THE FRIENDS OF
TREBORTH BOTANIC
GARDEN
CYFEILLION GARDD
FOTANEG TREBORTH
NEWSLETTER CYLCHLYTHYR
Number / Rhif 12 September / Medi 2001
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EDITORIAL
We have a bumper Newsletter this time, so please excuse me for keeping the
introduction brief. I must begin by thanking everyone that has contributed
items and articles for this edition (to which there is a distinctly Antipodean feel)
- this really is your Newsletter, so keep them coming!
It has been an extremely busy summer at Treborth, with the volunteer help
going from strength to strength. This effort culminated for the Open Day in
July, when the gardens were looking absolutely stunning, and we had a record
attendance and a record sum of money raised. This should be a clear signal
of the potential of Treborth, and as the likelihood of securing funding gathers
pace, it is a timely reminder of what Treborth could offer to the community and
visitors on a more permanent basis. Your Committee has not been sitting on
its laurels, but has been carefully producing and evolving a whole range of
exciting ideas for the garden. A plan for development has now been drawn up
with the School of Biological Sciences, and the University is helping
enormously with securing Objective 1 funding. More of this in a future
Newsletter.
Its AGM time again, and that means renewal of your memberships. The
Friends have gone from strength to strength over the years, and we hope you
can now see tangible results in the gardens. Your Committee is extremely
hard-working, committed and dedicated, and we really hope you'll continue to
support us over the next few years. Big changes at Treborth are, we hope,
closer than ever, and we really want as many of you to be involved and benefit
from these changes. Treborth has become a hive of volunteer activity over the
past year, and I only hope this will increase as the changes take place. Please
renew your memberships, and also get your friends, family and colleagues
involved too. Its only because we have a strong Friends society that we have
got this far, and the benefits to you will increase substantially as the gardens
and the Friends develop and evolve.
The next edition of the Newsletter is due out in January 2002. As always, all
articles will be gratefully received (preferably on disk); please submit any
contributions to me by 1st December 2001.
Trevor Dines (Newsletter Editor)
Rhyd y Fuwch, Bethel, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 3PS.
e-mail: Trevor@rhydyfuwch.freeserve.co.uk
NOTICE OF AGM
The 5th AGM of the Friends of Treborth will take place on 4th October at 7.30
pm in A12 of the Brambell Building, University of Wales, Deiniol Road,
Bangor.
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Since the re-scheduled Len Beer Memorial Lecture is taking place on the 19th
October, we have decided not to follow the AGM with a lecture, but a more
informal event - a Gardeners Question Time. We will assemble a panel of
learned experts (aka suckers from the Committee) to answer your gardening
or botanical questions, including:
Recommendations of plants for difficult places
Identification of plants, pests, diseases and disorders
Cultural advice for all types of plants, indoors and out
Tips on propagation, seed sowing, composts and fertilizers
Organic gardening and Composting
Informal questions (e.g. "are the members of the panel gardening snobs,
or will any of them actually admit to liking pampas grass?")
We will also have a selection of the panels favourite plants, tips for the week,
and a few surprises. Please bring your questions on the night (there'll be no
pre-planned questions!) along with any plants or bits of plant that need
identifying or treating.
OOPP
MEMBERSHIP
AGM time, of course, means membership time. Please renew your
subscriptions! Treborth has benefited enormously from your support, and it is
only with your help that we have got so far with the planned developments,
which will bring so many positive changes to the gardens. A huge amount is
happening behind the scenes, and we hope that these efforts will bear fruit
soon. We are also continuing our very active diary of events, including tours of
Treborth and other gardens, lectures, workshops and plant sales.
Many of you have taken out yearly standing-orders to pay your subscriptions.
If this applies to you, there is no need to send us any money or forms - your
subscription will be renewed automatically (but please let Hazel Cave know if
there is any change in your details of address or telephone number). We are
extremely grateful to you if you have done this as it helps us enormously, both
financially and with the paperwork!
If your subscription is not by standing-order, a subscription renewal form (year
2001-2002) is enclosed with this newsletter, along with a standing-order form
if you wish to pay this way (please complete both halves of this and send the
top one to your bank and the bottom half to the Membership Secretary).
Please also return the subscription renewal form to Hazel Cave (Membership
Secretary), or hand it to her on the night of the AGM.
MANY THANKS INDEED FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!
Hazel Cave (Membership Secretary)
QQRR
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PLANTNET DATABASE WORKSHOP
On the 30 May 2001, Katherine Vint and I travelled to Cambridge Botanic
Garden for a PlantNet workshop on the various ways of managing plant
records. With a 10 am start for the workshop, we had to leave Bangor at 6 am,
but arrived (a bit bleary-eyed) only 10 minutes late!
