Newsletter 12
March 2007
This is the first "virtual" Newsletter of the Hull Natural History Society. It is hoped that articles can be added as they are submitted rather than waiting until there is a magazine-full.
| Editorial:
Richard Middleton Sturgeon in the Humber Colin Howes Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonta) of the Bransholme Fishing Ponds Andrew Ashworth Return of the Water Vole Rob Atkinson |
Pam Gardam's Road Verge
Flora Bryan Mallison Tibthorpe verge plants : 1985 Richard Middleton Field visit: Paull Holme 24th March 2007 |
It is almost becoming traditional to start the Newsletter with an apology for the length of time it has taken to bring out a new edition. As I noted in the last issue, it is by no means an indication of a lack of activity within the Society. The Hull Natural History Society is now an active member of the Hull Biodiversity Partnership and is formally represented at it's steering group meetings by Rob Atkinson, with three other Society members attending in other capacities.
Return to contents ...According to research currently being assembled by the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, of all the numerous sturgeons that seasonally (from May to August) ascended the Yorkshire (Hull and Ouse) and Midland (Trent) river systems, the following report in the Doncaster Chronicle for the 10th May 1844 provides a fascinating and probably unique record of a sturgeon being caught alive in the Humber.
A Royal Sturgeon -On Tuesday afternoon week, the crew of the
Don - Thorne Packet, coming down the Humber, described something foundering
in the shallow water on Whitton Middlesand, and getting the boat out
proceeded to the spot, where they found the object of their attention to be a
fine sturgeon, which having leaped on the shoal, they had no difficulty in
capturing. The fish on being got into the boat was found to measure nearly
seven feet in length and in ventral girth thirty-three inches. Returning to
the packet, the boat containing the captive was suspended from the stern, and
a plentiful supply of the aqueous element being furnished, the prize was
brought in safety to Hull and has since been purchased by the Zoological
Society as a rare addition to the natural collection in the gardens and where
the stranger is now snugly located in the lake.
Investigations at the Zoological Society of London (i.e. Regent's Park Zoo, London) failed to come up with evidence that they were the recipients of the live fish but research by Tracey Booth of the Local Studies Librarian at Hull City Libraries, has shown that the'Zoological Society' referred to in the press article could well have been in Hull.
The Hull Zoological gardens, which opened in 1840, were situated on Spring Bank, extended over about seven acres and contained an aviary and two ornamental ponds, possibly where the sturgeon 'snugly' resided.
The gardens were finally closed around 1862 and the land developed for housing. What happened to the captive sturgeon isn't recorded, but residents in the Spring Bank area of Hull may have got more than just frogspawn in their garden ponds in spring!
Other allusions to Sturgeon in the Humber and on sale in Hull Market The earliest allusion to sturgeon in the Humber has been traced in the 'Lay of Havelock the Dane' as follows 'He tok ye sturgeum and ye qual and ye turbut'. This work of fiction, the earliest version of which dates from 1150, is set initially in or around Grimsby, thus the allusion is likely to refer to the Humber or Humber mouth region (Darbyshire 1884).
In 1578 Hull was described as having the best market for fish in England and sturgeon were listed amongst the species that could be purchased (VCH of Yorkshire, East Riding 1969).
In 1633 the Magistrates of Hull sent two casks of sturgeon with a butt of sac to the Archbishop of York (Malet Lambert Local History Reprints No. 80 1985)
In June 1843 a 7ft, 120lb specimen was netted in the Trent at Dunham and sold at Gainsborough and Hull (Doncaster Chronicle 2nd June 1843; Doncaster, Notts. & Lincs Gazette, 2nd June 1843) and one caught at Howdendyke in August 1901 was sold in Hull Market (Goole Times 30th August 1901).
In 1881 sturgeon was noted as a species occurring in 'the Humber and the tidal reaches of its tributary rivers' (Clarke & Roebuck 1881) but by 1922, it's perceived status had been reduces to that of a 'straggler' which 'from time to time ascended the river Humber' (Procter 1922). Today, the species is all but extinct in the North Sea and Yorkshire waters.
Very few specimens are even in museum collections but at Doncaster Museum there are two 19th century Yorkshire specimens, one from Stutton Mill on the Cock Beck, a tributary of the river Wharfe near Tadcaster, and a mighty 9ft specimen caught at Barnby Dun on the river Don below Doncaster.
References:Clarke, W.D. and Roebuck, W.E. 1881. A Handbook of the Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire. Lovell Reeve, London.
Darbyshire, R.D. 1884. Notes on the fishes of Grimsby about 1300. The Naturalist, 10: 61.
Malet Lambert Local History Library 1985. Reprint No. 80
Procter, C.F. 1922. Fishes of East Yorkshire pp.352-6 in Sheppard, T. (ed.) Handbook to Hull and the East Riding. Brown, London.
C.A. Howes,
Museum and Art Gallery,
Doncaster DN1 2AE
Essentially there are two ponds of different character.
