Members' Evening 8 March 2006

As usual, members brought along a range of interesting specimens, books and photographs to display, and three members gave short talks.

Ross Baker began the evening with some slides illustrating interesting topographical features and some of the rarer plants to be found on the west coast of Ireland, which Ross and Lynn had toured in August 2005.  These included the desolate beauty of the peat bogs of Connemara, with images of the endemic Mackay's heath and the slightly more widespread St Dabeoc's heath, a small mountain pool containing the unusual alien pipewort, and spectacular views of a tombolo beach formation.  Further south are the limestone pavements of the Burren, with its unique seasonally flooded lakes called turloughs, and flora including frog orchids, autumn ladies tresses and field gentian as well as mountain avens, whose flowers are succeeded by spectacular white, feathery seedheads.  Finally, Ross showed slides of the spectacular cliffs of Mohar, to which direct public access is currently not permitted - a source of obvious vexation to the speaker!

Dick Alder gave a 'picture show' as an update on efforts by him and Brian Spooner to locate and measure ancient and veteran trees in Surrey, in advance of any database which may be produced (see Bulletin issue 268 for details).  This included visits to the yew groves of Norbury Park and Newlands Corner, the ancient chestnuts at Betchworth Park, oaks at Gatton Park, and several remarkable trees at Burwood Park.  Members were encouraged to let Dick and Brian know of any interesting trees they come across.  For those with Web access, further details on recording ancient trees can be found on the Woodland Trust website at http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/ancient tree hunt/surveyandrecord/survey.htm.

Dave Page presented an update on tree felling on the Elmbridge Commons.  It seems that the battle is almost over, and permission has been granted for 22.4 hectares to be cleared over the next five years, starting with 3.3 hectares this year, beginning in September.  After five years there will be a hiatus, during which the effects will be monitored, and grazing will be introduced.  Some monitoring will be done during the first five years of felling, notably moth trapping.  The felling operation has to be extremely tidy, with stumps ground out, and all timber removed, to pacify recreational users! However, it seems that the great protest against the felling may have been exaggerated, and was balanced by some very strong support from almost every wildlife organisation.  Dave also reported recent sightings of lesser spotted woodpecker on the Common, and water rail on Black Pond, as well as bats using at least one of the bat-boxes sited on the edge of Middle Pond.