rgcooper2023's Journal

I found this YT video informative (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE061ofWl_g), particularly regarding the invasive plants introduced by Victorian era people who returned to Britain and planted collected flora that they idealised as adding beauty to the edge of waterworks. However, such plants disrupt local soil habitats and niches, and have spread extensively throughout Britain. Hence, having an interest in Botany, I ventured down to a canal located in Harden, Bloxwich adjacent to Goscote Hospital in a public open space at the end of Chaucer Road, and between Shakespeare Crescent and Goscote Lane (Fig. 1), with an unusual S-bend, the first of which had a large pond situated ca.30m below the canal edge. The partly-full pond was surrounded by two concrete viewing platforms with metal railings and a fisherman was trying his luck. The area was unkempt and densely overgrown in places. Growing on the pond perimeter, I found and sample-picked a tasseled Himalayan shrub (third from left, Fig. 2) on the first bend of the canal bank, occupied by two fishermen, and three other introduced shrubs, including one with red berries (left) and another with small, multiple leaves (second from left), both from the Far East, and one other from Central Africa with pointy, serrated green leaves (extreme right). The precise binomial names of each are unknown. Dr. R. G. Cooper, 27.10.2024.

Fig. 1 Survey map of the sample area
Fig. 2 Four invasive floral species (left to right) [Cotoneaster sp. (native to Palaeartic region including Asia, Europe & North Africa, especially in mountains of Southwest China & the Himalayas); Artemisia vulgaris (native to temperate Europe, Asia, North Africa and Alaska); Epilobium sp. (prevalent in subarctic, temperate and subantarctic regions, & montane biomes like New Guinea Highlands); & Urtica dioica (native to Europe, temperate Asia and Western North Africa)]

The Shaggy Bracket (Inonotus hispidus) (Phylum: Basidiomycota, Class: Agaricomycetes, Order: Polyporales, Family: Hymenochaetaceae) is a fairly rare siting in Britain, particularly in Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and is a colourful, tough, inedible fungus, sometimes associated with fruit trees. It is more common in central and southern Europe, and much of Asia and North America. In the USA it is sometimes referred to by the common name Inonotus Canker. The specimen observed was growing on a silver birch, although 400m towards the right and behind the cricket ground was a significant orchard of apple trees. This fungus occurs mainly on trunks of broad-leaved trees, and in particular Fraxinus (ash trees) and Mallus (apple trees). Its hairy upper surface distinguishes it from Beefsteak Fungus. On occasion, white rot results from attack by the Shaggy Bracket and infected trees have to be felled as timber rots leading to trunks or branches breaking and falling off in stormy weather. This annual bracket fungus appears in mid- to late summer and the fruitbodies expand, darken and develop a thinner rounded edge before blackening. The brackets decay and will usually have fallen off their host trees by late autumn. The younger fungus may exude clear or slightly reddish liquid droplets. In terms of its taxonomy, in 1785 French mycologist Jean Baptiste Francois Pierre Bulliard (1742 - 1793) described this species and named it Boletus hispidus. This polypore was assigned its current scientific name in 1879 by the Finnish mycologist Petter Adolf Karsten (1834-1917). Synonyms of Inonotus hispidus include Inonotus hirsutus and Polyporus hispidus (Bull.) Fr.

Reported is an impressive example of wild deciduous Fringed Willowherb (Epilobium ciliatum) (Onagraceae) in a greenbelt area of the West Midlands in Britain. Some species are invasive after been introduced from America. It is a fast-growing, clump-forming herbaceous perennial growing up to 1.5m high, with narrowly ovate, finely toothed green leaves often tinged with red and numerous small, trumpet-shaped pink, red, white, blue or purple flowers in terminal racemes and radially symmetrical. They have four petals, sepals or tepals per flower with eight stamens. It grows best in well-illuminated areas and spreads rapidly, usually maturing in ten weeks. The fruit is dry and splits open when ripe (40-100mm long). It is a widespread native of North America, and a fringed willow-herb often regarded as a weed in gardens and nurseries. It is self-compatible and some anthers may touch the stigmas, insuring high seed set. As in other willow-herbs, the plumed seeds are light and widely dispersed by wind. Its natural habitat includes forests, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands). The leaves are simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets), arranged as two leaves per node along the stem, with the leaf blade edges possessing fine teeth.

