Return to .... Waysides Homepage . . . Waysides Latest News BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE RESERVE The first roadside nature reserve in Emsworth Go to . . . Plants of Bridge Road Wayside Reserve The news is in reverse chronological order . . . BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE - 21 June 2010 Plant list The plants on the Bridge Road Wayside go from strength to strength. Three new plants for the list today were Hairy Buttercup, Pineappleweed and Crested Dog's-tail. This takes this year's total for the site so far to 111, including 29 additions to last year's list. The grand total for the site now stands at 127 species. I am amazed by the number I am finding. This place must surely have a botanical history? Bridge Road wayside is a riot of wild flowers - June 2010   The rare Narrow-leaved Water-plantain (Alisma lanceolata) is flowering well in the Westbrook Stream - 27 June 2010 The flower bed I met a couple of chaps from HBC who were about the cut the car park entrance verge. They also had some bedding Marigolds to plant in the flower bed in place of the wild flower mix which we have decided against. They were fully aware that the wayside verge was not to be cut. Mallard ducklings The female Mallard was back on the Westbrook Stream this afternoon with 9 tiny ducklings in tow, three dark ones and 6 light coloured. She has been missing from the strem for the past few weeks, so that is what she has been doing! The two male Mallards are still around and no doubt will continue to harass her and put the ducklings at risk. WESTBROOK STREAM SURVEY - 28 May 2010 I donned my wellies and walked the length of the Westbrook Stream from the south end of Bridge Road car park to the bridge at Victoria Road. Narrow-leaved Water-plantain . Narrow-leaved Water-plantain I was mainly interested in the Narrow-leaved Water-plantain. I was very pleased to find at least 30 plants, most of them in the stretch by the car park around the Bulrushes. As this rare plant is doing so well, this is even more reason why the Environment Agency should not clear the stream. The locations are as follows: 20 near Bulrushes at Grid Ref: SU 7474 0604 1 north of the central shrubbery at Grid Ref: SU 7474 0610 1 near my back garden wall at Grid Ref: SU 7473 0618 8 near the Victoria Road bridge at Grid Ref: SU 7473 0618 Other plants of interest Sweet Plicate Grass - on the east bank in the car park at Grid Ref: SU 7474 0606 Hard Rush - opposite the signcase at Grid Ref: SU 7474 0610 Remote Sedge - north of the car park at Grid Ref: SU 7473 0615 NEW METROGUARD SIGNCASE - May - June 2010 The new signcase was installed by HBC employees, Ian and Albie on May 25 on the Bridge Road wayside.   Brian with the new signcase with news and photos about the waysides scheme - 27 May 2010.   A section of the barrier was removed and a curb ramp to facilitate access to the board - 10 June 2010 WILD FLOWERS ON THE WAYSIDE - 9 May 2010 The Bridge Road Wayside by the stream is now burgeoning with wild flowers with particularly good displays of Slender Speedwell, Common Sorrel, Meadow Foxtail and Sweet Vernal Grass (a new one for the site). I have already recorded 50 of the 113 plants on the list for this site. An additional 11 plants have been added to the list so far this year. We also have a Blackcap singing, and probably nesting in the bushes. A good flowering of Common Sorrel   Sweet Vernal Grass has not been previously recorded on this site   Early Winter-cress is another newcomer to the Bridge Road wayside WILD FLOWER AREA - 18 April 2010 The flower bed on the verge at the southern entrance to Bridge Road car park has been carefully prepared and sown with the wild flower seed mix as we previously agreed. Many thanks to Rob Hill of HBC for organising this. The area looks a bit bare at present without its bedding plants, but the new seed should give a good flowering from June onwards. A "contrasting seed" mix has been sown from Pictorial Meadows to give flowering from June onwards. To quote from the Pictorial Meadows web site: http://www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk/annual_mixes "Sow Pictorial Meadows Annual seed mixes in the spring - March, April, May - and they will produce superb colour displays within 8 weeks or so of sowing. Unlike other annual meadow mixtures, Pictorial Meadow mixtures are formulated so that as one species in the mix starts to die back it is replaced by another to give continuous displays from midsummer through to late autumn. Regarding the contrasting seed mix which will be sown - it is "A vibrant mix with a combination of orange and yellow with contrasting blue components, throwing together species like Cornflower, Red and Blue Flaxs and Larkspur." Here is a photo of the mixture to be sown in Bridge Road from the web site BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE NEWS - 16 April 2010 Meanwhile, wild flowers are starting to emerge on the grass verge next to the stream. I have already logged several new ones from last year, including Sweet Violets. The patches of blue flowered speedwell on the grass that I originally thought was Common Field Speedwell is, in fact, Slender Speedwell (Veronica filiformis). Common Field Speedwell also grows on the site. Several Cuckooflowers are showing well on the grass verge by the stream    There is a fine display of Lesser Celandine beneath the hedge at the southern entrance to the car park. This photo also shows the flower bed (soon to be a wild flower area) and the new Rowan.   