The morning began with Andrew Sier, the workshop organiser, explaining why
databasing plant collections is so important and giving an overview of the
various options available. This was followed by some excellent case histories
of how records of various plant collections have been computerised. The
Cambridge Botanical Garden talk, by Pete Atkinson, started with their first
record dated 1762, and followed through with the first accession book (1879),
card index (1951) and then database (1991). All their data has recently been
moved onto the "Rolls-royce" of database systems (BG-Base), and Pete's talk
ended with very pertinent advice on how to run and manage both the
database and the staff. The talk most relevant to Treborth was by Eddie Mole
of Bristol Zoological Gardens, as they were using the same system as us (BG-
Recorder), are under-resourced, and are also undergoing a period of change.
There were many initial problems with naming plants, as the labelling was
very poor; it took them some time, for example, to work out that "Bristol
Ochra" on one old entry in fact referred to "Aristolochia"!
The afternoon session, after an excellent buffet lunch, involved short 10-
minute presentations from various organisations on what they are doing about
computerisation and the problems they've encountered. These included
Jonathon Jones (Tregothan), me (Treborth), Margaret Ruskin (Westonbirt),
Fiona Crumley (Chelsea Physic Garden), Becky Govier (RBG Edinburgh) and
Martyn Fellows (Eden Project). Following these talks, three different systems
were demonstrated and discussed.
I think the main message of the meeting was that the system being used is not
that important (they all more or less perform the same job) but what is
important is a firm database strategy that ensures that records are updated
regularly, checking of the data is thorough, and that all the garden staff or
volunteers understand why the database is important, are able to use it, and
are able to benefit from it. This personel aspect was stressed again and again.
We currently lack a database-strategy at Treborth, and this is something we
should certainly be addressing.
The workshop finished with a tour of Cambridge Botanic Garden, which has to
be one of the best I've been to. It was well maintained and clearly labelled, but
retained an informal and friendly atmosphere. It was obviously a place where
active research was underway, but also where the public were encouraged to
learn more about the plants around them. An inspiration to Treborth indeed!
Trevor Dines (Chairman)
AABB
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FRIENDS OF TREBORTH EVENTS
Plant Fair at Crug Farm
5th May 2001
With fine weather, the Friends once more had a marvellous day at the annual
Crug Farm Plant Fair. We are indebted to the Gwynedd Branch of The Welsh
Historic Gardens Trust, and to Sue and Bleddyn Wynn Jones, for this
opportunity to meet our supporters, sell some plants and make new friends.
Ann Wood (Secretary)
A Walk in the Woods
The Late Spring Walk on 15th May 2001
Led by Nigel and Trevor, nineteen of our members thoroughly enjoyed a
gentle stroll around the ancient woodland and its environs. On the way there
we passed the new pigeon loft, keeping at a respectful distance as the
experimental flock of homing pigeons were settling in after their arrival on that
day – they are part of an SBS research programme which will monitor their
flight metabolism. By the limestone scarp, to the left of the track towards the
Strait, we admired the grotesque flowers of Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia), and
to the right of the track were a number of magnificently large Early Purple
Orchids (Orchis mascula). Here Trevor showed us the differences between
the native Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), the Spanish Bluebell (H.
hispanica), and their hybrid, and warned that the original native bluebell was
getting increasingly scarce due to the invasive nature of the hybrid. Turning
along the lower edge of the playing field, we passed an artificial bank that had
been colonised by a wonderful range of ferns – the apple-green Soft Shield-
fern (Polystichum setiferum) uncurling their fronds like shepherd‟s crooks, the
fuzz of golden scales of the Scaly Male-fern (Dryopteris affinis), the darker
stemmed Broad Buckler-fern (D. dilatata), and the unmistakably simple fronds
of Hart‟s-tongue Fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium) indicating base rich growing
conditions.
Then past the two hugely spreading “landmark” Sessile Oaks (Quercus
petraea), to the rectangular block of ancient woodland. On three sides this is
marked out by an ancient bank and ditch, indicating that in past times it was
considered to be worth protecting against grazing animals. Having had
woodland cover for hundreds of years, this area is likely to have high
conservation value, and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI). To avoid damage to the fragile ground flora, and compaction of the
wet soil, our group kept to the path. From here we saw several species in
flower that are regarded as indicators of ancient woodland, including Sweet
Woodruff (Galium odoratum), Wood Sedge (Carex sylvatica), Sanicle
(Sanicula europaea) and Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa). We
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speculated about past management of the woodland (the Hazels for example
appeared to have been coppiced) and possible consequences of the present
absence of management.
Emerging onto the lower playing fields at the far end of the ancient wood,
where the ground is so waterlogged that the pitches can rarely be played
upon, we speculated somewhat wistfully about how that area could be used.
This “poor” grassland is rich in species of plants and insects, as was clear
from the masses of Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis), sedges and orchids
that had appeared after a period when mowing had been prevented by
excessively soggy conditions. It is likely this area had previously been wet
heathland, and could be so again!
