Surveying the washlands

I headed over to the Fromebridge Washlands meadow with the Stroud Wildlife Survey Group to help with a botanical survey of the field. This is an area I know very well from lots of activities over the years, but this was the first time I had visited this meadow on the other side of the A38.

We had a lot of new members join recently and some were taking part today. Maureen organised the group and expert botanist Olga led the field survey.

This is a very nice, species rich floodplain grassland which hasn’t been grazed for some years.

I’m never very good at identifying sedges and grasses, but there was ample opportunity to learn today. Within the first 15 minutes we had a solid collection of about six common grasses to set us on the way.

I noted about 60 species in all, but know that I missed some. I send the results over to Maureen after, who reckons there’s around 80 altogether. Some of the highlights for me were Marsh Horsetail (a good indicator species for this habitat) and Prickly Sedge which has a striking flower on a square stalk.

Didn’t finish until around 3.30pm, and we deemed the day a great success. We trained new members, produced a comprehensive survey for the wildlife trust, and raised some money for the SWSG coffers.