MYSTERY FISH - 12 April 2010 Caroline French asked me to have a look at a dying fish that she had noticed in the Westbrook Stream while parking her car. It looked like an ornamanental variety of Carp with pale, almost white scales and reddish eyes. It was badly damaged on the tail and had probably been dumped in the stream. There was nothing we could do for the poor thing. COMMEMORATIVE TREE PLANTING - Easter Day Sunday 4 April 2010 Local tree wardens John Green, Frances Jannaway and Richard Jannaway planted the Japanese Rowan Sorbus commixta on the grass verge at the entrance to Bridge Road car park in memory of Margaret Gibb-Gray who died in December 2009. There was a short ceremony in which Frances said a few words about the tree and poems were read by John Green and Ann Jolly. Finally, Brendan expressed his appreciation to everyone involved for creating a memorable occasion. John and Richard planting the Rowan in Bridge Road car park   Brendan helps in the planting   Frances reading a piece about the Rowan tree in memory of Margaret   People gathered to witness the ceremonial planting   Here is a photo of what the tree is likely to look like in 20 years time. MOVING THE PARKING POST - 1 April 2010 As agreed with Rob Hill, a couple of Council chaps re-sited the parking post on the grass verge where the tree is to be planted at the southern entrance to Bridge Road car park to the back of the verge. It looks so much better there and makes room for the Metroguard Signcase. The photo also shows the site of the new tree and the wild flower display. GOAT WILLOW- 27 March 2010 Goat Willow in full blossom with "pussy" catkins on the edge of the Westbrook Stream ANNUAL CUTTING OF BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE RESERVE - 14 December 2009 Report by Brian Fellows This morning, I was pleased to meet Les and John of Havant Borough Council in Bridge Road car park. They had arrived to carry out the first annual cutting of the grass verge on the new Bridge Road Nature Reserve. The cutting was efficiently done with a strimmer. I asked them if they would rake up and remove the cuttings, which they did without hesitation. They also removed the top part of the vandalised apple tree, leaving the main trunk to sprout again. I was most impressed! John busy strimming the grass verge in Bridge Road car park   Les and John busy raking and clearing the cuttings   Job very well done. Now let's wait to see what comes up in the spring.   Our next job is to stop the Environment Agency clearing the stream of all the plants and silt which they have threatened to do. We have had no further communication with them following my e-mail to Steve Hale about the rare Narrow-leaved Water-plantain (Alisma lanceolata) which grows in the stream. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NEW RESERVE AT BRIDGE ROAD - 2009 - 2010 Weed spraying Earlier this year (spring 2009), Emily Laurens alerted me (Brian Fellows) to the chemical spraying that had taken place in our local area. I was particularly concerned about spraying which I could see the effects of on the small grassland area between Bridge Road car park and the Westbrook Stream. I have been monitoring this area for some years and was aware of that it supported a good number of wild plants, including one, Narrow-leaved Water-plantain (Alisma lanceolata), which is classified as rare. This photo shows the results of weed spraying along the edge of the proposed reserve   This photo shows the spraying very close to the Westbrook Stream Contact with the local Council Clearly, it made no ecological sense in this green age to damage such a valuable area and to use chemicals so near to a stream. It needed protection. So, in June 2009, I contacted Andy Paffett of Havant Borough Council, who is the person responsible for managing the weed spraying in the borough, to see what could be done to stop this practice. Andy's response was reassuringly positive. Yes, the Council does listen! After inspecting the site, Andy Paffett of HBC agreed to cease the current programme of mowing and spraying and said we need look towards creating a more natural managed area, utilising the knowledge and skills of local volunteers. We certainly have a good local volunteer base in Emsworth. The aim would be to have a small natural area beside the stream, a mini-nature reserve, which people could enjoy and where wildlife would flourish. Even after 2 months of no cutting there is a profusion of wild flowers, attracting butterflies and other insects. My plant list for the area is growing and currently stands at 93 different species, which is an amazing number of wild flowers for such a small area (roughly 500 square metres). Small but beautiful. It might even get the status of a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). This photo shows the grass verge by the car park with the Westbrook Stream on the right HCC Surveying for possible SINC In June 2009 I contacted the Ecology Group of Hampshire County Council expressing my concerns about the spraying in the Bridge Road car park area. I had a reply from Jo Thornton - Land Management Advisor Ecology Group. Jo is the new contact for the road verge project. Nicky Court from HBIC had forwarded a copy of the Brook Meadow Newsletter, which contained an article regarding Bridge Road. Jo was pleased to hear about the good progress with Havant BC and the great news that they agreed to stop the current spraying and cutting regime. She thought it is possible that the site could be designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation which would give it more protection and recognise its conservation value. The site would have to be surveyed by one of the HBIC field surveyors to see if it meets the criteria. I sent through a list of plants found on the site which Jo forwarded to the HBIC with a survey request form for Bridge Road. Hopefully they can fit in a visit this summer. The surveyor will be in touch with me when they carry out the survey. Jo added that the site would not be classified as a 'road verge' under Hampshire County Councils Highways Departments responsibility. Therefore it could not be included in the 'Road Verges of Ecological Importance Scheme' ( RVEIS ). Litter and vandalism Being close to a well used free car park, the area is vulnerable to litter and minor acts of vandalism. I keep a constant watch on the area and clear up any litter, most of it being cans and bottles in the stream, which I fish out with a net. The only only major act of vandalism on the site ocurred in early August 2009, when a mature apple tree in the small shubbery was cut down. Sadly, the tree at the time was full of apples and has for many years has been an attraction to local kids. From inquiries I gather this act was the result of a personal grudge against the tree and quite unconnected with the with the proposed mini-nature reserve. A simlar act occurred in Appledram Lane (south) in early June thjis year when someone took it on themselves to strim a roadside nature reserve, which happened to cntain a rare plant (Spiked Star-of-Bethlehem), despite the verge being clearly marked as a reserve. CLEARANCE OF THE WESTBROOK STREAM - October 2009 The Environment Agency did their annual clearance of the Westbrook Stream in the new Bridge Road Nature Reserve on October 18 2009, but it was an excessively severe cutting in which all of the vegetation was cleared. The severity of the clearance has gone well beyond the need to keep the stream running smoothly. Even a fine growth of Bulrushes on the eastern edge of the stream was torn away. There are several other important species of plant growing on the edge of the stream that need not have been cleared, including a good growth of Narrow-leaved Water-plantain Alisma lanceolata, which has been confirmed as a rare species in Hampshire.   MEETING WITH ENVIRONMENT AGENCY - 5 November 2009 Brendan Gibb-Gray, Roger Mills and Brian Fellows met up with Steve Hale, Adam Cave and Louise Parker from the Environment Agency at Bridge Road car park to discuss the severe clearance of the Westbrook Stream and the possibility of a more gentle conservation cut in the future in view of the fact that the stream was an important and integral part of the newly set up Bridge Road Nature Reserve. However, things did not go according to plan and the outcome was very disappointing from our point of view. The Agency officers informed us that the stream would have to be completely cleared of all the silt that had built up along the banks over the years. They pointed out that the Westbrook Stream was not a natural waterway, like the River Ems on Brook Meadow, but was canalised with concrete banks to improve the flow of water. They said the build up of soil lessened the effectiveness of the stream to absorb the back up from a tidal surge and its removal would help to combat the risk of flooding in the Bridge Road area. The clearance would probably take place in the next few months depending on available resources. We were all stunned by this news. We appreciated the position of the Agency in that their task to maintain water flow in the stream and protect properties from flooding. However, their plans would mean the stream being converted from what is at present an attractive and ecologically rich waterway to a barren concrete sided channel with little wildlife interest. The soil to be removed supports a number of important plants, including Narrow-leaved Water-plantain, Blue Water Speedwell, Bulrushes, Plicate Sweet-grass and Water Figwort, all of which will be lost along with the wildlife, fish, insects, etc. that depended on them. The only compromise we were allowed was a single plant of Pendulous Sedge, in a non-critical area, which the Agency said would be spared! A few days later, Steve Hale went to the site with the engineer who identified three areas where vegetation will be left in a controlled manner i.e. area reduced in size and silt shaped as well as reduced in height. The rest of the channel will be cleared for storage capacity. This is very disappointing. WHAT HAPPENED? - January 2010 The Environment Agency has threatened to clear the Westbrook Stream of all plants and silt 'to prevent flooding'. We question whether such a drastic action, which would seriously affect the integrity of the new nature reserve, is really required. The amount of soil that would be removed is relatively insignificant compared with the size of the stream, but the soil does hold a number of important plants, the destruction of which would seriously compromise the new nature reserve. Also, we note there has been no flooding in the Bridge Road area since the new remote controlled sluice was installed on the millpond, which has worked very well. Thus, the sluice can be opened if heavy rain is forecast to prevent any back up of water from the millpond into the stream. We have had no further communication with the EA following Brian Fellows's e-mail to Steve Hale about the presence of the rare Narrow-leaved Water-plantain (Alisma lanceolata) in the stream, which would be destroyed by the clearance. Have we had a reprieve?