Back into the ancient woodland, it was alive with birdsong: by now flocks of
Rooks and Jackdaws were sweeping around before settling down for the
night, adding to the earlier chorus of Blackcaps, other warblers and tits. The
oaks along the edge showed some signs of caterpillar damage, possibly the
Purple Hairstreak which occurs regularly in that area. The woodland is
especially wet in the lower part, and here were masses of Great Woodrush
(Luzula sylvatica), indicating lack of grazing pressure. A fallen trunk had a line
of ferns along it, having provided a habitat for gametophytes to develop above
the lush undergrowth and litter layer. Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
saplings were abundant where a fallen tree had opened up the canopy,
stimulating further discussion about management to retain the conservation
interest of the ancient woodland. Here too grew two other native tree species,
the Spindle (Euonymus europaea) indicating calcareous conditions, and a
grove of Aspen (Populus tremula) in a particularly poorly drained area.
Further along the old carriageway, past the other end of the ancient woodland
bank, a broken-down iron fence marks the “Donkey field”, last grazed in the
early 1950‟s. Here, in less than 50 years, massive natural regeneration has re-
established mixed woodland. On further again, to the right of the path back
towards the formal gardens, was a more planted area of the Donkey field
including semi-mature trees of Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris), Scots Pine
(Pinus sylvestris) and Beech (Fagus sylvatica). On the left of that path we saw
much natural regeneration of willow and birch, here Nigel told us of the Chara,
supported by tufa (calcareous deposits) in a stream bed. Finally, emerging
from the woodlands, the Staphylea by the big old Ash was in full flower, and
the rock garden (which the volunteers have worked so hard upon) looked a
picture in the late spring sunshine.
This evening walk was so full of interest, covering new ground for many of the
group, that we scarcely noticed the midges! Treborth Botanic Gardens are
indeed fortunate in having such a range of woodland habitats, from acidic to
basic, including ancient wood, plantation, and natural regeneration, from
formal garden down to the shoreline.
Pat Denne (Vice-chairman)
Guided Walk at RSPB Conwy
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22nd May 2001
The gain in biodiversity at this coastal site in the last few years since it arose
from the aftermath of the excavation of the new Conwy tunnel has to be seen
to be believed and is the result of imaginative planning and management on a
grand scale by the local authority, highways deptartment and RSPB. What
was once dereliction is now a wild life haven and the Friends luckily chose a
fine evening to visit it.
After a warm welcome in the spacious visitor centre by RSPB Warden in
charge, Ian Higginson, we set off on a circular tour of the reserve firstly
stopping to appreciate some of the aquatic plants for which the reserve is
becoming increasingly noteworthy – Ranunculus baudotii, a scarce Water
Crowfoot for example. Nearby Reed Warbler sang out repeated flutes and
churrs and satisfied everyone with close views as well.
The extensive wetlands support a rich assemblage of wildfowl including at this
time of the year Canada and Greylag Geese with goslings, Great Crested
Grebe with young hitching a ride on the parent‟s back and ducklings of several
species. Lapwings do quite well here despite the national decline and we saw
a reasonable number of juveniles on the margin of the pool. Shelduck seemed
to have had a good breeding season too.
The reed beds not only provide shelter for many wetland birds but food for a
range of insects such as Drinker Moth, the caterpillar of which we admired at
close hand. The path sides where vetches and other legumes such as Spotted
Medick (Medicago arabica) flourish are havens for day flying 6-Spot Burnet
Moths.
But best of all were the Swifts - what an aerial display they provided us with!
Every one of this troop was an ace flyer and didn‟t mind proving it with low
level passes at lightning speed accompanied by excited screams – a wild
bunch indeed but always in control and a thrill to watch.
Thanks to RSPB for allowing us the privilege of an evening visit and to Geoff
Battershall for his kindly and authoritative botanical help on the night.
Nigel Brown (Curator)
Visit to Dibleys Nursery
9th June 2001
Ten members visited Dibleys - a disappointing number considering that it was
a nice sunny day. When we arrived we were met by Mr Rex Dibley at the
renowned family run nursery which specialises in Streptocarpus and related
plants such as Episcia 'San Miguel' - a hanging plant with frilly flowers.
However, we were pleasantly surprised when we were taken for a tour of the
11 acre garden with masses of shrubs and trees - too numerous to be listed.
Next we visited the huge glasshouse, covering about ½ acre, which housed
the Streptocarpus plants of every hue and form. The glasshouse was of
modern construction and computer controlled with regards to temperature,
humidity, amount of light and feeding, and the benches were automatically
moveable. A breathtaking sight! Amongst the Streptocarpus there were some
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plants endemic to S. Africa which were used for hybridisation, producing
varieties which flowered all the year round, for example.
Lastly a visit to the propagating greenhouse, where new plants were produced
from leaf cuttings.
