Wrekin Forest Volunteers: Grasses galore by Keith Fowler

17 Jun 2015

Grasses galore by Keith Fowler

Muxton Marsh SSSI, Friday 5th June

We gathered on Woodbine Drive for a day of fun and frolics looking at grasses, sedges and rushes. Included in the group was our very own Flower Lady who then made an offer we could not possibly refuse, “would you like me to give you a lesson?” “Thank you” we chorused in response. (As our flower lady is now part of an Honoured family perhaps we should call her our Flower Dame.)

Muxton Marsh is part of the Granville Country Park. It is managed by Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The Wrekin Forest Volunteers and the Friends of Granville have spent many a “happy” hour in the cold and wet during the interminable winter months maintaining the site to control the scrub and other invasive species in order to encourage and support the plant community that gained it its SSSI status some time ago.

The site is split into two halves divided by a hedge that was laid a few years ago. On one side are the marsh and its bordering grassland, which is part of the SSSI and on the other a field which through a lot of hard work and some help from grazing beasts is now maturing into a pleasant meadow.

We started in the meadow and we gathered around our esteemed tutor as she took us through the basics of grass identifications using words like “ligule”, “panicle”, “glume” and “awn”.

But there is always one who thinks he knows it all and wanders off.

Initial lesson over and one group of grasses located and identified we spread out in search of other grasses and as each new one was found we re-gathered to discuss what they were.

This was hard work so a coffee break was called and our Fungus Expert distributed welcome food.

Refreshed we moved into the SSSI section where there were a variety of sedges and rushes to challenge us. The area was also awash with Yellow Rattle just coming into flower and numerous Southern Marsh Orchids. It was difficult to know where to put your feet.

The lesson concluded we had lunch after which we did a bit of bimbling about before going home. I was fortunate to capture a large cranefly with distinctively marked wings, Tipula maxima.