Wild london spring 2013 by London Wildlife Trust

Protecting London’s wildlife for the future

SPRING 2013 I ONE HUNDRED ISSUES

This spring we celebrate our 100th issue with a poster of London’s wildlife, and say thanks to our amazing volunteers, who have helped us achieve so much. With your help, London Wildlife Trust continues to work with London planners and create living landscapes for people and wildlife. Could you donate a few hours a month to help us do even more?

SPRING 2013 Issue 100 Editor Kate Bradbury Editorial team Ed Dean Mathew Frith Cathy Gale Daniel Greenwood Catherine Harris Leah McNally Design Metalanguage Design Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, with vegetable based inks. Cover photograph Willow catkins © Martin Fowler London Wildlife Trust is the only charity dedicated solely to protecting the capital’s wildlife and wild spaces, engaging London’s diverse communities through access to our nature reserves, campaigning, volunteering and education. Registered charity number 283895 President Chris Packham Patrons Lord Peter Brooke Simon Hughes MP Lord Peter Melchett Bill Oddie Lord Chris Smith Contact us Skyline House, 200 Union Street, London SE1 0LX enquiries@wildlondon.org.uk www.wildlondon.org.uk @wildlondon

Above: Orange tip © Tristan Bantock Right: Hawthorn © Helen Shorey

LondonWildlifeTrust

Welcome to this spring issue of Wild London. In our 100th edition, we celebrate the many dedicated volunteers who are the life blood of the Trust. I hope you will be inspired by some of their stories and commitment to looking after London’s nature. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their hard work. Spring is a great time to get out and about and carry out conservation action, so if you’ve been thinking about it, don’t wait any longer – contact our volunteering support officer Jane Clarke today. You can find her contact details in the volunteering feature. Last year was the second wettest year on record, but we still have huge water management issues in Britain and these seriously affect wildlife in the capital. We continue to lobby with partners for appropriate green infrastructure and reduced hard surfacing, which adversely affect our wildlife. However, there is much still to do. While the Government’s Water Management White Paper has areas of merit, the Flood and Water Management Bill is not shaping up well. On the ground, we have launched our Lost Effra project – a pilot study on effective water management in the Herne Hill area of south London in partnership with Defra and many others. This year we will see some major developments in London. Vast changes are taking place at King’s Cross, Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea (VNEB) and at the Olympic Park. We’re working hard to get the best possible deal for wildlife in these areas and will keep you posted on our progress. Carlo Laurenzi OBE Chief Executive, London Wildlife Trust

Join us online Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with the latest news and events: twitter.com/WildLondon facebook.com/LondonWildlifeTrust flickr.com/groups/londonwidlifetrust

flickr.com/groups/londonwildlifetrust 2

News in brief Take part in our deer survey

This spring we’re launching a new deer survey, aimed at finding out which deer live in the capital and where. Penned herds of fallow and red deer can be found at Richmond, Greenwich and Home parks, however we know that wild muntjac and roe deer are increasingly being seen in suburban areas of London. Deer numbers in Britain are now at their highest ever, due to lack of top predators, hunting that focuses on male trophies (rather than females), and uncoordinated management. In large numbers they have a negative impact on woodlands as they browse wildlflowers, shrubs and tree saplings. This can affect tree regeneration, dormice, groundnesting birds and even butterflies. Your survey results will help us get a more informed view of deer distribution in London. For further information, visit wildlondon.org.uk/deer

Top: Speckled bush-cricket nymph © Metalanguage Design Above: Red deer © Tony Gray 4

Remembering Alfred Wallace’s links to London, a century on

Alfred Russel Wallace, born in 1823 in Usk, was a man of many talents – like Charles Darwin he was an explorer, collector of beetles and naturalist and he was also a geographer, anthropologist and political commentator. Wallace lived in six properties in London during a total of 10 years, including Westbourne Grove Terrace where he stayed with his sister. This was immediately after his eight years travelling in south-east Asia where he wrote his famous ‘Sarawak Law’, adding to the theory of biogeography, and his ‘Ternate’ papers which led to his idea of evolution by natural selection proposed in a letter to Darwin in Downe, Bromley. Towards the end of his life from March 1878-1880, he rented Waldron Edge, in Duppas Hill, Croydon. He then moved and rented a house he called Pen-y-Bryn from 1880-May 1881. In 1979 English Heritage erected a Blue Plaque on this house subsequently numbered 44 in St Peter’s Road, Croydon. During this time his book Island Life was published. It sought to explore the phenomena and causes of insular faunas and floras. It listed 69 species or varieties of butterflies and moths that at the time were thought to be confined to the British Isles, including records first found in West Wickham and a clothes moth found in Croydon! Wallace died in his sleep at Broadstone, Dorset on the 7th November 1913, and was buried in a public cemetery where a monument, consisting of a fossil tree-trunk, has been erected over his grave. For centenary activities go to wallacefund.info

Huge support for greater marine protection In January, 250,000 signatures on the Wildlife Trusts’ Petition Fish were presented to Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon at a Parliamentary reception hosted by the Wildlife Trusts. Carlo Laurenzi OBE, Chief Executive of London Wildlife Trust said, “Although it is positive that 31 areas are to become Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), we were disappointed when important areas such as the Thames Estuary were not given protection. The proposed Thames Estuary MCZ would cover the whole of the tidal stretch from Teddington seawards to the mouth of the Medway, and help provide vital protection for fish stocks.” A new poll, commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, shows the extent of public support for greater marine protection. More than 90 per cent said that in circumstances where sea life is threatened by commercial activity, priority should be given to protecting nature, even if this means putting restrictions on where commercial activities can take place. A recent report highlights

the benefits to be gained by society and the economy if the government adopts a network of MCZs around British shores in 2013. Our seas have an astonishingly varied range of submerged landscapes which support wonderful marine life, from cold water coral beds to sponge meadows, canyons and sandbanks. MCZs were conceived to protect the plants, animals and habitats within them from the most damaging of activities, whilst mostly allowing sustainable activity to continue.

