Millions of people (not exaggerating) must have driven along the A64 York Bypass or travelled on the train from Leeds to York without realising what a treasure is so close by. I was one of these people till this day 17 July 2021.
It has been a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve for many years.- See description here - of how it was formed from a glacial lake held back by a glacial moraine (low hill) along which the A64 now runs.
Two years ago year there was a big campaign as developers wanted to build a big housing estate right up to the edge of the bog. There was an inquiry. With the help of many people, including David Attenborough, awareness was raised of the importance of this site, and the site was saved. Read about the battle to save it here
The site is all the more precious having heard the talks about the history of the vegetation of the Swale and Ure Washlands north of here (historic habitats and species lost to agriculture).
I saw a new sedge (for me) - The rare Gingerbread Sedge. I saw three more rare sedges and was told that a fourth rare one was nearby.
I saw two rare ferns.
While we had lunch by the pond a Southern Hawker DragonFly came to visit us and a Reed Warbler (not a Sedge Warbler as I first thought) sang from the near by trees
Now it is divided into three "woods" and bordered on the south by the A64 and railway, and on the west by the Golf Course.
I arrive at 10am, on what might be the hottest day of the year so far. I park and go to find the moths people emptying moth traps. I understand they go on to record 236 species (will update this at the end when I know the total including a good number of new records for the site.)
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| Buff Tip Moths |
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| Showing passers by what we have found |
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| Alastair Fitter is there and has brought some coffee..! The moth trappers have already been working several hours.. |
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| Recording the moths |
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Sharon is pleased that some Riverflies have been caught in the moth trap. There have been no species of Mayfly named at the site.. till today!! They also record some Caddis.
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Alastair leads a group to visit Far Wood. To get there we walk through fen and along the board walk. We want to stop to look at new plants and galls and insects on the way.. but if we stop too long we will never get there! Why am I always getting left behind?
In Far Wood we see Carex elata (a rare sedge) and then Carex elongata (an even rarer sedge).
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| Carex elata |
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| Carex elongata flowers |
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There is lots of Marsh Fern Thelypteris palustris - This is a rare plant - though I see some has been recorded near Ilkley
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We make it to visit the huge Royal Fern.
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| Looking the huge Royal Fern |
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Alastair explains that the Royal Fern does not seem to have many predators. Indeed, though this snail seemed to have climbed a long way up, the leaves were not nibbled.
Possibly -Wandering Pondsnail Lymnaea
balthica |
On vegetation near the ground as we return I notice a twig that moves - loops -
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| This twig moves - It is a caterpillar. |
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| Photographing this caterpillar |
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| Skullcap |
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| Alder buckthorn we think.. |
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| In Near Wood is a large area classified as Tall Fen. There is regenerating alder which is cut back on a three year rota. Some Belted Gallaway cattle have been introduced but they seem to prefer the nice soft Fen species to the alder. In the background picture we are looking at some VERY tall Bog Myrtle. |
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| photographing me below |
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Cladium mariscus Saw Sedge
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| Cladium mariscus |
In the sheltered parts of the wood in some parts where there is also enough light there are some lichens. The usual Xamtnthoria parietina and a little Physcia tenella of course.A fallen dead hazel branch was supporting these below:
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| Hypotrachyna afrorevoluta? (or H revoluta?) |
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| Parmelia sulcata |
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| Ramalina farinosa (and dead centre might be Hypotrachyna revoluta) |
I hesitate to give names to any of the fungi. This was a polypore
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| Polypore from above, on rotting log |
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| Here I am holding - upside down - a shoot of Carex lasiocarpa. - English name: Slender sedge. You can see the fibrillae (top right) . The tip of the inner face of the sheath (centre of picture) is dark red. |
Helen and I tramp round on the Tall fen and find lots of Sphagnum squarrosum, and some S fimbriatum - but no red sphagna. We met Tom Blockeel and Stephen also searching for Sphagna.. Their total so far is four.
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| Lots of easily recognisable Sphagnum squarrosum |
We continue to the east end to the sound of distant bagpipes (is there a wedding somewhere?) We explore some wood to the north until pools got too deep. So we retreat, and cross the tall fen again and return to base our feet getting peaty-wet as we became less fussy about our path in order to get back in time for the tea event.
Many people have to leave before tea, but 12 of us make it to the adjacent Pike Hills Golf Club where Tea has been arranged.
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| Don Grant showed us some male Monkey Puzzle flowers he had just obtained (nothing to do with Askham Bog- but interesting none the less) |
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| Don Grant show us some Rubus plicatus from the bog. He says most paces where it has been recorded in the UK is on bogs - e.g. Lawkland and Austwick Moss. near Settle. The shoots grow vertically like raspberry canes. |
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Charlie Fletcher sent a message on Sunday evening: "Hi
everyone
I’ve
been chained to the computer all weekend and enclosed are the results. The bad
news is that we failed to break High Batts NR’s all time Yorkshire record of 236
species on one night, but we did manage 223 which is pretty amazing. The good
news is that there were 18 new species for the reserve. 12 of these were new for
the 10K square so in a way were unexpected additions to the list. I’m very
pleased with the haul and several species were new for me. Spatalistis
bifasciana is, as we thought, new for VC64, and there were many other
goodies."
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A huge thank you to Ken and Sarah White for organising this VC64 event
and to Alastair Fitter who is so knowledgeable and involved with Askham Bog
and to all the other knowledgeable naturalists who came to help collect records.
