The Rarer Flora of Hutton Roof Including it’s Orchids
Bryan Yorke (via Zoom)
Thursday 11th March 2021
This was an inspirational talk from Bryan Yorke, who has exceptional natural history knowledge and a great ability to share his passion with us all. Since moving to the Hutton Roof area in 2010 from East Lancashire, Bryan has spent much time studying this remarkable area, in particular the many variations of Dark-red Helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens).
The area is managed by a number of different groups including the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the National Trust, Dalton Hall Estate, Curwen Wood Estate and Hutton Roof Parish Council. Bryan began by showing us some photographs of the general landscape of the area, including large areas of limestone pavement. The area is split into a northerly section which includes Farleton Fell, and a southerly section which includes Dalton Crags and Hutton Roof Crags.
In 1915, Charles Rothschild famously made a list of 284 sites across Britain that he considered suitable for nature reserves, and his list included the Hutton Roof area, in particular because of the important populations of Angular Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum odoratum) and Rigid Buckler Fern (Dryopteris submontana), which are still present in good numbers.
Bryan showed us photographs of some of the other special plants to be found here:
Mezereon (Daphne mezereum) – a shrub that will be in flower now
Primrose (Primula vulgaris) – notable due to being present in huge quantities
Herb-paris (Paris quadrifolia) – approx. 56 populations
Spring Cinquefoil (Potentilla verna) – approx. 6 populations
Spring Sandwort (Sabulina verna) - approx. 12 populations
Pale St John's-wort (Hypericum montanum) - approx. 3 populations, and unlike the usual form of this species, the leaves have translucent dots.
Limestone Bedstraw (Galium sterneri)
Marsh Lousewort (Pedicularis palustris)
Mountain Everlasting (Antennaria dioica) – at least 2 populations
Blue Moor-grass (Sesleria caerulea) – photographs showed the blue/purple flowers varied in tone from light to dark in different plants.
Holly-fern (Polystichum lonchitis) – after an absence of records for this species here for 57 years, Bryan was delighted to discover two plants in 2013 (see link at end).
Squinancywort (Asperula cynanchica)
Upland Enchanter's-nightshade (Circaea x intermedia)
Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella) and Field Gentian (Gentianella campestris) – some areas are full of Autumn Gentian one year, but have Field Gentian the next, often alternating year to year.
Early-purple Orchid (Orchis mascula) – different plants vary with regard to the amount of dark marks on the leaves (some unspotted, some lightly spotted, some with large amounts of dark marks) and the flower colour also varies from white to pink.
Fly Orchid (Ophrys insectifera) – also has much variation in flower colour.
Bryan talked in more detail about Dark-red Helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens), which is particularly numerous at this site and has some interesting variations, some of which are rare and not fully studied. Bryan has spent much time photographing and recording the locations of the more unusual plants, year on year. Excellent photographs showed different colour forms side by side. A variety known as ‘Bicolor’ (previously called Lemon-petalled, or Lempets), have flowers with red and yellow petals. This form also has green stems, unlike the dark stem of the more typical form. A rare variety/form of Dark-red Helleborine known as ‘Pallens’ (or light form) has flowers which are pale greenish-yellow and the stems are light green. Mesh guards are placed over some of the rarities in at attempt to stop them being predated by roe deer and brown hare, but they are no defence against aphids, slugs and voles.
Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) is also found in good numbers. The flower colour can vary with the amount of shade, the most shaded flowers being a darker colour.
Bryan showed photographs of plants he thinks are hybrids between Dark-red Helleborine and Broad-leaved Helleborine (E. x schmalhausenii). To quote from Bryan’s blog ‘When you have 223 E. helleborines and 800 E. atrorubens lying almost next to one another in such a small area as 650x500 metres, why on earth would you not expect introgression of sorts from two of the same family genus!’ Without DNA analysis it is impossible to be sure if you have a hybrid but features such as leaf shape, stem colour, and denticulation features of leaf edges can give us clues. Bryan also said (in answer to a question asked at the end of the talk) that back crossing is very likely which adds to the complexity of plant forms.
Interesting photographs were shown of plants with ‘Compression flower heads’ where the bracts are unusually compressed together (occurs in both Dark-red Helleborine and Broad-leaved Helleborine) and plants with ‘Compensated heads’ where the top of a flower stalk has been nibbled by roe deer but then it has re-grown with paler flowers above where the stalk was damaged.
Bryan warned that there are a lot of ticks in the area, so visitors should be aware of Lyme’s disease. This can be a debilitating disease so should be taken seriously.
For more detail on Bryan’s finds at Hutton Roof and the wider area, please see his blogs which are packed with information, photographs and links to other useful sites:
Bryan’s blog for Dark-red Helleborine:
https://epipactisatrorubens.blogspot.com
Bryan’s blog for general natural history of the area:
https://arnsidesilverdale.blogspot.com/
Page of Bryan’s blog detailing his re-finding of Holly fern and a link to BBC news coverage:
https://huttonroofferns.blogspot.com/2019/02/polystichum-lonchitis-holly-fern.html
Bryan also recommended the book Orchid Summer by Jon Dunn.
Susan