River Crane pollution update

In October 2011, a 12-kilometre stretch of the River Crane and parts of the Duke of Northumberland’s River were polluted with crude sewage, killing thousands of fish. The clean up took many months of hard work. The Environment Agency remains committed to restoring both rivers, and to holding to account those responsible for the pollution. Today there are early but encouraging signs of returning life, including the natural re-colonisation of shrimps, other invertebrates and fish

fry. The Agency further boosted this in December by starting the first phase of restocking the Crane with fish, including 1,500 chub, 1,500 dace, 1,500 roach and 1,000 barbel. We hope that in future years, the condition of the river is better than it was before the pollution incident.

A potted history

We are very pleased to have been granted £120,000 over three years, from Big Lottery Fund for our new ‘Potted History’ project. We will use reminiscence therapy and gardening activities to directly improve the self confidence and mental, social and physical wellbeing of isolated older people in the boroughs of Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth. The project will also make small scale improvements to local green spaces for the benefit of other older people and will run from our Centre for Wildlife Gardening in Southwark.

Wet weather affects wildlife

Last year took its toll on many wild animal species, after the wettest summer in a century. Insects and their predators were particularly affected, as many insects such as butterflies can’t fly in cold, wet conditions. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society received many more calls from gardeners and members of the public who found sick, injured and cold hedgehogs in their gardens. Bats also suffered; the females give birth in May and June, and it’s thought that the mothers simply wouldn’t have found enough insect food to sustain themselves while feeding milk to their young. Many species of wildlife benefitted from the wet conditions, however. The abundance of grass led to a bumper year for meadow species of butterfly, such as the meadow brown and ringlet. Newts and dragonflies are also thought to have done well, as there have been plenty of ponds for them to breed in.

Big funds for London’s Green Grid

The aspiration to establish a network of enhanced green spaces across London was finally announced in December. Following the East London Green Grid’s aims of securing ecological gains within the Thames Gateway, work has been underway to roll this out across the Capital; the All London Green Grid now comprises 11 Area Frameworks, supported by Supplementary Planning Guidance. These Frameworks contain a directory of over 1000 projects that seek to improve our access to the natural world, embed greener transport routes, enhance visitor destinations, and meet the challenges of climate change. To kick-start the programme, the Mayor announced a £2m Big Green Fund to resource a handful of ‘step-change’ projects to further his Great Outdoors objectives. A £2m Pocket Parks fund will further complement this activity over the next two years.

The annual Gardeners’ World State of the Wildlife Nation poll found that gardeners reported seeing less wildlife in 2012, despite the fact that 93 per cent of gardeners are now taking steps to protect wildlife. To help wildlife in your garden, let an area of grass grow long and tussocky, plant a mixed, native hedge, dig a pond and grow a wide range of flowering plants for pollinators. Right: Meta bourneti © Tony Canning Above: Lesser celandine © Janie Easterman

New life found in old tombs

A large, rare spider has been recorded for the first time in London during a routine bat survey, deep in tombs at the Egyptian Avenue in Highgate Cemetery. The orb weaver, Meta bourneti, measures over 30mm in diameter (including its legspan). It’s the rarer of two species of Meta (Britain’s largest orb weavers). Meta spiders prey on small insects and woodlice. The females produce teardrop-shaped eggsacs, which hang suspended on a silk thread from the roof of their dwelling. Due to its origins as a cave-dweller, Meta bourneti requires total darkness; even an outdoor night time environment is too bright for it, so the spiders never leave the tombs. However, when the spiderlings first emerge they are attracted to light, helping them to find new areas to colonise. Tony Canning, London Wildlife Trust Community Outreach Officer for Camden and lead on the project, commented: “The discovery of this important spider population in the heart of London shows just how valuable cemeteries such as Highgate can be in providing refuges for wildlife.”

100 ways to volunteer Share your photos on Flickr... join the IT advisory group... recruit members... create a wildlife display... build an insect house... pull floating pennywort... dig a pond 5

100 hours of volunteering Come and join in

why volunteer? Because it’s fun, it keeps you healthy and active and helps you engage with nature and have a role in your local community. As Steve Cleall says, “Volunteering is the easiest job and there’s lots of fun to be had. You can be any age, any gender and have any ability to volunteer. And best of all, you can do it whenever you want – everything you do will make a difference.” Left: Raking the hay-cut © Shaun Marriott

In 2012, the average volunteer for London Wildlife Trust devoted 25 days to volunteering for us, yet many more devote even more time to help us achieve our wildlife goals and responsibilities. Without a shadow of a doubt, volunteers play a key role in our success as a conservation organisation. But not everyone can give 25 days – even giving the Trust a few hours of your time will make a difference in protecting the capital’s wildlife and wild spaces, and help us engage with London’s diverse communities about wildlife. One of the strengths of volunteering for the Trust is the flexibility to move between different types of activity if you wish to, as well as honing skills to a more advanced level if you prefer. You’ll get to visit a multitude of wildlife spaces all over London (my own geography of London’s wild oases is much improved since volunteering and working at the Trust). We aim to equip volunteers and the community with useful conservation and community skills. Our in-house training programme, free for Trust volunteers, covers a broad spectrum of subjects including workshops identifying different wildlife species, river management, autism awareness, ‘how to be a Green Flag Award judge’, ‘how to get a job in conservation’, and lectures such as ‘an insider’s guide to Darwin’, plus technical conservation skills such as brushcutting, first aid, bush-craft to name just a few. Whether you’d like to share your existing skills with the Trust or learn new conservation, ecology, construction, educational or community skills, we always welcomes new volunteers and no previous experience is needed, so why not give it a go? You will be part of the several thousand volunteers which make up the Wildlife Trusts’ volunteer force, the largest voluntary organisation in the country dedicated to protecting our wildlife and wild places. Jane Clarke, Volunteering Support Officer jclarke@wildlondon.org.uk

