Are our Beeches Dying?

 Up the hill to Ewelease Dairy this afternoon.  Cow Parsley is now in full bloom on both sides of the bridleway, punctuated by frequent patches of Red Campion and occasional  bits of Garlic Mustard. This latter is the food plant of the Orange Tip butterfly, which has frequently appeared in the village in recent weeks, and should have the round, yellow eggs on it. I haven't been able to find any so far, perhaps I need a magnifying glass.

Our three commonest ferns,  Hart's Tongue, Male Fern and Soft Shield Fern are now unrolled from their tight spirals, but the mystery is why they only proliferate on the left hand side going up. 

Disturbing though is the sight of the Beech trees on the lower part of the hill, where the leaves are turning brown and dying (necrosis).

Leaf necrosis on Beech Tree. Photo. John Elliott

Leaf necrosis is a symptom of a plant damaging oomycete (water mold), Phytophthera kernoviae,which was found in Cornwall in 2003 and has been making its way east ever since.It is known to have reached Devon and South Wales. Has it now reached Dorset?

These beech trees were planted in the late 70s by the Cub Scouts led by Akela, Maurine Marchant. It would be a great pity to loose them.

Lords and Ladies.

On my recent walks up the hill to Ewelease Dairy to see if the Swallows have returned (they haven't), I have been struck by the profusion of one of our oddest looking plants, Lords and Ladies. Arum maculatum in the hedgerow.

Otherwise commonly known as Cuckoo Pint,though there is a host of other local names, the male flowers are the prominent purple or greenish spikes (both forms occur in my wildlife garden). The female flowers are hidden in the base of the flower and will eventually, after the foliage has died down, emerge as scarlet, poisonous berries. This is thought to be the only plant in the British Isles which has a one-to-one relationship with its pollinator. In this country it appears to be pollinated by just a single species of Owl Midge, namely Psychoda phalaenoides, though other fly species are involved in the rest of Europe. The larvae of the Owl Midge feed on Cow dung, in plentyful supply in the old cricket field due to the constant presence of the Highland Cattle. So has the introduction of the Highlanders led to the profusion of Lords and Ladies?