Management of water and land are inextricably linked

This last month has been one of the sunniest Marches on record. Because of this warm, sunny, pleasant weather a lot of flowers have come out. However, there have been some very cold evenings with frosts. April showers are associated with this month so some wet weather is expected.
Landowners have always known that the soil and water management is inextricably linked. However, with the more severe deluges we have been having over these last few winters it really has hit home. The concern in modern day farming is the loss of the soil's ability to soak up heavy rainfall. This can cause severe soil erosion in some parts. The resulting loss of pesticides and fertilisers, local flooding and silting up of our rivers are costly to the farmer and to the environment. Soils that do not soak up the rain and store water are prone to dry out quickly in the summer. It is difficult to predict the climate and weather patterns nowadays but measures can be taken to reduce the costs by choosing the right crops to match the capability of the land and to help restore soil structure. Seeing where the main problems arise and then changing the timing and choice of cultivation can avoid over working of the soil, compaction and in turn severe run-off and soil erosion.

Everywhere you look in the countryside there are either fresh green leaves emerging from their buds or flowers appearing. There are numerous birds pairing up and building nests, although there are still a few over-wintering Redwing and Fieldfare in flocks taking advantage of the spring harvest before they move on. As one door shuts another opens with the arrival of the Swallow and the Cuckoo. With the warmer weather the Honey Bee will be buzzing around. A number of moths and butterflies will be emerging either from hibernation or from pupae/chrysalis. Most reptiles will pair up and mate. Fox cubs will be born in their dens and Badger cubs will be taking their first steps into the fresh air.

Purple Willow Salix purpurea

One of the most prominent flowers to be seen beside the water edge is the catkin from the Willow or Salix family. There are numerous varieties of Willows to be seen like the Goat Willow, Sallow, and Crack Willow just to mention a few and many hybrids to make it all the more complicated to separate them. Some are well known like the Osier for its long pliable branches used in basket making or the Cricket-bat Willow used for cricket bats. However, if you are lucky to find a small willow with Purple catkins growing in or near by a stream you will have found the fairly scarce Purple Willow (Salix purpurea). This time of year is the easiest time of year to distinguish it from all the other willows.

The Pond Water-crowfoot Ranunculus peltatus

Another group of flowers, that are difficult to distinguish from each other are the Water-crowfoot family. Generally most crowfoots have white petals with a yellow centre. They are related to Buttercups. The Pond Water-crowfoot Ranunculus peltatus is one of the more common species found in Sussex and they don't seem to be fussy whether they grow in calcareous water or base-poor water.

Another Water-crowfoot to be found in acidic water conditions is the Round-leaved Water-crowfoot Ranunculus omiophyllus. The Water Crowfoot family is a difficult group to separate and even a good botanist can be fooled.

Golden Saxifrage Chrysoplenium oppositifolium

Lookout for trickles of gold on shady stream banks, and you are seeing Opposite-leaved golden Saxifrage Chrysoplenium oppositifolium. This plant has gold-speckled flowers against a background of pale green leaves. There are two species of Golden Saxifrage, this one has leaves that grow in pairs that grow out of the stem opposite each other whilst the other, Alternate-leaved golden Saxifrage has staggered leaves growing up the stem. "Chrysoplenium" derives from two Greek words- "Chrysos" meaning gold and "Splene" meaning spleen. According to the medieval "doctrine of signatures" if a plant resembled the shape of an organ then by eating or drinking it would aid the relevant part of the body. So in the case of this plant it was eaten to help the spleen.

Willow Moss Fontinalis antipyretica

A moss that can be found growing in streams but also found on lake margins and ponds is the Willow Moss Fontinalis antipyretica. Willow Moss can be seen anchored to stones or tree roots in under water. This aquatic moss has long, flowing, sparingly branched leafy shoots that resemble the hanging branches of weeping willow in leaf. These leafy branches can grow as long as 50-70 cm in fast flowing streams. It can be a problem where it competes for space in watercress beds and is annually removed by hand. The second part of its name "antipyrectica" means "against water" and refers to the fact that peasants from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia used it for its non-flammable properties by packing it into the space between their store chimneys and wooden walls.

American Mink Mustela vison

One of the animals you may see near water is the American Mink Mustela vison. This mink will be taking advantage of the waterfowl trying to nest nearby. The Mink is a member of the Weasel family. Minks can have different coloured coats, sometimes grey but usually dark brown with a flash of white on the chin. This animal was introduced to this country for its fur from America and bred on many mink farms. Many of them escaped or were set free in to the wild. Nowadays mink farming has been forced out almost completely from this country due to public pressure. The sad thing is that this alien species has adapted to our countryside much to the detrimental damage to our native wildlife. This animal is an effective killer of our waterfowl, shrews, mice and is thought to be the main contributing factor in the decline of our much beloved "Ratty" from the "Wind in the Willows" or more commonly known as the Water Vole. They not only kill wildlife but domestic ducks and chicken too. They are very territorial and will not tolerate another mink on their patch unless it is a mate so although this species has spread all across the British Isles it has now found a balance. Sadly in Europe where they have escaped it has competed with the European native Mink Mustela lutreola and has caused another species to decline. However, with the improvement and cleansing of our stream systems the fish will return and in turn the otter will come back to this part of the world. Otters are territorial as well and will chase any mink out of their territory. So maybe the American Mink will start to decline in its numbers in years to come.

Next month is May and the woodland flora looks its best, so I will talk a about that.