To mark our 100th issue, we celebrate and thank the volunteers who have helped us achieve so much. Sydenham Hill Wood volunteer Dave Clark has been volunteering around once a week for four years. “At first I wanted to get away from a computer and be out in the open and engage more with nature and spend all day with the birds”, he says. “But I have since found many benefits, including working in an environment which is hard to find anywhere else, where a team of people work in a non-hierarchical and non-judgemental way. Health and fitness benefits are obvious along with a cleansing of the spirit, domestic and work problems are whisked away, and there’s nothing quite like gathering round for a chinwag at dinner time out in the open with a choccy biscuit, a freshly brewed cuppa, listening to the wind in the trees and the birds chirping away.” Dave’s now much better at tree, shrub and butterfly identification.

Ian McKinnon has been volunteering at Crane Park Island Nature Reserve for more than 20 years. His role involves checking the reserve most days of the week and doing practical conservation work two or three times a week. “It’s a great way to stay in touch with nature; I get endless enjoyment from watching tree-creeper, kingfisher and sparrowhawk, muntjac deer and water vole, grass snake and marsh frog”, he says. Ian also finds the activities a good way to keep fit, and he enjoys working with likeminded people. “I’m learning more about wildlife all the time”. Group leader Ian teaches hedge-laying, water vole habitat creation, pollarding and coppicing. “Of the various habitats we have created I think the one that gives me the greatest enjoyment is the kingfisher nesting bank”, says Ian. “This means that the Island is always the centre of the kingfisher’s territory and therefore I can see them on a daily basis.” Ian also enjoys seeing the brimstone butterfly, which breeds on the site as a direct result of him planting one of its two caterpillar foodplants, alder buckthorn. Janie Burrage has recently started as an intern, supporting the Conservation Team in administrative work, and researching policy. She is keen to move professionally into the sector after eight years as a nurse in the NHS. “My work with the Trust has been a fantastic and ever evolving opportunity. Prior to this, I studied wildlife conservation at university and volunteered on a number of conservation projects. An internship therefore seemed a logical progression to gain necessary experience. It has been particularly valuable in assisting my career transition and enabling me to consolidate a number of skills. I now have a greater understanding of the policies behind management on reserves.”

Right: Dave Clark © Daniel Greenwood 6

“I’ve never gone to college to study conservation, but I have talked to people, learned from staff and other volunteers the wonder that is our wildlife” Steve Cleall started off helping staff at Sydenham Hill Wood and New Cross Gate Cutting around five years ago, and now runs the local volunteer group at New Cross Gate Cutting. He has always been interested in conservation; “I much prefer that to working in an office or doing a boring nine to five job”, he says. He enjoys working with likeminded people towards a goal and to see the results of his efforts. “I also enjoy receiving that ‘feel good factor’ from the work we do on all the nature reserve and open spaces.” But the wildlife is the biggest draw: “may it be rabbit, deer, kestrel flying overhead or the sheep grazing in the paddocks of Hutchinson’s Bank, or hedgehog, stag beetle, woodpecker or a buzzard flying along the railway line at New Cross Gate Cutting, the hairs stand on the back of my neck and a shiver goes down my spine. Wildlife is something that will never bore me.” Over the years, Steve has received training from the Trust and other conservation groups to help him gain knowledge and experience. “I’ve never gone to college to study conservation, but I have talked to people, learned from staff and other volunteers the wonder that is our wildlife. It helps me do what I love, working with people and helping London’s wildlife for the future.”

“I have to pinch myself to ensure I’m not dreaming when I’m watching a bittern or a bearded tit in the London Borough of Hounslow.” Long-standing volunteer Ted Forsyth volunteers at Hutchinson’s Bank, Chapel Bank and Selsdon Wood, and has recently become chair of the volunteers committee. “I volunteer to help restore the chalk grassland to improve conditions for flowers, butterflies and birds”, he explains. “I hope it keeps me fit!” Ted recently completed a brushcutter training course and has also been on emergency first aid courses. He completes many bird surveys on the sites and also notes other species such as roe deer, field voles, shrews, orchids and fungi.

Jan Hewlett has been volunteering for the Trust for 30 years. Her main activities include events around Gunnersbury Triangle Local Nature Reserve in Chiswick, such as attending committee meetings, helping out at summer open days and recording birds. She also springs to action whenever she receives a phone call or email when she’s needed! Her love of volunteering has grown over the years. “I got involved initially to help rescue a little patch of woodland near my home which was under threat of development”, she starts. “I was involved in lobbying our local council, publicity for the campaign, then preparing for a public inquiry. At this stage the Trust had only one member of staff so the volunteers just had to get stuck in. Then once we had the key to the door, there was all sorts of practical work setting up the nature reserve, heaving rubbish around, clearing paths to make the woodland accessible for the local community and making the pond.” Asked how she feels about her community, Jan says: “I’ve lived in the same place for a long time, but being involved in the Triangle has certainly helped me to feel part of the community. [Volunteering is] fun and if you are new to an area, it’s a great way to get to know people.”

