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The Paddock - Duddingston Village's newsletter.

Latest edition: spring 2011

Back Issues:
spring 10
spring 09 - pages 1-5,8-12
centre pages 6,7

Holyrood Park Biodiversity Surveys in 2008 - volunteers wanted

We are keen to get as many volunteers as possible to come in and help with the various surveys which Historic Scotland Ranger Service will be carrying out in Holyrood Park over the next five months.

Each of the activities is outlined below, and previous participants may notice some changes this year – not least because Natalie is away for 6 months on a career break and Stuart has taken over for that period. We will not be doing (for this year at least) the Biting Stonecrop and Leafhopper Surveys, and have altered the methodologies for Common Rock-rose and Maiden Pink, while a whole new series of activities concentrating on the ponds at Wells o’ Wearie have been introduced.

Butterflies

Basically we are looking to carry out at least one survey on each of three different routes in each week from now to 28th September. Does not require any particular identification skills since all necessary items are provided and full help and advice is available beforehand if required. Surveys need to be conducted on warm days, with little or no wind and ideally around the middle of the day for maximum chance of seeing butterflies on the wing.

Adder’s-tongue Fern

The full baseline survey was completed last year, so this year we are only carrying out a single day count for the on-going annual survey in the 60 m2 SWT study plot.

Purple Milk-vetch

This plant has declined so much in recent years that it was recently added to the Red Data Book list of protected species. The Park has populations on Salisbury Crag, Arthur’s Seat and Dunsapie Crag and we are looking to map the extent of each this year.

Sticky Catchfly

This wonderful plant is the county flower of Lothian and its stronghold is in the Park. We will be carrying out our usual annual survey of flowering plants again this year

Common Rock-rose

A change of approach this year as we will be assessing the amount of encroaching scrub (eg Gorse & brambles) within 5 and 10 metre distances from the outer margins of our existing colonies (rather than estimating colony patch areas). The data will be used to plan any required removal of scrub to ensure our colonies have room to expand in the coming years.

Maiden Pink

Another change of methodology here too, where we will be assessing the population by counts of individual flowerheads rather than trying to trace stems to the base and determine the number of separate plants. Some habitat management may also be carried out to protect colonies outside the existing rabbit fences.

Plume Moth

A slight change of emphasis as we will be carrying out searches in spring as well as autumn this year. This is to follow up the best sighting to date within the Park which actually occurred in May of 2005.

Wells o’ Wearie 

A new venture will be a 4-week cycle of surveys and activities based at these ponds on each Tuesday from 3rd June to 23rd September.
Pond surveys will be carried out to determine the extent of the animal life present and this will be used to calculate a ‘species-richness’ index which is a measure of the water ecosystem quality.
Vegetation surveys will assess the range and extent of all the plantlife we can identify at the site to provide a new baseline survey for the site. Invertebrate surveys will also look to determine (for the first time) the range of species present and how this changes through the summer.
The habitat management will be a mix of pond reclamation at the heavily overgrown MM4 pond and the creation of invertebrate and amphibian friendly woodpiles and refugia/hibernacula alongside the other three ponds.

Participation
If you would like to take part in any of the above then please contact Stuart Rivers at Holyrood Park Education Centre on 0131 652 8150
or e-mail : stuart.rivers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

We would be extremely pleased to see you !

Historic Scotland Ranger Service
Holyrood Park Education Centre
1 Queens Drive
Holyrood Park
Edinburgh
EH8 8HG

0131 652 8150
hs.rangers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

New Zealand Flatworm discovered in village gardens

Two individuals of this invading predator were found in village gardens in 2007.

The article below is copied from the Scottish Crops Research Institute website: http://www.scri.sari.ac.uk

There is more info about flatworms on the SCRI website, which you can find using their search facility.

Flatworms - our unwanted aliens

New Zealand flatworm is a predator of the earthworms which keep our soils in good condition and are a source of food for lots of animals and birds. The flatworm has been known to reduce earthworms to below detectable levels.

Surveys carried out for the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department and Tomorrows World, showed that it initially spread only slowly and was mainly found in botanic gardens, nurseries and garden centres. However, by 1994 it was usually found in domestic gardens and is now recorded from most of Scotland including the islands of Skye, Coll, Islay, Orkney, Shetland and Lewis.

Since then the percentage of garden centres infested has decreased and now the New Zealand flatworm is probably mainly spread by the exchange of containerised plants between neighbours, relatives and friends.

The New Zealand flatworm likes cool damp conditions and can become established in agricultural land in Northern Ireland, the west of Scotland and the Faroe Islands. It has not yet been found in Continental Europe.
It reproduces by laying an egg capsule which usually has inside it 6-7 creamy coloured 'hatchings'. It probably feeds at night on the soil surface where it catches earthworms and digests them externally and then sucks up the resulting 'soup'.
During the day the New Zealand flatworm hides under polythene bags, bits of wood or stones and that is where to look for them.

Have you seen any of these?
In the last 5 years 3 more species of flatworm have been found in Scotland so we now have the following 4 species:

New Zealand flatworm Arthurdendyus triangulatus first recorded 1965

Australian flatworm Austroplana sanguinea first recorded 1995

'Edinburgh flatworm' Arthurdendyus albidus first recorded 1996 and described 1999.

Arthurdendyus australis first recorded 1997

Please help the research into these aliens by reporting any sightings to:
Brian Boag, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee. Scotland DD2 5DA.
Telephone: 01382 562731 Fax: 01382 562426
Email: bboag@scri.sari.ac.uk