Apart from a short but intense downpour at lunchtime, when the group adjourned to the Hall café for shelter and refreshments (generously provided by Tom), we had warm sunny weather all day 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.

Although the gardens were intensely managed for horticultural perfection and historical authenticity, the richness and abundance of the site’s natural biodiversity was remarkable.

It was impressive to be surrounded by the immaculate management of topiaried trees and shrubs, historically accurate bedding plots and close-mown/striped lawns. However, it was fascinating and heartening to note to that at every opportunity, between and to the rear of these expressions of excellence, areas had been left for the native flora to express itself (grow, flower and seed).

No weeds these … here we encountered whole communities of limestone grassland and woodland- edge floras, including regional and national rarities, which in the countryside at large have become extremely scarce and under threat.

It was also intriguing and heartening to see how the gardening staff were encouraging visitor participation in (for instance) the appreciation of the species-rich lawns with the sign that read:

“What’s on Today”
“Can you spot any of the Bee Orchids hidden in the grass??”

Notable plant communities and natural history features included the following:

• The shaded woodland of the Pet’s cemetery where there is a progression from Smooth Meadow grass Poa pratensis which is replaced by the shade-requiring Poa nemoralis which in turn gives way to the woodland classics Wood Melic Melica uniflorq and Wood Sedge Carex sylvatica.
• In the ‘Hay meadow’ area dominated by Upright Brome Bromus erectus, the Rest Harrow Ononis repens is one of the Yorkshire sites for the specialist Rest Harrow Plume Moth (Ref: Notes on the Rest-harrow Plume Moth (Marasmarcha lunaedactyla): A vulnerable element in Yorkshire’s biodiversity. Bulletin of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. (1999) 32: 29-32.
• By the path dropping down to the rose gardens, the steep cutting, shaded by beech canopy and clad with Vinca minor and Poa nemoralis is a colony of the delicate Maiden Pink Dianthus deltoids. Very rare in Yorkshire but probably a native here, though only known in the literature at Brodsworth since 2010 (Ref: Maiden Pink Dianthus deltoides at Brodsworth Park. Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union Website 2010 YNU.org.uk).
• The Foxgloves, on a curving path running down to the rose gardens, were being worked by a number of nectaring insects including a range of bumble bees. It was interesting to watch them working the florets in the spiralling fibonacci sequence of the plant’s structure. To encourage Bumble bees, it would be useful to install underground Bumble bee nesting boxes (upturned terracotta plant pots) around the park (info from: https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/enjoy-dartmoor/funzone/make-a-bumblebee-nest-box).
• Unmown grassland to the rear or between heavily managed features frequently supported ranges of orchids. One swarm included over 80 Spotted Orchids Dactylorhiza fuchsii and nearby were more, together with Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera, Twayblade Neottia ovata and Southern Marsh Orchids Dactylorhiza praetermissa.
• Coming from the church to the main drive, to the rear of a cleared bed in front of topieried shrubs was a very fine fruiting clump of the Prickly Sedge Carex muricata. This is by far the most impressive example of this plant in the Doncaster region and represents one of the very few South Yorkshire sites for this national rarity.  

These and no doubt many more features of natural history interest are a tribute to the skill, knowledge and positive attitude of the gardening staff/management. We hope these comments may be of assistance to the continuation of their impressive work.

The following table is a list of species encountered during our visit:

We should have taken a leaf out of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Just So Stories’ and introduced it as Tim’s expedition “To the banks of the great grey-green greasy Shirley Pool, all set about with fever trees”.

It took place on a seemingly hot day when the impenetrable fens were impenetrably fenny and the impenetrable wet woodlands (despite the drought) were impenetrably soggy and the mosquitos and other biting dipterans were inclining to be a bit too friendly.

It was like stepping back into the world of the 18^th/19^th century local Botanists – Thomas Tofield (1730-1779); Margaret Stovin (1756-1846); William Pilkington (1758-1848); Jonathan Salt (1759-1810); George Nicholson (fl.1830s); Rev. Gerard Edwards Smith (fl. 1844 to 1846);  Oswald Allen Moore (d.1862); Samuel Appleby  (1806-1870); Peter Inchbald (1816-1896); Mary Yarborough (fl. 1830s); J. E. Kenyon (fl.1864); T. W. Gissing (1829-1870); Thomas Birks (fl. 1870s-80s); Franklin Parsons (fl. 1870s); and Dr H. H. Corbett (1856-1921).

Tim wasn’t just showing us odd specimens of key wetland plants of pre enclosure landscapes, he was taking us to where they dominated and were in charge. Ancient contorted coppiced Alders and Oaks were like the Ents from the forests of Tolkien’s Middle-earth and in the closed canopy settings of the Willow carrs, the blizzards of wind-borne flocculent willow seeds had settled on every twig and surface, giving the impression of a winter wonderland … though sweltering in the mid 20^s C!

There were banks and beds of Marsh Fern Thelypteris palustris, jungles of Great Water Dock Rumex hydrolapathum and amongst Phragmites reed beds were stands of the Great Fen Sedge Cladium mariscus. In open fenny grassland were beds of Meadow Rue Thalictrum flavum with the delightful Ragged Robin Silene flos-cuculi, and generally there were enough Sedges and Rushes to occupy you for an entire Open University Course.

Thank you Tim (and the Carstairs Trust)  for a most remarkable day of exploration but gosh (!) you made us suffer for our art.

CAH

Leader : Tricia Haigh

It’s hard to imagine that after all these hot sunny days a fortnight ago it was a cool and cloudy afternoon with a chilly wind when we met in Finningley churchyard.  I was joined by Nora and Gerri from the Nats and 2 other members of our church family. Having checked out the field in advance I decided there was little of interest compared with last year to make a visit worthwhile.

We spent just over 2 hours walking around our churchyard and the new burial ground looking principally at the botany but noting any wildlife seen, including a Swollen-thighed Beetle that I spotted when I first arrived on an Ox-eye Daisy flower but was unable to photograph before it moved off.  Although I hadn’t seen these beautiful insects before last year I’ve seen a number recently.  A few small beetles were spotted and gradually more bees were observed, including several that I found feeding on the flowers of Cotoneaster species growing near the Hollies just after everyone had left, including a Tree Bumblebee (photographed).

Mildew was noted on some plants, in particular White Deadnettle growing in the border near the rear entrance.  Two new plant species first noted in May were seen.  The first, a garden escape, was Pink Sorrel, Oxalis articulata.  Another first spotted in May was a Caper Spurge, Euphorbia lathyris, which on this occasion was found in flower and photographed.  Another new record for the churchyard was Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum.  This has been recorded for a number of years in the new burial ground but despite the number that were flowering alongside Common Cat’s-ear in the western end of the churchyard it was the first time I had seen it growing there.

In the churchyard a few Mikiola fagi galls were found on Beech leaves, single galls on individual leaves. This newly discovered gall caused interest last year when it was found as it was not a common sighting.  In the new burial ground oak leaves were scrutinised and Nora discovered a good example of the gall wasp Andricus curvator on Quercus robur, a first record of this gall for Finningley (photographed).  Another gall was found and photographed, which as yet has not been identified.