100 ways to volunteer Learn to use a scythe... be trained in conservation and project skills... be a volunteer warden... grow vegetables in a raised bed... hold a bioblitz survey... build a reptile hibernaculum... learn how to make charcoal... make some bird boxes... repair a boardwalk... make a wildlife space more accessible for visitors by installing interpretation... litter pick... sharpen tools... build a stag beetle loggery... distribute balcony planters on a housing estate... become a Community Champion

Top left: Margaret Berger and Jan Hewlett with Simon King at Gunnersbury Triangle © Chris Taylor Photography Left: Ted Forsyth and Steve Cleall © Shaun Marriott

At Isleworth Ait Cliff Watson has been volunteering about once a month since the early 1980s. “I volunteer because I have a strong feeling that we are just stewards of our environment and that we need to leave it in better shape for future generations to enjoy. It’s great to come face to face with nature and to introduce the amazing world of wildlife to members of the public.” Apart from attending meetings, Cliff spends most of his time on the island (which is the Ait), and operates the boats to and from the Ait with his crew. “We have a small dinghy to get out to the island then we pick up the much larger boat that can carry the volunteers and equipment safely. On these trips we see a wide variety of birds including kingfisher and the herons that nest on the island. The Ait is famous for two rare molluscs: the two-lipped door snail and the German hairy snail, which has hairs protruding from its shell!” Over the years, Cliff has helped raise awareness of wildlife conservation and helped save some areas from development. “We were most successful in our campaigns and as a result Hounslow Heath, Kempton Reserve (a Ramsar site) and Bedfont Lakes were not only saved from development but are also now managed as flourishing wildlife sites. I have to pinch myself to ensure I’m not dreaming when I’m watching a bittern or a bearded tit in the London Borough of Hounslow.” As a result of volunteering, Cliff has helped spread the conservation message to a wide audience, from developing one of the first school wildlife areas in the Borough to appearances on TV. “It’s vital that we impart a sense of ownership to the community, as unless this happens our efforts will be fruitless in the long run. We have been lucky to have a group of local volunteers who are willing not only to get very muddy on occasions but also contribute to the management committee of the island.”

Katie Bermingham also volunteers at Isleworth Ait. “I turned up on a cold day in December 2003 to help put up some bird boxes and I haven’t looked back since”, she says, proudly. “I really enjoy working outside and helping to look after the reserve, and it feels good to think that I’m one of the team of people doing our bit to protect the Ait. I love being up close with all the animals, plants and fungi that live there and exploring somewhere that people rarely visit, despite the fact it’s surrounded by civilisation.” As well as volunteering on the Ait, Katie also helps out as Finance Officer for the Isleworth Ait Management Group. This involves attending quarterly meetings and handling financial matters. On the Ait, Katie has learned to handle tools such as bowsaws so she can take part in the willow harvest and fell small trees for path clearing and fencing.

“I turned up on a cold day in December 2003 to help put up some bird boxes and I haven’t looked back since.” Asked how volunteering brings her closer to wildlife, Katie says: “I’ve seen birds which I’d never encountered before such as goldcrests and kingfishers, and some of the largest bracket fungus I’ve ever seen.” “Yearly tasks such as ‘balsam bashing’ and the harvesting and replanting of osier willows are huge fun”, she adds. “And a big part of why I keep going back is to see other volunteers; we work well together and I hope they agree there is a great sense of camaraderie forged by our shared experiences.”

Above: Cliff Watson © Mathew Frith Left: Two-lipped door snail © Toby Barton 9

What’s in a name? Neither pinks in Deptford nor beauties in Camberwell

Mathew Frith explores London’s denominative flora and fauna. ‘The ‘Cockney sparrer’ is a name we Londoners give to a popular bird of the city, but this term has never replaced the bird’s common name, ‘house sparrow’. A few species, however, enjoy a London tag to this day, giving some insight as to their origins and appearances under the eyes of their early discoverers. Perhaps ironically, most of them remain rarities in Britain, let alone London.

Deptford pink © Ed Swayle 10

Deptford pink (Dianthus armeria) is a deep-pink member of the campion family, and probably a classic case of mis-identity. It was described by John Gerard in his Of the Historie of Plants (1597), as being found abundantly “in our pastures neare about London, especially in the great field next to Detford by the path side as you go from Redriffe [Rotherhithe] to Greenwich.” However, when Thomas Johnson revised Gerard’s herbal in 1633, the illustrations of two pinks were transposed. The pinks described by Gerard as “a wide creeping pinke...which hath many small tender leaves, shorter than any of the other wilde pinkes” were certainly the species now known as the maiden pink (D. deltoides). As the first name given to a plant is generally the one botanists stick to, Deptford is famous for a plant that has possibly never grown there. In the 17th century it was noted that Deptford pinks were “among the thicke grass towards Totnam Court, near London”. A species of open grassland benefiting from occasional disturbance, the loss of grazing

has contributed to the pink’s decline. Since 1965, Deptford pink has only been recorded at one site in London, on the rural fringes at Skeet Hill, east of Orpington. It’s now confined to less than 40 sites in Britain, mostly in the south-east, and not found in Greater London at all. London rocket (Sysimbrium irio) is a yellowflowered member of the cabbage family from the Mediterranean, where it naturally grows like a weed over rocky and disturbed areas, including the slopes of the volcanic Mount Etna. Its seed production is greatly enhanced by long hot summers, and, apparently, fire. In the Catalogus Angliae of 1670, the rocket is described as being found on various mounds of earth between the City and Kensington; after the Great Fire of 1666 it came up in “the greatest plenty in 1667 and 1668 within the walls on the rubbish heaps around St Paul’s Cathedral.” Very little thrives in today’s London. A site near Bloomsbury between 1901 and 1912 revealed a few specimens, and none was found in a survey of the blitzed ruins of 1940. However it was ‘rediscovered’ in 1945 in and around the Tower of London. It can still be found on the remains of the London Wall by Tower Gateway station, as well as near the Zoo. It flowers in late June. London pride (Saxifraga spathularis x umbrosa) is a garden escapee, a sterile hybrid of St. Patrick’s cabbage – a saxifrage – that has

