Askham Bog, York

Thursday 7^th July 2022

Leader: Prof. Alastair Fitter

It was a really great opportunity to have Prof. Alastair Fitter for a morning. He explained to our group why Askham Bog is so special; its extraordinary pH gradient, and how this complex site was formed. He gave us a fascinating run through its history from the last ice age up to the reserves recent threat from development. However, the threats continue with the adjacent golf course suspected to be causing eutrophication in the fen-rich meadow resulting in increased numbers of common reed. Alastair’s knowledge of American standardised golf courses was especially revealing.

It was really useful having someone who knows the site take us to see the ‘specials’ of the site, as they’re not always easy to find. We were taken to see fibrous tussock-sedge, marsh fern, slender sedge, great fen-sedge, large mature royal ferns, elongated sedge and two possible subspecies of Golden-scaled Male-fern which fern experts have recently been mulling over. We had lunch then explored the site on our own in the warm sunshine.

Text by Kay

Photographs by Angela, Kay, Nyree and Peter