Wildlife and conservation review 2003
species to the Thames list, the Tompot Blenny Parablennius gattorugine, an inshore species but
one which is not common in the North Sea. This brings the number" of fish recorded from the tidal
Thames to 121 species.
One of the major botanical finds of the 2003 was about 20 plants of Broad-leaved Cudweed on
Davy Down, forming a sub-population of this rare and protected species isolated from the much
larger population across the A13. Whilst insignificant numerically, it does at least give us confidence
that a part of our local population is on a protected site: the remainder are all very vulnerable, being
on the verges of major roads or in pits which it is proposed should be developed. The same site,
later in the year, also produced a strong population of Deadly Nightshade, otherwise very scarce
in the county. The other plant news of the month was that a campaign by the British Horse Society
to stir up 'Ragwort mania' was instrumental in Defra producing a draft code of practice to
control its spread. Whilst we must accept the dangers associated with Ragwort, its value to a wide
range of insects should not be forgotten; nor should the fact that a 'Ragwort problem' in a horse
pasture is almost always due to poor grazing management of the land. If grassland is grazed at the
level it can sustain, then there should be no niches for Ragwort seeds to germinate into.
A little rain at the end of the month, coupled with the warmth, got the fungi season off to a good
start, although it progressed rather little after that as it simply became too hot and too dry. Graham
Smith re-visited a dead Beech tree in Writtle Park, and recorded Ganoderma lucidum, the fourth
species of this genus to have been recorded on th is very tree since its demise.
Of wider significance, the debate about genetically-modified crops was reignited, with a
Government review which found no case for ruling out all GM crops. Nor did it give any sense of
blanket approval. The most important issue was deemed to be the effect of GM crops and their
management upon farmland wildlife, which were still being evaluated through the field-scale trials.
At the same time, the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit identified the likelihood of only very limited
economic benefits, at least in the short term, of embracing the controversial new technology.
During August, the summer peaked in a serious way. It was very hot (more than 2°C above average)
and very dry as high pressure dominated for the whole month. A new British record of 38.1°C was
recorded at Gravesend on the 10th, when most of Essex was not far short of that figure, and the
month saw only about a quarter of the average rainfall, mostly after the 27th. Interestingly, in spite
of this, there was no real talk of hosepipe bans - we must be better at managing our water resources.
This weather was repeated across Europe, causing serious health problems and resulting in vast
areas of scrub and woodland being burnt.
Closer to home, the heat and drought killed more than 300 mature trees in the London parks.
The Royal Parks Authority announced it was considering felling many of those that remain, so that
they can be replaced with more drought-tolerant species. Such a knee-jerk reaction is clearly
unwarranted, especially if the species chosen for replanting are Eucalyptus, a biodiversity desert;
furthermore any that are going to die should be allowed to, thereafter to provide a dead-wood
resource in the heartland of the Stag Beetle.
Of course, the heat didn't stop us naturalists getting out and about. Mark Tunmore and Gareth
Rondel added a new Orthopteran to the Essex list, the Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema
meridionale (Atropos 20: 59-60). It was found on the outside of their car, some 300m after
disembarking from a Hook of Holland- Harwich ferry. This species was first recorded in Britain in
2001 in Surrey, and subsequently in other London suburbs; as a flightless species it is considered
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 21 (2004)
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