As usual a visit to the shop where there were many varieties of all shapes and
sizes and needless to say we did not come home empty handed. Thanks were
expressed for the interesting tours.
The most enjoyable part of the trip was an invitation to tea and cakes at
Glenna Goodwin's artisitc home in St Asaph. We sat on the patio in the sun
surrounded by a very pleasant garden and wonderful plants!
Enid Griffiths (Committee Member)
Treborth Open Day
15th July 2001
The weeks leading up to our annual Open Day are always tense, as there is
so much to be done to get the gardens looking at their best. There is weeding,
trimming, potting and clearing to be done, labels and displays to prepare,
signs to put up, plants to gather and sort for the sales and refreshments to
organise.
But all these efforts are worthwhile once the gates open and the gardens,
greenhouses and laboratory fill with people. Its so rewarding to see everyone
enjoying themselves, and this year the event was a huge success as a slightly
damp morning gave way to a dry and bright afternoon. The outdoor plant
sales area was the biggest we've had, and it was wonderful to see people
arriving with boot-fulls of plants for sale. And we had a complete range of
plants for all tastes, from Bamboos to petunias, alpine willows to herbs and
Arisaemas to busy-lizzies.
Nigel Brown and I led two tours of the garden, one of the highlights of which
were the new Pigeon lofts. These caused particular excitement on the second
walk when, at 5.00 pm, the doors opened and the aerobatic young birds took
to wheeling around our heads for several minutes, all the while trying to form a
coherent flock. They just about managed this, but explaining bamboo
reproduction afterwards somehow didn't seem quite as thrilling!
The greenhouses were full of children completing excellent quizzes prepared
by Laura Brown and Casimhe McShane, which led them hunting parrots up
trees and looking at flowers and moth wings through microscopes. The
number of children visiting during the day was extremely encouraging, and the
highlight of their day surely came when the moth traps were opened at 4.30.
I'll never forget their faces or their squeals of delight as repeatedly larger and
more colourful moths were found and escaped! The stars of the show were
the huge Poplar Hawk-moths, which flashed their red warning-spots
menacingly.
The laboratory looked equally stunning, with a demonstration of the Treborth
web site by Katherine Vint, displays of Bamboos and epiphytes (also by
Katherine), herbal plants and medicines (Jo Hughes), moths (Dylan Lloyd),
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birds (Mike Hammett), and a range of dye-plants and dyed wool by the
Gwynedd Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. Just outside was a display
of rare native plants by Trevor Dines, and we also had posters illustrating the
history of Treborth and the involvement of Sir Joseph Paxton. The range of
refreshments was huge, including home-made cakes, biscuits and scones.
We also had wonderful stalls of indoor plants, and of books and various other
garden-related nick-nacks.
Thank you to everyone that came, and especially thank you to all those that
helped make the day the success it was. This is our main fund raising event of
the year, and we broke all records with a total of £944 at the end of the day.
Trevor Dines (Chairman)
QQRR
WEATHER AND WILDLIFE
April - July 2001
mm Inches Max Min
April 105.4 4.15 15.0 0.0
May 52.1 2.05 23.5 2.0
June 30.2 1.19 27.25 4.0
July 58.9 2.32 24.75 6.0
Vernal activity in 2001 was delayed somewhat by a cool, damp April. A total of
1356 moths were caught using the standard Robinson Light Trap giving a
nightly average of 45 moths of 7 species and there were few butterflies on the
wing apart from Peacocks on 19 and 28 . After an exciting period of aerial
th th
displays Peregrines settled down to breed on the Britannia Bridge by mid
month. A surprising summer visitor, albeit transitory, was Grasshopper
Warbler, it‟s characteristic reeling song very obvious on the morning of 24th
though the bird itself remained hidden in shrubs bordering the pond. Willow
Warblers were singing on 17 and 26 but otherwise were inexplicably absent
th th
at Treborth throughout the breeding season. Spring flowers of note included
an eye-catching display of Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) on the lower
playing fields throughout the second half of April whilst within the adjacent
ancient wood Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) and Bluebell
(Hyacinthoides non-scripta) reached a peak of flowering during the last week
of the month.
May was generally sunny, especially the first half, and at times very warm
reaching 23.5 degrees on 24 . During the first half of the month the Garden
th
reflected the improving weather with a flourish of fresh foliage on the trees,
especially the birches, and outbursts of floral brilliance from the cherries,
native and introduced. Butterflies appeared in good numbers by 5 especially
th
Green Veined White and Peacock though, as is usual for May, moth activity
was disappointing - a total of 913 individuals giving an average catch of 30
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moths a night of 13 species. Cockchafers, also known as Maybugs, were
noticeably less numerous – a total of 115 compared with 278 last year –
perhaps evidence of a cyclical fluctuation in their numbers or perhaps the
hibernating stages had perished in the waterlogged winter soils? Herb Paris
(Paris quadrifolia) happily appears to be steadily increasing (22 flowering
shoots this Spring – up from 17 last year) and many of these lasted well into
June unlike most seasons. The blue swathe of Cuckooflower (Cardamine
pratensis) lasted late into May.