These do complement each other and provide opportunities for most dragonfly species one could expect to find in fairly neutral, still water in East Yorkshire. The Emerald Damselfly has a preference for Juncus/Eleocharis dominated shallow margins and may not be found. The surrounding grassland is significant and should provide a variety of sheltering and feeding areas for maturing tenerals and adults. It also acts as a buffer against the agricultural pollution responsible for the paucity of dragonflies in the county e.g. most drainage channels and large water bodies such as Hornsea Mere.
The Monitoring commenced quite late in the year and only a few visits were made. Some species may have been overlooked and others the peak emergence missed.
| 19th June 2002 | Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma
cyathigerum) Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) |
numerous numerous 2 6 3 |
| 19th July 2002 | Common Blue Damselfly Blue-tailed Damselfly Four-spotted Chaser Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) – all teneral |
1 1 1 6 |
| 6th August 2002 | Common Blue Damselfly Blue-tailed Damselfly Common Darter Four-spotted Chaser Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis) Emperor Dragonfly |
100s few 40 2 2 5 |
| 14th August 2002 | Common Darter Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) Common Blue Damselfly Blue-tailed Damselfly Brown Hawker – 2 ovipositing in small pond |
100 2 50 few 4 |
| 2nd October 2002 | Common Darter Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) |
20 4 |
| 2nd November 2002
(Larval sampling) |
Blue-tailed Damselfly Azure Damselfly Emperor Dragonfly Also Water Stick Insects (Ranatra linearis) |
14 1 2 3 |
I am pleased to report that Water Voles (Arvicola terrestris) have returned to Engine Drain, Wawne. They occurred there 30 years ago or so then disappeared, as in many parts of the country, for no obvious reason. In 2002 I spotted likely looking holes in the bank and decided to watch for them this Spring before vegetation made it impossible to see the water. On 28th April 2003 I was looking at a hole for droppings when a large Water Vole swam up to the hole and disappeared. I also saw voles on the 4th and 10th May in a different place. I was able to stand and watch one eating meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) leaves for several minutes.
Return to contents ...Editor's note: Pam Gardam was a long serving member of the Society, enthusiastic local botanist and friend, who died in 2004.
An examination of Pam’s correspondence, field notes, records and assessments produced the following points of interest which still have relevance to the present conditions.
Correspondence showed that in 1997 The Hull Natural History Society offered to provide information and assistance on the sites which the new authority had inherited from the Humberside County Council (HCC). Planning, Environment and Technical Services (PETS) approved a request to contribute towards the expenses of volunteers who undertook survey work. The Environmental Manager was "closely monitoring the mowing contracts". Plug planting of wildflowers in areas of little intrinsic value was being actively considered.
However Pam was soon writing to PETS on behalf of the Society about damage on the B1248 verge near Fimber – had they made an assessment before road widening? – what safeguards had been put in place? – had original soil been put back?
In 1998 it was arranged that Pam would lead the Tuesday evening field meetings to be held on grass verges. She began to review the surveys which had been carried out for HCC in 1995 by Maslen Assoiates. Her concerns were with the suitability of their grading system, based on chalk grassland indicators, and also with the accuracy of its implementation. She was asking if local experienced botanists had been invited to contribute, conjectured on the depth of experience of the professionals and complained that HCC had agreed that they needed to make only a single visit to each site. She noted that she had seen "high-value" species both before and after the professional’s survey. Her subsequent visits in the following years repeatedly noted deterioration, scrub invasion, unsuitable cutting times, lack of identification posts, unsuitable moving heights, etc.
She devised her own three part grading system of the chalk indicators and was recording their percentage presence in each 10km square of The Wolds and Holderness. This intricate, refined approach demanded much travel and time consuming recording of hand-written data. Her mapping had official Verge Nature Reserves (VNRs) marked in orange and many of her own were located with green. Additional cryptic descriptions such as “rank”, “deteriorated”, “too overgrown”, “tall aggressive” became all too frequent during her last available records in the year 2000 and she continued to reassess and recommended modification to her grades. Her work notes also contained recommendations for the removal of sites from the list of maintained VNRs.
Her correspondence also contained the list of verges of wildlife interest that had been contributed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in July 1975. This contained references to species which formerly appeared on specific sites but which could no longer be found, e.g. Moonwort at Allerthorpe and Giant Bellflower at Leman Corner.
The correspondence from the earlier, more optimistic, era also revealed thet English Nature were involved in the evaluation of the original Humberside VNR criteria. This is in stark contrast to present day transactions in which they are at pains to make clear that road reserves are definitely not within their statutory remit. They are “... unable to inspect and report on these sites again or recommend palliative measures…” but they do agree that “… location maps and species lists for all East Riding VNRs would be useful for future consultations”.
