Ashdown Forest

Field meeting reports

Meeting date: 6 July 2014

(Leader: Kathryn Knapp)

Six of us enjoyed a visit to Hindleap Warren, where we parked at the Activity Centre and set off on a tour of the grounds.  Fairly soon, we encountered the “activities”.  Was this what we had come for?  When we eventually managed to persuade members that giant climbing frames, zip wires and swinging through the trees were not for them, we were able to get on with the botanising. Highlight of the day was finding Dryopteris aemula (Hay-scented Buckler-fern), last recorded here 20 years ago.  Although not a new record, we were pleased to see that Wahlenbergia hederacea (Ivy-leaved Bellflower) was thriving.  Other finds included Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree), Thuja plicata (Western Red-cedar), Larix x marschlinsii (Hybrid Larch) and Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese Red-cedar). We also found five SPA missing species, including Centaurium erythraea (Common Centaury) and quantities of Oreopteris limbosperma (Lemon-scented Fern), and common missing species such as Anagallis arvensis (Scarlet Pimpernel) and Euphorbia peplus (Petty Spurge). Twenty four species were added, bringing the numbers for the tetrad to 302.