Reported is a germinated example of Hypericum sp. like calycinum (Rose-of-Sharon, St John's Wort) germinated from wild seeds collected from a un-cultivated semi-woodland area in Walsall, UK. This is classically a prostrate or low-growing, evergreen, woody shrub (60cm in height, 1.2m spread) widely grown in Mediterranean climates and southeast Europe, but has also become a popular, evergreen hardy shrub globally. In the wild, it grows in the Strandja Mountains along the Bulgarian and Turkish Black Sea coast. It is a fast-growing, spreading groundcover shrub with evergreen to semi-evergreen long, oval-shaped dark-green sticky leaves. Bright rose-like yellow, five petalled flowers with a prominent calyx and whorl of sepals, bloom throughout summer-autumn. The flowers produced in June-September in UK, are 3–5 cm in diameter with numerous yellow stamens, and are either single or in clusters of 2-3. Its red berries turn black in autumn. Its green, ovate leaves grow in opposite pairs, with the undersides of the leaves been net-veined. In the sun and shade, the leaves are a vibrant green and lighter yellow-green, respectively. Hypericum spp. have been used since ancient times as herbal remedies to attenuate muscle spasms and for the treatment of asthma. It is an economically valuable plant and may be used used for ornamental reasons or landscaping in order to stabilize hills. It grows ideally in full sun to partial shade and in well-drained sandy-loamy soils. It may become invasive, due to its ability to grow rapidly by stolons and, therefore, needs pruning. It is pollinated by honey bees. It can produce adhyperforin, a medicinal compound. Furthermore, UV pigments from its flowers stave off predators like mites and aphids. These pigments also serve a dual function to attract pollinators, as they are visible to insects and not humans. Another chemical, DIP (dearomatized isoprenylated phloroglucinols), is a category of pigments alongside flavonoids, which was found to be toxic to a species of caterpillar. Ethanol-extracts have antidepressant properties and are as effective as desipramine and trimipramine.

Described is a solitary wild snail progressing across garden paving stones following uprooting of unwanted plants in a garden bed. This non-threatened species has a shell height (15-16 mm), width (16-22 mm). It possesses a glossy, smooth shell, which has five variable spiral dark bands and a white lip around the shell opening. The body of the snail is usually greenish-grey becoming yellow towards the rear. This snail lives in a range of densely-vegetated habitats, including waste ground, woodland, hedgerows and grassland. In dry conditions it is observed tightly attached to rocks, tree trunks or fences. The preferred food plants of this snail include Nettles, Ragwort and Hogweed. Although these snails posses both male and female organs, and are capable of self reproduction, they usually mate with another snail between spring and autumn. Courtship begins with a snail piercing the skin of its partner with a 'love dart' made of calcium carbonate. Once this ritual has taken place mating can begin. The snails then part ways and both partners lay their eggs buried in soil. A clutch is often in excess of 100 eggs takin ca. 1 month to hatch. Juvenile snails develop a soft shell which hardens and grows with them as they mature. The white-lipped snail is not currently considered under threat.

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

Location: 27/5/2024, Rushall Canal between Gillity and Fiveways Bridges, Park Hall, Walsall, UK

A lone, sedentary, resident, silent moorhen (ca.30cm) was spotted perched on matted reeds, perhaps a nest, located on the edge of Rushall Canal beyond Gillity Bridge (date engraved 1866). It had an impressive black plumage and a classic red bill with a pointed, yellow tip. Its legs were a pale yellow-green. It repeatedly moved its head to the left and gazing across the surface of the canal waters. Known to eat plants like duckweed, pondweed, seeds and berries, it is also partial to earthworms, snails, spiders, insects, small fish and eggs of other birds. Breeding between March-August, a nest is constructed among aquatic plants, eggs are incubated for 21 days, sometimes shared by other hens, and both parents and the young from earlier broods feed to chicks. Being fed up to 45 days, they become independent at 52-99 days. Conservation issues arise from canal side management that removes bankside vegetation, and maintenance of canal banks must be on a rotational basis where some areas are left uncut. Feral mink, foxes and large pike, may be a threat to adult birds and/or their chicks. There are ca.270,000 breeding pairs in UK.

