The Meetings Held in 2011
Berry Wood, New Forest, 3 January 2011
Savernake Forest, Wiltshire 12 February 2011
The aim of this meeting was to follow up a record of the rarely found Lecanora sublivescens NT (NS/IR/BAP) from an old Beech made on 14/10/1989 by Ken Sandell and me at SU223 682 in the north of Savernake Forest. I had not refound this species here during a contract survey in March 2007 for Natural England. Read Report
Newton, Isle of Wight, 18 June 11
This WLG meeting was held on the Isle of Wight, at the invitation of Les and Shield Street, with the aim of the mornings walk was to look at the hedgerows and small woods of the National Trust owned meadows east of Newtown.
Black Barrow, New Forest, 13 July 2011
The first evening meeting of the Wessex Lichen Group, held to revisit Black Barrow, a well studied area of Cladonia rich heath, with four visits by Francis Rose or me and others between 1989 and 2000. In other areas, notably the Thames Basin and Sussex, there appears to have been a decline in the diversity and extent of lichen rich heath, which does not seem to be occurring in the New Forest. This does, however, needs some systematic resurvey to check. Report in preparation.
Copythorn Common, New Forest, 27 August 2011
An afternoon meeting of the Wessex Lichen Group to look at an area of Copythorne Common west, a heathland off the open New Forest grazings. The heathland is a former poors plot; land left open to allow the poor to collect fuel when the vast commons of Elling parish were enclosed in 1814. It has long been heavily grazed by ponies by the owner of the western section of the heath but Scots Pine was left to colonise, producing scatter heavily grazed heathy glades. The eastern section is now a Hampshire Wildlife Trust reserve and, in both sections, tree clearance has been gradually opening up the heathland. I had visited this site before but had never systematically recorded the lichens and as the only decent heathland in the 10km national grid square SU31 new 10km grid square records were expected. Report in preparation.Ogdens, New Forest, 15 October 2011
An afternoon meeting of the Wessex Lichen Group to look at an area of short grazed heath, which Neil Sanderson and Andy Cross had found to be exceptionally rich after visiting it the pervious weekend (8 October 2011 Ogdens). (Following up a tip of lots of Cladonia arbuscula in short heath in this area from Richard Reeves). The previous visit had found Cladonia sulphurina new to Hampshire, without getting very far into the site. The aim of this visit was to look at areas not examined on the previous visit and search for more Cladonia sulphurina, of which only one thallus and a broken bit was found previously. Report in preparation.