been known since the 17th century. Tradition holds that London pride rapidly colonised bomb sites of the Blitz of the early 1940s, and is therefore symbolic of the resilience of Londoners. Noel Coward’s 1941 song London Pride celebrates the flower and the city: There’s a little city flower every spring unfailing, Growing in the crevices by some London railing, Though it has a Latin name, in town and country-side, We in England call it, London Pride. Fulham oak (Quercus x hispanica ‘Fulhamensis’) is a hybrid between the Turkey oak (Q. cerris) and cork oak (Q. suber) from southern Europe, that arose from graftings of an early hybrid in c1770 at Osborne’s Nursery in Fulham. With dark green leaves and a deeply fissured bark, it’s rarely found, being present in a few formal collections. London plane (Platanus X hispanica) is one of the city’s most characteristic trees. But it’s not a London native. It probably arose in Spain in the 17th century, either as a hybrid between the oriental plane (P. orientalis) and the occidental (or western) plane (P. occidentalis) from eastern North America, or as a variety of the former. Many were planted throughout London for their ornamental purposes and ability to tolerate dry and smoky atmospheres. The trees are now a renowned characteristic of central London’s parks and thoroughfares. All the London planes in Britain have yet to reach maturity, and are likely to become the country’s largest trees. Camberwell beauty (Nymphalis antiopa) is a large strikingly-coloured butterfly that was first described in this country from a pair found in “August 1748, in Cool Arbour Lane, near Camberwell”. The beauty is actually a rare immigrant species from Scandinavia and central Europe that has never successfully sustained a

population in Britain. Unmistakeable, with deep chocolate-purple upper wings fringed with violet specks and cream borders, it became one of the most prized collector trophies. In certain years there are occasional fluxes of Camberwell beauties, such 1846, 1947, 1976, 1995 and 2006. At least 57 were reported in London during the long hot summer of 1976, and others were recorded at south Croydon, Kew, Epping, Loughton, Isle of Dogs, and the Euston Road in the early 1980s. Images of the butterfly can be found around Camberwell, for example the shopping centre, and the old baths on Wells Way in Burgess Park. Moses Harris in his Aurelian (1766) also calls the butterfly ‘The Grand Surprize’ – a pub in Shirley is so named, with the butterfly as its sign. Although named after a town now on London’s fringes, Dartford warbler (Sylvia undata) was first recorded as a British breeding bird at Bexley Heath in 1773. It was found in comparatively common numbers at Hampstead, Highgate and Finchley in the 1860s, and was actually shot at Wormwood Scrubs and Old Oak Common. However, the vulnerability of this bird to human activities meant that it couldn’t survive for many years as London grew rapidly from the 1840s. In the 1930s it was sighted at Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park and some of the heathy fringes of the south-west London borders. Building development, egg collecting, fires and military manœuvres on remaining London heaths contributed to its local extinction, although the coup de grace was undoubtedly administered by the severe winters of 1938-9, 1941-2 and 1947. The Dartford warbler is now a rarity in the country, confined to the heaths of southern England. However, since its near extinction in the 1960s it has recovered to over 3000 pairs.

London Underground mosquito (Culex pipiens molestus) appears to have adapted to life in the tube following the use of stations during the Blitz. Although first discovered in the London Underground system, this mosquito has been found in similar systems around the world, and it may have adapted to human-made underground tunnels since the last century from local above-ground species. More recent evidence suggests that it is a southern mosquito variety related to C. pipiens that has adapted to the warm underground spaces of northern cities. Other plants and animals which bore local names that have since disappeared include the wall butterfly (Lasiommata megera), which was described as the London eye in 1717, and the speckled wood (Pararge aegeria), London’s commonest woodland butterfly, which was once known as the Enfield eye. The Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) was listed in the 18th century as the Dullidge fritillary [Dulwich]. The blotched emerald (Comibaena bajularia) is a green geometrid moth once called the Maid of Honour, after Honor Oak where it was first discovered. Brent geese (Brantia bernicla), however, have no connection with Neasden or Willesden, and poplar trees (Populus sp.) may have lent their name to the neighbourhood of Poplar, but not the other way round. That said, there still maybe countless numbers of microscopic invertebrates rooting away in London’s woods and wastelands, awaiting to be discovered and given a London tag. Left: London pride © Wez Smith Centre: Camberwell beauty © Butterfly Conservation/Peter Eeles Right: Dartford warbler © Ben Hall/RSPB Images 11

Woodberry Wetlands Bringing the Stoke Newington Reservoirs to life

An exciting new wetlands project is gaining momentum in the heart of Hackney. When David Mooney, the Trust’s Hackney Area Manager, was first given access to walk around Stoke Newington East Reservoir in 2009, he discovered an ivy-covered stone rectangle on the side of a building. Pushing back the ivy, he revealed an old limestone plaque commemorating the construction of the reservoirs in 1833. It was then he resolved that this site – owned by Thames Water – should be open to the public. Given our work within the regeneration of the neighbouring Woodberry Down, the Trust saw opportunities for a step change to how the Stoke Newington Reservoirs could become a new ecological destination integrated with the estate. This followed on the legacy of campaigns in the 1980s and ‘90s to protect the reservoirs from being developed, to which the Trust had lent its voice. Since 2010 the Trust has been working with partners on a vision to create the ‘Woodberry Wetlands’ – focussed on both reservoirs, a stretch of the New River and the estate – which can also provide the green link between the recently refurbished Finsbury and Clissold Parks. This has been articulated through a feasibility study – Woodberry Wetlands; The start of something – we produced with Allen Scott Associates, a landscape architect practice. “Everyone here was really behind the idea,” says David. “Working closely with Helen Newman from Thames Water, Neil Sams at Berkeley Homes and Graham Loveland at Hackney Council, we created a strong partnership to push the project forward. With ideas developed in the study now worked up into a proper project, we’re at an exciting stage where things are going to really accelerate.” “It’s amazing to think, for the first time since the reservoirs were built, people will be able to enjoy this incredible wetland landscape. When the sun rises in late summer you forget you are in Hackney and could be in the Norfolk Broads or some far off Russian tundra,” adds David. At the end of 2012, the reservoirs were given a regenerative boost with news of a

