Christmas card competition - the result is in!

So after considerable deliberation and debate we have a winner for the Christmas card competition. Three out of four judges included this in their top three choices - and such was the quality of the entries that no other photograph came close. Lots of the entries were selected by one or two of the judges in their top three so congratulations to all the photographers! 

I (acting as judging coordinator) have to admit I was surprised at this choice at first, as I was, I now think, too predictable in considering the more traditional seasonal plants - especially the photos with a red/ green theme. But I have now agreed with the judges who valued this highly; I think it provides a striking and unusual image, with perhaps a Christmas starburst/ bauble quality to it, and what is more, it represents the BSBI's interests in vascular plants, and looking at plants in great detail. 

"Time" - Taraxacum agg. - Dandelion - Dant-y-Llew
Photographer: David Hill

Congratulations to David Hill, from Rhyl. David will be receiving a complimentary pack of these cards once we get them printed, and they will be available for all to buy. They will hopefully be on sale at the BSBI conference in Edinburgh (20th-21st Sept) and at the conference and exhibition meeting (and EGM to discuss the changes in BSBI's corporate structure) in Cambridge (23rd-24th Sept). I will also bring some to the Welsh Committee meeting in October. If you will be able to attend one of these events that will probably be the easiest way to buy them; however if not please get in touch to buy them directly from me - email me and I will let you know how to pay. I am anticipating receiving cash in person or cheques through the post but hope to also arrange online payment. 

The price will be 

• £3 for 5 cards + envelopes
• £5 for 10 cards + envelopes
• £8 for 20 cards + envelopes

This is to include postage, and any profits will go direct to the BSBI.

A day out in Cwm Penmachno

On Friday I joined Wendy McCarthy and a group of Caernarvonshire botanists for a visit to Cwm Penmachno. Wendy had recorded in this tetrad before, but wanted to take a different route through the quarries and see if there were any interesting plants around a couple of lakes marked on the map.

In the end most of the interest of the day centred on non-flowering plants, beginning with rustyback, Asplenium ceterach, on walls, and then moving through other ferns and also clubmosses (at least one member of the group was also looking at the bryophytes as well). Maidenhair spleenwort, Asplenium trichomanes, has several subspecies; ssp. quadrivalens is typically found on walls where mortar leads to base-rich conditions while ssp. trichomanes is more typical of acidic habitats. We found a putative hybrid between the two, much more vigorous and larger than usual. We also spent some time looking at the male-ferns, Dryopteris spp., in order to identify the different species, including (I think) D. oreades, mountain male-fern, D. affinis, scaly male-fern and D. borreri, Borrer's scaly male-fern. I must admit I am not very confident in the identification of all of these, but one of the benefits of spending a day out with other botanists is always the chance to learn more about the species you encounter and Friday was no exception - especial thanks to Wendy, Martin and Paul.

Maidenhair spleenwort, Asplenium trichomanes - putative hybrid between subspecies?

 We also found two species of clubmoss - the fir clubmoss, Huperzia selago, and stag's-horn clubmoss, Lycopodium clavatum. This was found in some spectacular patches, and also exhibiting the typical forking fertile shoots.

Stag's-horn clubmoss, Lycopodium clavatum

As well as botanical interest, we had some great views, although a brisk wind kept our coats on the sky was clear for much of the day and views down the valley were lovely.

View from the quarry down Cwm Penmachno

 We made our way to this lake hoping to find a range of aquatic plants. Sadly it turned out to be a flooded quarry without much marginal vegetation. However, what it lacked botanically it made up for in scenery, especially with the rocky (and dripping) overhang at one end.

Flooded quarry lake 

Edinburgh conference

Hopefully most BSBI members will already be aware of the conference we are organising this year: A Great leap forward – Biological Recording since the 1962 Atlas of the British Flora. It should be a fascinating two days with a great range of speakers and topics lined up. I will certainly be going, and I know of a few other Welsh botanists planning to travel up too. It is at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, on 20-21 September 2012; all the details are available via the BSBI website including the ability to register and pay online! It would be good to see lots of people there!

Christmas card competition... closing now!

With a grand total of 24 entries (unless more come in tonight) I am now closing the competition. Please comment on the entries and suggest which one you think should win. The judges' decision will be final but they will try to take into account any views expressed...

Please have a look at the entries here. 

Hunting for bog orchids...

On Monday a few of us visited part of the Cadair Idris SSSI, partly in order to search for Hammarbya paludosa, bog orchid. This hasn't been recorded since 1975, and was not numerous then. However, it is a very small and inconspicuous plant, flowering fairly late in the season, and so it is probably easily overlooked. 

Hunting around a flush for Hammarbya

We were not successful in our search, although we did carry out some useful recording in an interesting site. One flush which appeared fairly base-rich included species such as Selaginella selaginoides, Briza media and Crepis paludosa. 

Crepis paludosa, marsh hawk's-beard, in fruit.

As Hammarbya is quite possibly under-recorded we would welcome any recent records - and perhaps it is a good excuse to visit some interesting areas. It is said to grow on Sphagnum and amongst grasses and on peaty edges of streams and runnels in the uplands. Curiously, it is the only orchid in Britain where the flowers are "upside down" - with the lips at the top. It is only a few centimetres high and greenish, so would reward careful hunting (excessive trampling is thought to encourage the bulbils to pop out of the ground).

Top Ten Families

On Saturday we had a BSBI training meeting which was a first for me - an introduction to the Top Ten Families of wild flowers in Britain.

We had a mixture of attendees including BSBI members, those considering BSBI membership, and local people - some relative beginners while others were wanting to polish up their skills. The venue was the Rhydymwyn Valley Nature Reserve, where we were fortunate enough to be assisted by Joe Phillips and Noreen who are both regular volunteers at the site and were able to escort us round the Reserve.

Members of the course with a range of plant specimens.

The idea behind the course is that within the British flora many of the most common plants belong to a relatively small number of families. By taking the time to examine members of these families in more detail you can become more familiar with them and hopefully for a wide range of plants get to the right section of the book more quickly. Of course, one day is not really long enough but hopefully it was useful.

For anyone that was wondering, the Top Ten Families (for this purpose) are:
Buttercup, Campion, Cabbage, Rose, Pea, Carrot, Deadnettle, Figwort, Daisy, Lily
or if you prefer the more formal names
Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae.

I think there is plenty of room for debate about whether they are really the Top Ten but there are good reasons for choosing them...

Photo competition - last call!

All has been a little quiet and I have neglected to round up the Christmas Card competition. As I will be off to Ireland on Friday (first for the Irish BSBI AGM and then for a holiday) I will allow one more day (I believe there may be one or two people who haven't sent me anything yet) and so before I leave I will post up the final entry list and then I will need opinions on which should be the winner.

Do have a look at the entries we've received so far and if you have some lovely (perhaps seasonal?) photographs lurking in your files why not send me one or two - anyone can enter, you don't even have to be a BSBI member!