit of kit was used to see if the trees were still standing strong and were safe to be around.
STAG, a student group that supports the Botanic Garden, had a tent set up where kids could generally get as messy as their parents would allow. The children were having great fun planting their own beanstalks, building wooden bug boxes and painting everything they could get their hands on!
At certain times of the day group activities of pond dipping and bug hunting were going on. I just had time to go along to one of the bug hunting sessions, and watched as the children held out massive nets and then shook the trees to catch all of the wildlife that was living on the branches. Everyone took to this very enthusiastically, often making it a competition of ‘who could catch the most bugs’.
My personal favourite of the day was the ‘tree listening’ activity. Alex Metcalf had come all the way from Cornwall to demonstrate this amazing technology. He explained to me that this idea developed from his university
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project, and using some very technological recording equipment, we were able to hear the trees. Putting your ears to the headphones you could actually hear the tree swaying in the wind and the water being sucked up the xylem tubes! One girl best compared the sound to ‘the crackling of a fire’.
Inside the lab itself were more stalls including a wood investigation stall, and most importantly a tea and cake stall. I think I should make point of saying how great all of the cakes looked. I was actually little hesitant to eat my cake as it felt like I was destroying an edible work of art!
I didn’t have time to go and see all of the stalls and the ones that I have talked about were only a selection of the ones that I saw. I have to say the array of stalls was incredibly well thought out, varied and most importantly entertaining and engaging.
My job at the end of the day was to go round and collect feedback from all of the guests. Despite impressions of people having a great time you never honestly know until you ask them directly. I am delighted to say that of the 50 different people that filled out my feedback form, every single one of them said that they had a fantastic day out! So many people either asked for future events or told me that this one off day should be held every year. Personally, I completely agree with this sentiment. The day was an amazing success, with parents and children having loads of fun and learning about nature at the same time. Every single person involved in planning, setting up and running Wild Science Day should give themselves a massive pat on the back and they can be proud to have been part of such a great day out. Well done, Treborth Botanic Garden, you clearly excelled on this one.
James Harris – Bangor University
An update on the Treborth Botanic Gardens Plant Collections Group As most FTBG members will know, Treborth BG has a Plant Collections Group (appointed by the Friends Executive Committee), which meets about once a month. This group considers plant acquisitions and policy for the overall collection of plants in the Garden, and for the individual “special”* collections.
Recently we have been discussing the policy for developing and maintaining the plant collections in the Garden as a whole. Since Treborth BG is a member of BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) we are very conscious of the “Global Strategy for Plant Conservation” guidelines, so feel that the conservation of our local native species should be an urgent priority. This should be
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both “in situ” (conserving the native ecosystems of the meadow plots, and in the woodlands for example) and “ex situ” (eg propagating some of the rare native species of Anglesey and Snowdonia).
At each Collections Group meeting we aim to consider an individual special collection, to check on its present state and future development. Earlier we visited the bamboo collection, and it was all too obvious that though we have some beautiful specimens, several of them have become seriously invasive, so have to be controlled. We aim to erect root barriers around every clump, and a few of the most invasive bamboos may have to be eliminated. We have also considered the carnivorous plant collection (now being splendidly developed by Mark Long), the tropical house, the xerophytic collection, the NVC beds and the orchid collection, amongst others. At present we are looking at the arboretum area, of particular interest now the new Coastal Footpath runs through its eastern end.
The consideration of overall policy is on-going, and if you have any thoughts about this, or about any of the special collections, the Collections Group would be very pleased to hear from you.
Pat Denne (Plant Collections Group member) *a reminder of the “Special” Collections:
1. Carnivorous plants
2. Lesotho plants
3. Xerophytic plants (cacti and succulents)
4. Economic plants (edible, medicinal, fibres)
5. Evolution (including ferns and lower plants)
6. Rare/threatened native plants (especially from North Wales)
7. Orchids
8. National Vegetation Classification (NVC) beds
9. Alpines
10. Bamboos
11. Sorbus spp
12. Meadow plots
13. Tenerife Collection
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