Heritage Lottery Fund grant and a Landscape Institute Award. The Trust received a Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £84,000 to develop a more detailed bid for Woodberry Wetlands. If successful, this will create habitat enhancements around East Reservoir, restore the listed Gas House as a volunteer hub, and offer new access for people to experience the reservoir close at hand. This good news is on the back of the Wetlands vision receiving a Highly Commended award at the Landscape Institute Awards 2012. This award was for the neighbourhood masterplan which sets out the partnership’s aspirations for the Wetlands. The judges commented: “This is a creative landscape-led scheme, showing collaborative working with stakeholder groups on options appraisal. It demonstrates realistic team collaboration and is supported by a welldeveloped business plan.”

Why the Reservoirs are so important for wildlife

The main waterbodies are home to gadwall, shoveler, tufted duck, kingfisher, and song thrush, and as winter roosting sites probably contribute to the nationally important reservoirs in the Lee Valley. The reed-bed around East Reservoir is a rich habitat, providing home to many breeding species including reed bunting. The reservoirs are also important for bats including pipistrelle and Daubenton’s. As such, Stoke Newington Reservoirs and the New River are identified as Sites of Metropolitan Importance of Nature Conservation. We have several proposals to further enhance the existing range of habitats on the reservoirs to especially benefit birds and invertebrates and to create floating islands and wildflower meadows.

Getting closer to the action

Working with Thames Water, Berkeley Homes, and Hackney Council, there are plans to build a pedestrian bridge over the New River and a floating boardwalk over the East Reservoir. A figure-of-eight path

network will connect the two reservoirs for the first time ever. “Woodberry Wetlands presents a huge opportunity to engage people with London’s amazing natural environment”, says David. “A key objective is that the reservoirs should be at the heart of the community. Being in an area of high deprivation with a diverse demographic is one of the key strengths of the project and sets it apart from similar wetlands schemes.”

Work over the next year

The next stage is to develop detailed building and habitat designs with a view to starting major capital works in April 2014. Helen Newman, Head of Corporate Social Responsibilty at Thames Water, commented: “We are delighted that the project is going ahead to open up another fabulous green space in London.” Sue Bowers, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London said: “This project will give many more local people the chance to experience the natural delights of a peaceful haven within a dense urban area.” Opposite: East Reservoir © Mathew Frith Top: Shovelers at East Reservoir © Mark Pearson Above: Reed bunting © J Fisherman 13

Flora forever changes Two magnificent plants with a tentative hold in the city

London is the most botanically diverse and dynamic region in Britain. Do any of the rarities hold important messages in their plight? Hail an orchid’s mysterious emergence

London’s vegetation is a dynamically rich palette of the native plants that have survived the onslaught of urbanisation, those that we have bought in from elsewhere to feed and clothe ourselves, prettify the city, and serve industry, and those that have arrived accidentally. The city holds plants that have been here since before London was built, as well as those that have arrived in recent years. Each species – common or rare – has its own story to tell.

Left: Lizard orchid © Martin Fowler Right: Marsh sow-thistle © Mark Spencer 14

One of Britain’s most magnificent plants is one of its rarest; the lizard orchid (Himantoglosssum hircinum) is found in less than 20 populations. Since its discovery in England in c1630 by Thomas Johnson (‘The Father of British Field Botany’), its distribution before 1910 was mostly restricted to the south-eastern corner with most populations being found around Dartford. Emerging in late June, the lizard orchid can grow impressively tall, forming robust purplish-green brush-like spikes up to a metre in height. The flowers give it its name; the labellum looks like the legs and long, twisting tail of a lizard. Pale and greenish, with delicate pink spots and stripes, as many as 80 flowers adorn each ‘spike’. But its beauty is skin-deep; the flowers give off an odour reminiscent of goats (hence its botanical name hircinum). Pollination is by insects, which are partly attracted by the smell. The lizard orchid prefers soils with a high alkalinity; open calcareous grassland, scrub edge and sand dunes. Its distribution is now restricted to sites in Kent, Sussex, the North and South Downs, Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. Research into 72 lizard orchid populations since the 1940s showed that 40 were picked or dug-up by collectors, six died out through habitat disturbance, four were built upon, three became overgrown, two were mown, one “was trampled and/or grazed by horses” and just 16 survived. No doubt the fate of the other 118 populations for which records of their fate were absent followed similar trends. As nationally rare and vulnerable to loss, lizard orchid is listed as a protected species on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. It’s also listed on internationally designated Special Areas of Conservation for certain habitat types.

It was therefore surprising that a couple of spikes were spotted in 2006 by a bus-stop in west London, which have blossomed each year since. Quite how the lizard orchid managed to take root in this unremarkable location is still unknown. Lizard orchid is at its northern-most limit in southern England, and it has been suggested that it will begin to move further across the country as the climate changes. The west London orchid is either a bizarre one-off interloper, or at the vanguard of an expansion.