Additions to the Garden‟s bird list are infrequent nowadays so the sighting on
4 May of the very first Red Kite by Dan Gray, a second year undergraduate
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during a field class at Treborth was doubly exciting.
June turned out to be the driest month since July 1999 and registered a
respectably high temperature of 27.25 degrees on 26 – but it was hardly a
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„flaming‟ June. In response butterflies were generally rather scarce but moth
numbers rose sharply, averaging 84 a night of 23 species with a monthly total
of 2,523. Lime Hawk Moth on the night of 5 /6 June was a thrilling surprise –
th th
a new and somewhat unexpected addition to the Treborth list, this attractive
hawk moth was caught in mixed woodland opposite the laboratory not far from
the line of lime trees which runs northwards towards the Strait. It is a southern
species, most commonly found in the Midlands and Home Counties and rather
scarce in Wales, especially so in N. Wales. It‟s appearance was not only
surprising but highly fortuitous as the following evening Treborth‟s moth trap
was filmed in action by an ex-Bangor student, Mike Dilger, for a natural history
series due to be screened on Channel 5 early next year. The Lime Hawk was
comfortably detained for 24 hours and slipped into the trap the following
evening as the camera rolled!
The protracted display of vernal plants meant that the rock garden looked
splendid well into June benefitting enormously from all the attention it had
received from volunteers this spring. As well as cultivated plants it was good
to see specimens from the conservation collection of rare native species doing
well – Welsh Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster cambricus) and Sticky Catchfly
(Lychnis viscaria) in particular. By mid June the meadow plots were full of
orchids and other native flowering plants. 1250 flowering heads of Common
Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) and 9 Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera)
were recorded on a meadow bank immediately west of the Garden‟s ancient
wood. In turn the flowering of the meadows heralded a fresh surge of
butterflies at the end of the month with Meadow Brown abundant.
Unsettled weather during the first three weeks of July brought twice the rainfall
of June but did not halt the momentum of the moths. A monthly total of 6,339
moths was a welcome increase on previous years with an average nightly
catch of 205 moths of 42 species and a maximum catch of 394 moths of 65
species on 25 /26 Another new species for Treborth, The Blackneck, caught
th th.
on 5 /6 July, is, like the Lime Hawk, a southern species in Britain.
th th
Not all moths are strongly attracted to light and are therefore rarely caught
using a Robinson Light Trap. These include species which are chiefly day
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flying such as Northern Eggar, a fine looking fawny moth the male of which is
day flying whilst the female only occasionally comes to light. A specimen of
the latter was therefore an interesting find in the light trap on 25th/26 July, as
th
was a single Old Lady Moth, both sexes of which rarely come to light.
Ghost Moths were very low in numbers this year and like the Cockchafers one
wonders whether the winter wet dealt their subterranean, root feeding
caterpillars a lethal blow.
Peregrines were a regular sight hunting for prey to feed their brood in the first
half of July and Crossbills were seen in small parties of up to 20 on three
dates in the second half of the month. By the end of July Whimbrel were
audible in the Strait marking a return passage of migrant waders from N.
Britain and Europe.
The damp conditions of early July encouraged the early appearance of rings
of mushrooms (Agaricus campestris) and toadstools (Lactarius circellatus
under hornbeam, Carpinus betulus). Perhaps also encouraged by the rain an
interesting flowering plant, Yellow Bird‟s–nest (Monotropa hypopitys) which
relies heavily on a saprophytic fungus for its survival (it has no green parts)
reappeared on a nearby bank in the adjacent playing fields at the end of July.
July ended on a fine note with very warm sunny weather prevailing during the
final week. However it failed to lift butterfly numbers nor deter Robin‟s autumn
song signal the next phase of seasonal life in the Garden.
Nigel Brown (Curator) & Daniel Brown
AABB
WELL DONE AND THANK YOU KATHERINE!
Many Friends will know Katherine Vint. She has been the Student
Representative on the Committee for the past two years, and has spent
countless hours at Treborth working hard at a huge variety of tasks, from
potting on seedlings to initiating the databasing of the plant collection, and to
designing the Treborth Web-site (http://biology.bangor.ac.uk/treborth/). Multi-
talented indeed!
Katherine is also talented academically, and proved this in May by achieving a
First Class Honours Degree in Plant Biology. Congratulations from the
Committee and all the Friends, Katherine - we all knew you could do it!
We are equally thrilled at Katherine's future. She has just taken up a post for
the summer at the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, where she will be working in
the Herbarium on a study of the Myrtaceae. Then, in September, she will
begin an MSc in Plant Taxonomy and Systematics at the Royal Botanic
Garden, Edinburgh! With such a pedigree, the world will surely be her oyster!
