Review of the Wildlife of Epping Forest 1999-March 2000 51
Beach. This is a pleasing record following on from the tooth-fungus Hericium clathroides, found
about 1 kilometre to the north in 1998; both are uncommon and possibly declining species.
Higher Plants
Following last year's encouraging report on Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica), it is pleasing to
report that the population still seems to be on the increase with several new patches found at be-
tween 10 to 30 metres distance from the original area on Almshouse Plain. Also encouraging seems
to be the increase in Bird's-foot Trefoil {Lotus corniculatus) across the central grasslands of the
Forest and this needs investigating further to see if this is more than an apparent trend for this
relatively common plant but important insect food resource.
Meanwhile the sundew (Drosera) species remain in decline and in a perilous state. A soil sampling
survey, also looking at the water table, was carried out by students during the summer and later a
concerted clearance effort was carried out to remove Birch from the heathland area, involving vol-
unteers and many Epping Forest staff on a special staff day. In addition, a small scrape was created
by Epping Forest Conservation Volunteers nearby. This has already produced germinating Heather
(Calluna vulgaris) seedlings and at least two species of uncommon sedge but is probably not wet
enough for Drosera species. However, more efforts will be needed in 2000 and action may have to
be more radical.
Finally, during September there was the odd sight of two Horse-chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum)
on the Forest at Woodford Green in flower for the second time. By November the flowers had
produced little abortive conkers alongside their bigger spring-fertilised siblings (see fig. 1).
Invertebrates
Spiders
After survey work in 1999 by Peter Harvey the spider list for Epping Forest now stands at 269
species of which 100 are categorised as Nationally Local, Nationally Notable or RDB (Harvey
2000). Of these there are just two RDB species, both of which are associated with wood-pasture and
ancient tree habitats. Midia midas is a particularly important species only known from three other
sites in the UK.
Although a number of species seem to have been lost from the Forest its spider fauna is still of great
importance for Essex. Of the 269 species nearly half (120) are rare or scarce in the county.
Dragonflies
It has been another eventful year for dragonflies. The scarce but increasing Hairy Dragonfly
(Brachytron pratense) was proved to have bred at Little Wake Pond East where Amanda Samuels
collected a single exuvium. This brings to three the number of ponds at which this species has been
seen on the Forest to date; it almost certainly breeds at the nearby, larger Wake Valley Pond also.
With the summer being wetter, the small cattle-drinking pond at Long Running heath (see Dagley &
Samuels 1999) stayed water-filled throughout the year. It produced some excellent visitors includ-
ing Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) found by Andrew Middleton, only the second ever
county record (see Plate 5) and the first since July 1900 when a male was caught near Chingford,
probably in Epping Forest, by the Campion brothers (Benton 1987). Black Darter (Sympetrum
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)