Crayford’s sow-thistle saved

Another impressively tall plant, which grows up to a towering 3m, is the marsh sow-thistle (Sonchus palustris) a softly spiny perennial of riverside vegetation, growing on damp, silty nitrogen-rich soils. It’s moderately tolerant of brackish conditions and can grow near tidal river mouths. The yellow flowers resemble dandelions, and like all sow-thistles, the stems contain a milky juice. As well as spreading by a creeping root system, it also disperses by seed; plants can produce up to 13,000 seeds that can remain dormant for up to six years. This mobility has made it a problematic plant in other parts of the world, but here marsh sow-thistle has become a treasured rarity. Marsh sow-thistle demonstrates different trends in distribution in different parts of its British range. Its national distribution is concentrated in the Broads of East Anglia, where it’s at least as common as in the 19th century and there is some evidence that it’s increasing. Elsewhere, however, and especially in the Thames Valley and Kent, urbanisation has destroyed populations, causing a catastrophic decline. In the Cambridgeshire Fens it became extinct as a result of the drainage of most of its sites, but has spread in the last 30 years from stock introduced into Woodwalton Fen. Within Greater London one tiny population of marsh sow-thistle survived

in a reedbed on Crayford Marshes fringing the tidal Darent estuary in the early 2000s. This population had contracted, was already highly vulnerable, and was further threatened by leachate from an adjacent restored landfill site. More worryingly, the protection afforded by its rare status led to most of this population to disappear from what appeared to be deliberate destruction of its habitats on site in 2007-08. However, in anticipation of such destruction, the Natural History Museum’s Mark Spencer collected the plants’ seeds in 2006. He propagated them on his balcony in the hope of finding a suitable place to re-introduce them. Thames Road Wetland, just 630m away from the sow-thistles’ destroyed site on Crayford Marshes, was originally a lowlying wet field, crossed by the canalised River Wansunt. It was excavated to form a permanent wetland and flooded in the latter part of 2007. In May 2011 Mark joined in the planting-out operation that put the marsh sow-thistles back into ‘the wild’ in London. These seedlings are now doing well and give hope to other efforts to restore this fine – if inglorious – marsh plant to its original home. If you would like more information on the preparation of a new atlas of London’s flora, please contact Mark Spencer: lnhs_plant_recorder@hotmail.co.uk Mathew Frith With thanks to Mark Spencer 100 ways to volunteer ID plants with a primary school... share specialist knowledge through a walk or talk... partake in a species survey... become an intern

Your wild London Bluebells at Gutteridge Wood – time it right and you could be rewarded with the stunning sight of a blanket of bluebells in every direction. Maybe this splash of colour could inspire some impressionist masterpiece of your own!

Top 10 free things to do this spring Spring is the perfect time to get out and explore the diverse nature and wildlife at our reserves across London. If you’d like to give your kids a real hands-on experience of the nature on their doorstep (or at least just a short cycle, tube, train or bus ride away) why not try these top 10 free activities? You don’t need to have kids to do these of course – release your inner child and go wild!

Make music at Yeading Brook Meadows – what can you find around you that could become a musical instrument? The wind rustling through tall swaying grasses makes a wonderful sound but why not try using a blade of grass to make your own trumpet? Just find yourself a wide blade of grass, place it between your thumbs and blow!

Hunting for mini-beasts at Stoke Newington East Reservoir – with our minibeast village you’re bound to find a whole host of bugs and insects. See if you’re quick enough to make a drawing or take a picture of them before they crawl for cover again. If you do pick them up, please make sure you handle them with care.

Butterfly counting at Hutchinson’s Bank, Chapel Bank and Threecorner Grove – how many butterflies can you count in five minutes? This dry chalk valley is home to over 28 butterfly species so you should have plenty to spot, especially the small blue. Play animal detective at Fray’s Farm Meadows – keep a look out for animal tracks or other signs that wildlife is nearby, like feathers or fur. Follow a rabbit’s paw prints – or its poo – to find out where it lives. See how many animals you can find by tracking their different footprints. Birdsong in Crane Park Island – set yourself the challenge of being quiet for five minutes and see how many different birds you can hear. Woodpeckers are regular visitors to this site so listen out for their familiar pecking sound or the high-pitched whistle shrill of a kingfisher.

Go Wild Frog spotting at Wilderness Island – the ponds are a popular spot for local frogs laying their spawn. Depending on the time of your visit, you should see lots of frogspawn, wriggling tadpoles or fully grown frogs. Please don’t take any frogspawn home with you.

Bark rubbing at Sydenham Hill Wood – capture the texture of the majestic oaks, ancient hornbeams or some of the other trees growing in these woods. All you need to take with you are paper, pencils and chalk. Sniff out some wildlife friendly plants at the Centre for Wildlife Gardening – let your nose guide you to the fragrant herbs and plants that bees love so much.

Build a den at Bramley Bank – making sure you don’t disturb or break any living plants, why not make a cosy den out of the broken twigs, branches and leaves you find? When it’s finished you can enjoy a well-earned rest (and snack) and secretly watch the local wildlife go by.

There are so many more things to do and discover at our reserves whether you organise your own visit or join us at one of our events. We’d love to hear about your adventures and see what you get up to. To have your photos, drawings and memories of your days out added to our Go Wild page – wildlondon.org.uk/gowild - simply send them in the post, email membership@ wildlondon.org.uk or upload them to flickr.com/groups/londonwildlifetrust

Wildlife events

Growing Out

London Wildlife Trust runs a range of events each year. Find out more at wildlondon.org.uk/getinvolved or call the Membership Team on 020 7803 4272.

A new project, Growing Out brings together more than 30 adults with mild learning disabilities to gain skills in wildlife gardening and practical conservation work. Since the project (funded by the Three Guineas Trust and the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund) started in September 2012, participants at various reserves have been learning how to make bat boxes, grow vegetables and construct dead hedges. The participants thrive on being outside, forming routines and completing tasks with a clear purpose. Roland at Camley Street was so happy to be using a hand saw to make bat boxes; “I’m never normally allowed to use these tools”, he says, while Daniel has been learning about London’s wildlife: “I never knew that bats were so small, the common pipistrelle can fit on your thumb!” Their work doesn’t end there, participants keep a weekly learning journal to document their new skills and show potential employers when they graduate from the project in July 2013.