Just before she left, Kathering prepared many new exhibits and plant labels
for Treborth which were used in the Open Day. Her enthusiasm and
dedication will be missed, but hopefully she'll be calling by in the future (and
not just when we've crashed the plant-record database and are crying out for
help!).
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Trevor Dines (Editor)
OOPP
LACEY LECTURE
Robert Swan was the first person to walk to both the South and North Poles.
He was awarded the Polar Medal in 1987 and was the Keynote speaker at the
Earth Summit in Rio. Regarded as one of the world's top motivational
speakers, he has inspired school children, individuals and corporations alike
to become involved in his Mission Antarctica which aims to ensure the
preservation of the Antarctic wilderness. He continues to spread his message
through the lively presentation of his journey, and will give the 5th Lacey
Lecture on Friday 23rd November at 7 pm in the John Phillips Hall, Top
College, University of Wales, Upper Bangor. Tickets £5 (£3 for students) are
available from the North Wales Wildlife Trust.
Trevor Dines (Editor)
AABB
TREBORTH TRIAL OF ANNA WATSON
The defendant, Anna Tamsin Watson of 26 Trem Elidir, Bangor is accused of
the following offences:
Climbing on benches; hogging fridge space; inappropriate use of the
University ‘Health and Safety’ booklet and being far too cheerful (even at 7am)
(see Article 1).
Article 1 – Clear evidence of excessive cheerfulness
Prosecution
This BSc Ecology student is to be found roaming around the lab at Treborth
Botanical Gardens each morning. She can be recognised by her persistant
singing, games of apparent „hide and seek‟ (armed with a glass tube) and
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cries of „got you!‟. The orderly peace of the lab is being assaulted on a daily
basis by this scoundrel, ban her I say!
Defence (the defendant chose to represent herself)
I understand that my actions must seem somewhat bizarre. I plead guilty.
Since Feburary, I have been taking digital photographs of the live moths
trapped by Nigel Brown. I get down to Treboth by 7am, we look through the
trap together and identify the moths. Nigel has taught me to identify over 200
moth species (so far).
I place each moth into its own glass tube and put them in the moth fridge. This
calms them down so they are more likely to sit still. Three at a time, they are
carried back to the lab and manouvered onto a coloured surface (the red
backcover of the University „Health and Safety‟ booklet!). Once each moth has
settled a photo is taken (see Article 2) and the moth released outside.
Art icle 2 – A digital image of the Lesser
Swallow Prominent. Its larvae live on Birch trees.
While moths are nocternal and generally dopey by day some still make
enthusiastic „great escapes‟. This accounts for my „strangest‟ actions, as I
follow moths around the lab and „seek‟ them out wherever they settle. This
tends to be just out of reach (hence the bench climbing) or in amongst the
plants. They often fly towards light, settling on the window.
This leaves only the final charge of excessive cheerfulness. Wouldn‟t you be
cheerful if you were working with amazing and beautiful creatures, getting to
know their behaviour and producing what you know will be a great resource? I
rest my case.
I aim to image up to 20 individuals of 250 species over the course of 2001. I
will write these images onto a CD-ROM. They will be used as a test dataset
for DAISY (Digital Automatic Identification SYstem). I will feed the identified
images into this new computer system. She makes numerous measurements
and picks out the characteristics that identify each species. I will then test how
well she can identify un-named images. Treborth is involved in cutting-edge
technological research, DAISY was recently featured on „Tomorrow‟s World‟.
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The imagebank can also be used as a resource for identification and research
not yet contemplated.
Treborth is perfect for this work. Nigel has been trapping moths nightly for 10
years and the garden provides a wonderful habitat for moths, with a wide
range of foodplants. Thank you for making Treborth available for work like
this.
Anna Watson
QQRR
AOTEAROA - LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD
New Zealand consists of two large islands, the North (115,000 sq km) and the
South (151,000 sq km), plus smaller islands such as Stewart Island (1,700 sq
km). It is a country with a total land area of 270,534 km, slightly larger than
that of the UK (244,800 sq km). New Zealands population is approximately 3.8
million, with 29% of the entire population living in the city of Auckland in the
North Island.
My journey through New Zealand began in Auckland. A short drive from the
city took me to Mt. Eden, the highest volcanic cone in the area, providing
fantastic views of the city. In the centre of the city is the Auckland domain
park, an area covering 80 hectares, housing the Wintergarden hothouse and
fernery. Particularly attractive were the magnificent specimens of Dendrobium
chrysotoxum and Cattleya labiata orchids, plus a very colourful arrangement
of streptocarpus. The park and the glasshouses are beautifully maintained by
the local council. Whilst in the North Island I visited two gardens, the first was
Hamilton gardens, situated alongside the Waikato river which is New
Zealands longest river at 425m long. The overall theme of these gardens is
'the story of gardens'. It features rose gardens, display houses, camellia
garden, magnolia garden, victorian flower garden, New Zealand plant
collections, herb garden and traditional Japanese and Chinese gardens. The
gardens are also a base for horticultural education. The second garden I
visited was the Wellington Botanic Garden, established in 1868 and
maintained by Wellington City Council. These gardens contain 26 hectares of
native bush and a variety of gardens including the Lady Norwood Rose
garden with over 100 species of roses. Other gardens here included
succulents, ferns, threatened New Zealand species, Australian plants,
rhododendrons, fuchsias, camellias, begonias and herbs.
