Species recording at Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough
Plants (159 herb species, 45 grasses, sedges etc., 33 trees and shrubs)
A search for interesting arable weeds has not y ielded any great discoveries, although it was nice to
find both Round-leaved Fluellen Kickxia spuria and Sharp-leaved Fluellen K. elatine in a Flax
field. This field has now reverted to cereal production, so it will be interesting to see how these two
herbs cope with the change in cultivation regime.
The areas of Saltmarsh contain all the typical species one might expect to find, plus the Nationally
Scarce Shrubby Seablite Suaeda vera and Golden Samphire Inula crithmoides. One notable feature
of the evolving new shoreline within the coastal realignment zone is the abundance of glassworts
Salicornia and Sarcocornia spp. spreading over the bare ground of the new upper Saltmarsh zone.
The seawalls were formerly cut for hay but they have retained a largely rough grassland sward
characterised by Common Elytrigia repens and Sea Couch E. atherica and False Oat-grass
Arrhenatherum elatius. However, several seawall specialists survive at low density, such as Sea
Barley Hordeum marinum (Nationally Scarce), Spiny Rest-harrow Ononis spinosa. Slender Hare's-
ear Bupleurum tenuissimum (Nationally Scarce) and Sea Clover Trifolium squamosum (Nationally
Scarce). Interestingly, where a small section of seawall was scuffed by excavators working on the
coastal realignment project in 2002, a small group of Mousetail Myosurus minimus plants appeared
in 2003.
Other species of interest found around the farm include Golden Dock Rumex maritimus by the old
duck decoy pond, Dittander Lepidium latifolium (Nationally Scarce) growing close to the farmyard
rather than in more natural marshland habitats and Harts-tongue Fern Phyllitis scolopendrium
growing out of the mortar on the shady side of one of the farm buildings.
The farm hedges arc of some note for two different reasons: firstly, the abundance of quite healthy
and tall Elm Ulmus sp. in some sections, and secondly the unexpectedly widespread occurrence of
Midland Hawthorn Crataegus laevigata. The latter species has probably been introduced by old
hedge planting rather than indicating hedgerows of real antiquity.
Molluscs (15 species)
This total is made up mostly of common terrestrial and freshwater species, with one marine species
-Hydrobia ulvae.
Crustaceans (12 species)
As well as crabs and hog-lice, six woodlice species have been recorded including Platyarthrus
hoffmannseggii, a small, unpigmented species found in an ant's nest under a paving slab on the
patio. These creatures happily co-exist in ants nest and are actually very common, even in gardens.
Odonata (17 species)
This is quite an impressive figure, which emphasises the varied habitats than can be present on a
coastal farm. Notable species include the Scarce Emerald Damselfly Lestes dryas (RDB2). Banded
Agrion Agrion splendens, usually associated with flowing water. Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator
and also the newly colonised Small Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma viridulum, noted in August
2002 in some numbers over the farmhouse pond. As this report is being written, large numbers of
Migrant Hawkers Aeshna mixta swoop over the lawn outside the office window.
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)