A walk from the GMC border at Summit to Littleborough,
Some nice finds HUGE Gunnera (thinks) tinctoria rather than manicata (on basis of Inflorescences flower spike shape), a giant rhubarb of South America. Just growing on the far canal bank. Quite common in Aran where people reportedly use its leaves as umbrellas so possibly and west Ireland and is quite hardy. Wild Margoram, Garden Strawberry, Field Bindweed, floating pennywort, ling , bilberry, honeysuckle, cut leaved bramble, and reflexed stonecrop.
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 18th of August 2013 12:37:10 AM
Had a mooch around some old sites in Rochdale Canal with previous sightings of rare plants
Floating Water Plantain Luronium natans - This is very rare. Its Natural Home is in Snowdonia and the Lakes. It has spread to several locations via canal. Reported to be located at only 18 sites in England. Some of these may be former sites. The Peak forest canal near New Mills was reported to have a population but tidying up areas for pleasure craft may have ended this. L. natans is now listed on Schedule 8 of the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act (revised 1992), which makes it an offence to pick, uproot, sell or destroy the species. In GM it was reported to be in the Huddersfield Canal, Ashton Canal SBI, Rochdale Canal SSSI Peak Forest Canal and Hollinwood Branch Canal. A lot of the canals fauna suffered when they were reopened to navigation. In the past two reported sites on the ashton Canal in Manchester were bare as was a reported site on the Peak forest canal. The Hollinwood branch canal SSSI is in very bad shape Nonetheless I found a site on the Rochdale canal that 4 years ago had a thriving population. It was still present today but lack of removing overhead branches seems to have reduced its coverage. The invested a lot of time and effort to ensure it continued success when the canal was reopened but clearly work is needed before it waves goodbye from one more site.
American pondweed Potamogeton epihydrus. This was brought into the canal in the 1850 by Barges and assume seeds on Cotton Bales. Found a big mat of it several years ago but today not a peep at this site.
Fringed water-lily Nymphoides peltata Another one found in numbers at the same site as American Pondweed several years ago. Today this was found to have flourished in a huge mat so much so that it appears to have taken over the area and excluded Potamogeton epihydrus. No management here then. Hopefully these and other rarities like water soldier Stratiotes aloides still exist at other locations on this canal.
A lot of these canals listed are categorised as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with the highest protection which might not be much. However, the affect of Leisure craft, and the tidying up of warfs with development has degraded them greatly. This is despite valiant efforts to protect what used to be there. Other wildlife has suffered as well. The Bury Bolton Canal on the other hand is not open to Captain Beaky and his band, and unlikely to be 'restored.' Stuffed full of fauna with plants like Frogbit and Water Soldier, invertebrates such as Water Spider and associated birdlife such as Reed, Sedge and Grasshopper Warbler it is lower down the pecking order as a Site of Biological Importance with even less protection. That must make sense to some one then. Rant over.