New Zealand is a very clean and green country with many species of trees
growing here. I was particularly fortunate to see the following: Agathis
australis (Kauri); Podocarpus totara; Dacrydium cupressinum (Rimu); Knightia
excelsa (Rewarewa); Leptospermum scoparium (Manuka); Metrosideros
robusta (Northern Rata); Metrosideros umbellata (Southern Rata);
Metrosideros excelsa (Pohutukawa); Sophora microphylla (Kowhai);
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Nothofagus menziesii (Silver Beech); Nothofagus fusca (Red Beech);
Cordyline indivisa (Cabbage Tree); Rhapalostylis sapida (Nikau Palm);
Mamaku (Black Tree-fern); Mangrove; Vitex lucens (Puriri), plus beautiful
specimens of the Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla). In contrast to
the lush green regions of the country, Rotorua, an area of extreme geothermal
activity was most unusual with bubbling mud pools, geysers, hot springs and a
not so pleasant sulphur aroma! The Whakarewarewa thermal reserve has a
maori cultural centre where I observed the making of traditional maori
costumes from the native New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) - Treborth has
several specimens of this plant.
Whilst in the South Island I participated in a 3 day, 39km trek along the
Routeburn track which passes through both Fiordland National Park and
Mount Aspiring National Park and is considered to be New Zealands premier
alpine trek. The first section of the walk passed through low altitude Silver
Beech forest, a region which averages over 5,000mm of rainfall a year, and
therefore capable of supporting a rich variety of mosses, ferns and lichens,
including wispy Goblin Moss (Weymouthia) which hangs from the trees. At
975m I marvelled at the sight of the Earland Falls which was in full roar due to
the very heavy rainfall that day. Exposed banks along this particular section
revealed Green-hooded Orchids and Button Ferns. For a brief while the track
began to level out as it carved its way through Silver Beech and subalpine
scrub. It was here I encountered pineapple scrub and its Dracophyllum
relatives, plus Snow Totara and ornamental hebes. At this higher altitude the
forest contained Old-man's-beard lichen, prickly Shield Fern and deciduous
Ribbonwood.
Day two of the walk took me above the treeline into the realm of the alpine
flowers. This region is home to Snow Marguerites (Dolichoglottis
scorzoneroides), daisies, Haasts Carrot (Anisotome haastii) and Maori Onions
(Bulbinella). Along the steady climb up to the highest point of the track
(1,310m), Snow Tussocks (Chionochloa) and Tree Daisies (Osmanthus)
flourish. It was also along this section I saw the worlds smallest conifer, the
Pygmy Pine, plus edelweiss and liquorice. Gusting wind and torrential rain on
this exposed section of the track put me off balance, introducing me to the
sharp-tipped leaves of Speargrass (Aciphylla). However, that little incident
was soon forgotten when I saw the Mt. Cook Lily (Ranunculus lyallii), which is
a white flowering, glossy-leaved, giant mountain buttercup, the largest
buttercup in the world. Also growing abundantly on this section were different
varieties of mountain daisies, members of the Celmisia genus. Back at the hut
at the end of day two I saw the cheeky and inquisitive Kea, an alpine parrot.
Day three, the only dry day of the trek, was a steady 4 hour descent though
Red beech forest which was carpeted with a huge variety of mosses, lichens
and ferns, including filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae).
Queenstown was my base for the remainder of my holiday. It is a town on the
shores of lake Wakatipu (52 miles long and 4 miles wide), with beautiful
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surrounding mountain scenery, especially stunning were the aptly named
Remarkables standing at 2286 meters in height.
New Zealands scenery is absolutely stunning, its people are welcoming and
friendly. It is country I would certainly recommend anyone to visit, although the
24 hour flight is tiring, I felt it was well worth the effort.
Tracey Johnson
School of Biological Sciences
AABB
COMMUNICATIONS BY EUCALYPTUS
Arriving late from Wirral for the open day at Treborth last summer we were just
in time to join Trevor Dines giving forth an interesting talk about the trees. He
was telling the group about Eucalyptus and their infinite variety, their many
locations throughout the world, and then he paused. With a slightly
embarrassed expression he described something 'he had been told' by Nigel
Brown, but was not actually sure if this was the definitive leg-pull. "You see",
explained Trevor, "the story goes that if the wind is swaying the leaf canopy of
a Eucalyptus, by putting your ear to the trunk and keeping very still, you can
hear the gurgling as the tree draws the water up the trunk...so here goes..."