We now send out monthly events emails to our members. If you’re not receiving our emails and would like to be added to our distribution list, email us at membership@wildlondon.org.uk Frog Day Centre for Wildlife Gardening, Camley Street Natural Park 24 March Frog day, pond dipping, tea and refreshments. Spring Clean Your Nature Reserve Gunnersbury Triangle 24 March Coppicing trees, cutting back vegetation and pond clearance. Marsh-Marigold Walk Denham Lock Wood 7 April A walk to see the early spring flowers and newly emerged insects. Look out for signs of water voles too. Work Evening – Practical Conservation Park Road Ponds, Uxbridge 9 May A short evening session cutting back willow, pulling typha and newt spotting!

Wild Commute photography competition Congratulations to Mick Ladner for his winning entry. Go to flickr.com/photos/ mickladner/6819212385/in/poollondonwildlifetrust/ to see his photo.

River Crane Talk Minet Country Park Visitor Centre 15 May Introduction to fish ID and urban river management.

Bat Walk Yeading Brook Meadows 22 May A short talk followed by a walk through Yeading Brook Meadows. Local bat enthusiasts will be on hand to guide you and answer any questions. Free but booking is essential. Please contact Alison Shipley on 01895 250 647 or email ashipley@hillingdon.gov.uk

100 ways to volunteer Assist at a bushcraft event... get involved in local fund-raising events... create a wildlife display... design posters for events 17

Birdbrook Nature Reserve Brownfield glory

This Kidbrooke site was originally MoD property with workshops for repairing military vehicles and field gun carriages, but it’s now a wildlife oasis, writes Charles Snell. Birdbrook Nature Reserve is a wildlife gem. It boasts a great deal of habitat and species diversity, with dry and wet grassland areas, wet flashes, four ponds, two hedgerows, sunny banks and more than one copse of trees. Like many of our reserves, it was nearly lost to development, but with the help of the Greenwich group of London Wildlife Trust (formerly the Greenwich Nature Conservation Society), the area was managed to protect and enhance habitats for wildlife. In the 1980s the Society flagged up the telecoms plot behind Birdbrook Road as particularly valuable for wildlife. After discussion with British Telecom (BT), the group was granted a management licence in 1982. Surveys of the plot revealed good numbers of small mammals (including short-tailed field vole, wood mouse and hedgehog) with predators such as fox and kestrel. As parts of the site were very wet with occasional areas of open water, large numbers of amphibians (including all three native newt species plus common frog and toad) were present; some reptiles (mainly slow-worm and occasional common lizard) were also present. A survey by the University of Kent Durrell Institute was of the opinion that this

VISTING THE RESERVE The reserve is unstaffed and not normally open. Workdays and activities are planned throughout the year. The nearest mainline station is Kidbrooke (about 10 minutes walk).

site and adjacent Kidbrooke Green Ecological Area were probably the best amphibian breeding sites in the London area. But in the mid-1990s a new road scheme (Rochesterway Relief Road) was proposed, which would go through the Birdbrook Road site. The land required for the relief road was purchased by the Department of Transport (DoT), BT was forced to abandon the site, and the prospect for wildlife conservation here looked bleak. However, a meeting between our Greenwich group and the DoT was fruitful; our licence to manage was continued and a mitigation agreement was reached whereby open water lost to road works would be mechanically recreated in a safe zone on the site. Tireless help from the loyal volunteer group and visits by other Trust staff and volunteers worked wonders in subsequent years to improve the site for wildlife. A comparison of the buildings with the reserve as it is now indicates the amount of hard work that has taken place. Today Birdbrook is in good shape, although the core group of volunteers has diminished and keeping on top of management becomes ever more difficult. However, the Trust is in the early stages of investigating means to invest in the reserve to ensure that its biodiversity is conserved into the future. The quality of Birdbrook is down to the conservation experience and knowledge of some of its volunteers. The sister site (Kidbrooke Green) – managed by Greenwich Council – is now subject to the succession of scrub and trees which increasingly diminishes its usefulness as wetland and the numbers of breeding amphibians may never reach the previous remarkable zenith. We are committed to ensure that Birdbrook will not follow suit.

birdbrook’s Biodiversity The species list for plants is impressive with many notables. Invertebrates are under-recorded although grasshoppers and crickets are one group surveyed over the years and the list is impressive with an astonishing six species of bush-cricket alone (speckled, short-winged conehead, Roesel’s, oak, southern oak and dark bush-crickets). Also picked up in the survey in the early 1990s was the first ever recorded purple variety of the lesser marsh grasshopper in Britain. Not bad for a site that is less than a hectare in size.

Opposite: Birdbrook Nature Reserve © Charles Snell Top: Birches and pool © Jane Clarke Above: Lesser marsh grasshopper © Charles Snell Left: One of the original buildings in 1981 © London Wildlife Trust

VOLUNTEERING Would you like to volunteer at Birdbrook Nature Reserve? Contact Jane Clarke at jclarke@wildlondon.org.uk to find out how to get involved.

willow catkins In February, light, fine willow catkins play with people’s clothes in spring breeze; they are heartless creatures, flying south one moment, then north again. - Xue Tao In English folklore, a willow tree is believed to be quite sinister, capable of uprooting itself and stalking travellers. It’s also associated with sadness and mourning. Sprays of sallow have been used as ‘palm’ to decorate churches and homes at Easter, and tradition suggests that girls would get their hair pulled if they didn’t wear a sprig of pussy willow on Palm Sunday. In Ireland it was thought that goat willow can protect against enchantment, and it’s lucky to take some on a journey. Willow is also valuable bumblebee food. If you walk under a goat willow in early spring you may hear the loud buzzing of bumblebee queens, stocking up on food after the long hibernation.