A trip to Dyffryn on Saturday 2nd February produced a few records:
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| Ectoedemia septembrella mines on Hypericum bush |
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| Phytomyza hellebori (fly) mines on Stinking Hellebore |
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| Narycia duplicella larval case on oak trunk |
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| The oak tree in question |
The moths are new for ST07 I think. Phytomyza hellebori may or may not be new for Wales - it's hard to know for certain as there is no recording scheme for Agromyzid flies. It was first recorded in the UK in 2000 and had previously been thought to be restricted to south-east England.
Being an ex 'Dyffonian', all be it thirty odd years ago, I feel I aught to know that Oak. I'm struggling to even place it, but I'm guessing it might be right up at the northern end of the gardens, near what used to be the public entrance and north lodge. I really must try and pay a visit to the place.
ReplyDeleteI will have to check my Hellebores for that Phytomyza, too.
Spot on Mark - the oak is between the car park and North Lodge. A Turkey Oak I think.
ReplyDeleteWe have National Trust gift membership which expires in May, so wanted to pay a visit before then.
George
I've been an RHS member for years, so have been entitled to free entry all that time. I'm also a National Trust member, so I can get it double free. What I really need is to get up off my backside and go there! ;¬)
ReplyDeleteDo you know if there are any Champion Trees at Dyffryn?
ReplyDeleteNo idea I'm afraid. Lots of nice parkland oaks.
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of Champion Trees in Bute Park, but then you probably knew that.
There used (probably still are) to be a few, though being ornamentals, they weren't all that spectacular to look at. I seem to remember that one or two of the Acer griseum were the oldest or largest in the country and there was a champion Brewer's Spruce. Near the house there probably still is an enormous Quercus lucombeana. When I was a trainee gardener, living in the house, I used, on warm summer evenings (this was the seventies, when we still had such things), sometimes take a snooze, laying out on one of the lower boughs of it.
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