He slowly leaned towards the silvery-white trunk and put his head against it.
Next moment, a shriek of delight. "It works, it really works!!" and a huge grin
had now appeared on his face. Naturally the entire group of listeners all took
their turn to listen and enjoy the sound.
In November 2000 we were lucky enough to do some serious travelling. So
now armed with this newly found party trick we have amused the great and
good in many diverse locations. We began when we visited the San Francisco
Botanical Gardens, but it was of greater amusement in Los Angeles, where
the Americans are recipients of huge numbers of unwanted Eucalyptus from
New Zealand. Our guide commented he would at least have something
positive to say about the hundreds and hundreds of surplus trees planted in
there in Hollywood Hills.
Then on to New Zealand, North Island, where we found that even our Maouri
friends did not know of communicating with the Eucalyptus, and they have a
tradition of fondness towards the trees and plants. At least the Aussies will
know, we thought. Well, actually no. Sydney Botanical Gardens are absolutely
wonderful, and a gorgeous setting, but such ignorance!!!!
Next we visited the home of the Eucalyptus, the Blue Mountains, which are so
named because the density of Eucalyptus trees creates a blue haze in the air
and the fragrance of menthol is constant. Thousands of beautiful acres, as far
as the eye can see, and beyond...all Eucalyptus. People gather to hear the
aboriginal legends of a great warrior going off to war who turns his three
beautiful daughters into three huge stone pillars, overlooking the Eucalyptus
valley. Sadly for them the warrior is killed in battle and does not return. Still,
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after centuries they wait. No-one has told them to listen to the trees to pass
the time.
When we fly to Darwin, home of the great Barrier Reef, the Darwin Botanical
Garden is one of the most exciting and dramatic of gardens. Stems of the
Black Bamboo are as wide as drainpipes and the tropical flowers a sensation,
but have they heard of 'euc-listening'? They have not. Not even the Flying
Doctor service have listened to their trees, whilst awaiting a call.
In Far North Queensland we had a superb guide who adored his exciting
rainforest. He was especially delighted when it rained for us and he was able
to show us plant and animal life, which leaps into action when it rains. Now he
will add our party-piece to his description of what also happens when the wind
blows.
The Botanical Gardens at Alice Springs is something of an oddity amongst
gardens. Begun by an eccentric, but forward-looking, little lady named Miss
Pink, it is an arid garden and is, frankly, an aquired taste. Miss Pink fought for
her rights to create a garden, and the rights of the aboriginals who worked
with her and lived in Alice, all of her life. Her work goes on, but with an added
dimension, of course, they now know of Treborth.
Crocodile Dundee country next, on the the edge of Arnheim land, a place the
aboriginal people hold sacred, like Uluru (Ayres Rock). Naturally we don't
expect the 'crocs' to know about the Eucalyptus, and who's going to tell them
anyway? Yet Jeff, who is the most knowledgeable person we have met so far
on our travels, but his communication with the humble Eucalyptus tree has, so
far, been only medicinal.
Surely Kings Park Botanical Gardens in Perth, that gorgeous place
overlooking the bay and holding the acacia collections of collections will know
about listening to your favourite tree? Again no, even though Titania, Queen of
the Fairies had her bed up in a Eucalyptus tree, whilst the Midsummer nights
dream unfolded below her.
Singapores' Botanical Garden house the most colourful and exotic of orchids.
The damp, warm air is heavy with fragrance. Not the place for a Eucalyptus,
but up in the temples and meditative places where monks commune with
nature...well here we have a rather hard time with the language so there is
much smiling and bowing!! Hong Kong's outlying areas are similar and we
wish we could make the locals smile at our strange ways of greeting their
trees, but home calls now, and sadly we must return.
But guess what? Our friends at Bryniau, on the Lleyn Penninsula, who open
their garden on the Gardens Open scheme and have several hundred trees,
including Eucalyptus, did not know what the knowledgeable Trevor and Nigel
know either!!
I wonder what little gem they will tell us on our next visit?
Barbie and Eric Coates
OOPP
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COVER PICTURE
Since Barbie and Eric Coates have been spreading the word about our
famous 'gurgling Eucalyptus', leaves and flowers of the plant in question are
pictured on the front cover. The tree itself is extremely attractive, with a light
and open canopy and bark that peels off in patches to leave a wonderfully
mottled trunk. The flowers have a noticeable honey-like fragrance, and the
older leaves turn a brilliant red before being shed in late summer.
Unfortunately, we are not certain which species of Eucalyptus it is (it may be
E. dalrympleana), but we are hoping that Katherine Vint will be able to name
during her time at Kew.
Trevor Dines (Editor)
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