Malham

Malham

Saturday 27^th July 2019

Leaders: Bruce Brown

Fifteen of us met by the National Park Centre in Malham under ominous skies. The forecast was for heavy rain, but this wasn’t enough to put us off. The focus of this day was on ferns and was a joint trip with the Yorkshire Fern Group.

We set off along the riverside path towards Janet’s Foss, initially through meadows. Plants seen here include Upright Hedge-parsley, Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Burnet-saxifrage and Wild Angelica.

We then entered woodland, where there were obvious signs of Ash dieback disease. The first ferns of the day were encountered here, the most unusual being Polypodium x shivasiae, a hybrid between Intermediate Polpody and Southern Polypody. Also seen in this woodland were Polypody, Hard Shield-fern, Hart’s-tongue and Maidenhair Spleenwort. Lunch was taken by the waterfall of Janet’s Foss.

We then walked up onto the open hill to the west of Gordale Scar and eventually reached a rocky limestone gill with Southern Polypody and Polypodium x mantoniae, the hybrid between Polypody and Intermediate Polypody. Brittle Bladder Fern was also seen here.

After a brief section of walking downhill along a road, we turned off into upland grassland where there were good displays of Musk Thistle, Harebell and Lady’s Bedstraw. Wall Rue was seen on a rocky outcrop.

A steep climb up a slope was rewarded with a view of Polypodium x font-queri, the hybrid between Polypody and Southern Polypody. An owl flew from a tree above our heads to the other side of the gill (the species was not determined, but its breast was strikingly streaked with brown). After this, another steep climb brought us to a much more accessible patch of Polypodium x mantoniae.

We continued onto Ewe Moor, just above Malham Cove and on the limestone pavement, we saw ten plants of Holly-fern. These hadn’t been grazed and so had been able to develop fully. Green Spleenwort was also seen here.

We descended to the cliff top at Malham Cove, where Bruce pointed out a Rock Whitebeam growing at the very edge of the cliff. On the limestone pavement, we saw Soft Shield Fern and Polystichum x bicknellii, the hybrid between Soft Shield-fern and Hard Shield-fern, growing in the grykes. A Peregrine called and flew, possibly having been disturbed by walkers below.

After descending the steps down into the cove, we walked to near the foot of the cliff to see Intermediate Polypody, Mossy Saxifrage and Jacob’s-ladder.

Unusually for a Bradford Botany Group trip, this had been quite a tough walk for many, due to the steep slopes, uneven ground and intermittent but persistent rain showers that had continued all day (one of our group had to wring his socks out at the end of the walk, as they were well and truly saturated!). But despite this, we had a thoroughly enjoyable day, expertly guided to many interesting plant species by Bruce.

Text by Tom

Photographs by Susan