Examination of 49 VNRs in 2003 confirmed that the deterioration first noted by Maslen and amplified by Pam was continuing unabated. Correspondence continues to accumulate, with current concerns focussed on the ever increasing threats by service providers who excavate verges, total lack of scrub control, desultory ill-timed mowing, refusal to divulge mowing records, refusal to pursue alternative funding opportunities, unfulfilled assurances about new marker posts, Gypsy encampments, new road grips, tree planting on VNRs plus comparison with the neighbouring county’s excellent record. Pam’s field notes would be a useful reference prior to visiting sites to confirm species loss.
The final solution may have to wait until the laggardly SINCs process is completed. Pam had attended the inaugural meeting with Baker Shepherd Gillespie in 2001 and had privately noted concerns about the way forward.
2006 may be a suitable time for the Society to enquire into current progress with the SINCs process. One scenario could be that the Highway Services will continue to claim that they are managing the reserves until a few can be adopted as SINCs. The forty or so that remain may then be quietly deleted from the maintenance list and abandoned. Perhaps the Society should consider whether it wishes to be involved with any of the forthcoming examination of SINC sites, without compromising our independent status by resuming any form of “partnership” with the local authority. Many prospective sites will be out of reach on private land but VNRs are, of course, always accessible, though many are now indistinguishable from the general configuration of coarse grass, scrub and overshadowing trees.
Return to contents ...| Ranunculus acris Ranunculus repens Cerastium fontanum Silene dioica Hypericum perforatum Hypericum hirsutum Viola odorata Viola hirta Viola arvensis Salix caprea Reseda luteola Primula veris Potentilla anserina Potentilla reptans Fragaria vesca Geum urbanum Agrimonia eupatoria Sanguisorba minor Rosa canina Lotus corniculatus Vicia cracca Vicia sepium Vicia sativa Lathyrus pratensis Ononis repens Medicago lupulina Trifolium repens Trifolium pratense Chamerion angustifolium Circaea lutetiana Linum catharticum Acer pseudoplatanus Geranium pratense Geranium robertianum Sanicula europaea Heracleum sphondylium Torilis japonica Myosotis arvensis Stachys sylvatica Glechoma hederacea Prunella vulgaris Plantago major Plantago lanceolata Fraxinus excelsior Scrophularia auriculata Veronica officinalis Veronica chamaedrys Veronica arvensis Euphrasia officinalis agg. Odontites vernus Rhinanthus minor Campanula rotundifolia Sherardia arvensis Galium aparine Cruciata laevipes Sambucus nigra Arctium minus Cirsium vulgare Cirsium palustre Cirsium arvense Centaurea nigra Lapsana communis Sonchus arvensis Sonchus asper Mycelis muralis Taraxacum aggregate Bellis perennis Achillea millefolium Senecio jacobaea Senecio erucifolius Carex flacca Festuca rubra Lolium perenne Dactylis glomerata Arrhenatherum elatius Deschampsia cespitosa Holcus lanatus Phleum bertolonii Bromopsis ramosa Brachypodium sylvaticum Listera ovata Platanthera chlorantha Dactylorhiza fuchsii |
Meadow Buttercup Creeping Buttercup Common Mouse-ear Red Campion Perforate St John's-wort Hairy St John's-wort Sweet Violet Hairy Violet Field Pansy Goat Willow Weld Cowslip Silverweed Creeping Cinquefoil Wild Strawberry Wood Avens Agrimony Salad Burnet Dog Rose Common Bird's-foot Trefoil Tufted Vetch Bush Vetch Common Vetch Meadow Vetchling Restharrow Black Medick White Clover Red Clover Rosebay Willowherb Enchanter's-nightshade Fairy Flax Sycamore Meadow Crane's-bill Herb-Robert Sanicle Hogweed Upright Hedge-parsley Field Forget-me-not Hedge Woundwort Ground Ivy Selfheal Greater Plantain Ribwort Plantain Ash Water Figwort Heath Speedwell Germander Speedwell Wall Speedwell Eyebright Red Bartsia Yellow Rattle Harebell Field Madder Cleavers Crosswort Elder Lesser Burdock Spear Thistle Marsh Thistle Creeping Thistle Common Knapweed Nipplewort Perennial Sow-thistle Prickly Sow-thistle Wall Lettuce Dandelion Daisy Yarrow Common Ragwort Hoary Ragwort Glaucous Sedge Red Fescue Perennial Rye-grass Cock's-foot False Oat-grass Tufted Hair-grass Yorkshire-fog Smaller Cat's-tail Hairy-brome False Brome Common Twayblade Greater Butterfly Orchid Common Spotted Orchid |
A view of the same, but now neglected, verge in April 2002
| Shelduck Teal Mallard Pheasant Magpie Moorhen Oystercatcher Golden Plover Grey Plover Dunlin Snipe Black-tailed Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit Curlew Redshank Turnstone |
Black-headed Gull Common Gull Wood Pigeon Skylark Meadow Pipit Pied Wagtail Dunnock Robin Song Thrush Magpie Carrion Crow Chaffinch Greenfinch Linnet Reed Bunting |