Mute swan (Cygnus olor)

Location: 27/5/2024, Rushall Canal between Gillity and Fiveways Bridges, Park Hall, Walsall, UK

A remain-on-territory nesting pair of protected (since 1387) mute swans (ca. 4 years old) were spotted, the hen of which had moved her nest to a new location at the end of a garden adjacent to a hedge alongside Rushall Canal. Their former, still visible, nest was located ca.100 yards beyond Gillity Bridge (date engraved 1866), constructed of sticks and lined with soft down feathers. Whilst the cock swam about within the vicinity, presumably guarding the nest, the clutch of eggs was unknown, but, ordinarily, number 5-7/nest, hatching after 36 days. The hen was always seen incubating her eggs, dragging down feathers under her belly, and, as there were no signets in sight, one could presume that either a fox or large pike had probably eaten them. There was no indication of vandalism nor of lead poisoning from fishing weights (banned in 1987). The cock was very friendly and swam right up to the canal’s edge to eat bread crumbs and other treats offered from pedestrian walkers. It was large (ca. 1.30m) with a long, graceful, S-shaped neck and pointed tail. It had a classic orange bill with a black knob base and its head feathers were a dull yellow-orange. It was constantly scooping its bill in the shallow water of the canal and eating floating bits of bread, pondweed, algae and snails. There are ca.25,000 breeding pairs in UK.

Described is the collection of a segment of the Peanut cactus (Lobivia silvestrii) in Mabelreign, Harare, Zimbabwe and planting it in sandy soil in a pot, with the resultant impressive, deep red floral display. It's accepted scientific name is also Echinopsis chamaecereus and Chamaecereus silvestrii, and its different names may be associated with the fact that it was initially collected by botanist Carlo Spegazzini, but not located in later expeditions of Roberto Kiesling, who instead described Echinopsis sp. Lobivia/Echinopsis sp. is found in Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. The prolific cacti stems are globular with fine spines (vestigial leaves), the flowers are a deep red-orange colour and are large and funnel-shaped with a short tube. The large attractive flowers have three sets of radial petals: eight inner, middle and outer, respectively. There is a preponderance of short, radially situated anthers in the middle of which is a large stigma. The flowers are non-scented and wither are a few days. The finger-like stems are a pale green and are initially erect but then become prostrate and curve downward. The plants are cylindrical or globose in shape and require a moderately rich compost consisting of 1 parts of loam, leaf soil and sharp sand, and 0.5 part dry cow/herbivore manure. Off-sets are easily separated, root easily and should be pointed upwards, placed in the sunshine and grown to produce specimen cacti. This cactus is easy to cultivate in pots containing well-drained sandy soil which are watered once a week, and it flowers abundantly in the summer. They can survive outside in freezing conditions, but are more prone to rotting, so, ideally, they should be kept indoors and preferably on a windowsill (Cooper, 2022). Possible parasitic infestations include mealybugs, scale insects and spider mites.
Reference: Cooper, R.G. 2022. Plants & Wild Species. E-book/Print. Lulu Press Inc., Morrisville, N.C., U.S.A. pp. 30.

A fantastic and impressive example of Fatsia japonica (Araliaceae) (Japan and South Korea) observed growing outdoors (in the U.K.). Commonly known as the castor oil plant or fig leaf palm, it grows up to 4m in a decade. An evergreen shrub with 7-8 dicotyledonous splayed, leathery, palmately lobed leaves, and small white flowers in terminal compound umbels, it produces a beautiful cluster of ornamental, non-edible black berries. It grows well in moist and well-drained soils in partial shade and can be propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings. Cultivated, it likes rocky and informal, courtyard and banked gardens. It can be adversely affected by scale insects, thrips, mealybugs, leaf spot and honey fungus.

Native to Zimbabwe, the southern giant African pouched rat is also common in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The doe is matriarchal and is supported by nurse rats when suckling her pups (1-3/litter). Adult males weigh 1.5 to 2.0 kg and females weigh 1.2 to 1.6 kg . Their cheek pouches are used to collect food which they carry back to their colonies which are then stored in food larders. From their nose to the tip of their tail, they are ca.70-80 cm with dark brown to reddish fur on their backs and a pale belly. The tail is bi-coloured, brown with white at the distal third of the tail. Bucks scent mark using cheek and anogenital rubbing, in addition to urine. Mitochondrial cytochrome b phylogeny demonstrated that they are unique and distinct from C. gambianus. They are very easily tamed and within one hour of capture, readily take a slice of bread from their human handler. After training with rewards of mashed banana, they are extremely useful to humans including in unexploded ordinance, tuberculosis and drug detection.