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Botany and Butterflies
Peter Cramb
It is not easy to compare the relative importance of papers
published in the early years with more recent ones. Today's naturalists
are frequently full-time professionals and work with the benefit of the
accumulated knowledge of their predecessors. In the early years, in
contrast, most naturalists were amateurs - although in many cases
certainly not amateurish - and had little previous work on which to
build. Much of their work has now been superseded by that of their
successors, as no doubt will the work of the present generation be
superseded in the future!
I have attempted to overcome this difficulty by including a
cross-section of the items from the whole period but with more
weighting given to those of the relatively recent past reflecting their
greater current significance. I have included a very short summary of
each item indicating its main points of interest.
N.B. Volumes have been dated as shown on the spine: this is not
usually the date of publication. Some of the older volumes have no date
on the spine and, in these cases, the date of publication has been used
instead.
Peter Cramb
27th April 2001
- Preface
- VOLUME 2, 1878. WOOD Rev. H.H. pp. 32-36
(of 32-52)
`The Botany of a Dorsetshire Parish' - part.
Interesting comments on what the author regarded as excessive splitting
of groups such as hawkweeds, brambles and roses into different species
by some botanists.
- VOLUME 9, 1888. STUART M.G. pp.
130-135
`The Construction of a Naturalist's Calendar for Dorsetshire'.
Paper which was the forerunner of Natural History reports and rainfall
records in the Proceedings.
- VOLUME 12, 1891. MURRAY Rev. R.P. pp.
71-74 (of 71-79)
`Notes on some of the Rarer Forms of Rubus lately found in
Dorset' - part.
More on splitting - the author suggests treating different
Rubi as forms rather than species until it is possible by
further work to recombine them into groups more or less equivalent to
species met with in other genera.
- VOLUME 14, 1893. MURRAY Rev. R.P. pp.
179-181
`Further notes on Dorset Rubi'
Reporting the author's discovery of a new species, Rubus
durotrigum R.P. Murray, together with a beautiful illustration of
the plant.
- VOLUME 21, 1900. MANSEL-PLEYDELL J.C. pp.
1-17
`The Influence of Climatic and Geological Changes upon the British
Flora, with Remarks upon Three New Dorset Plants, Erica
lusitanica, Spartina townsendi and Setaria
verticillata'.
Interesting summary of contemporary thinking on the subject; references
to H.C. Watson's and E. Forbes' botanical divisions of the British
Isles and contemporary work on climatic and geological changes.
- VOLUME 22, 1901. MANSEL-PLEYDELL J.C. p. 4
(of 1-27)
Anniversary Address of the President - part.
Reference to plasticity of species and struggle between this and
inflexibility which prevents changes and preserves species.
- VOLUME 26, 1905. BARRETT W.B. pp.
251-265
`Notes on the Flora of The Chesil Bank and The Fleet'
- VOLUME 33, 1912. BARRETT W.B. pp.
96-143
`Contributions to a Flora of Portland, with Special Reference to
Limonium recurvum C.E. Salmon'.
Species list and locations covering:
(a) the Chesil Bank and both shores of the Fleet from Abbotsbury to
Smallmouth, and
(b) the coastline from Smallmouth to Portland Bill, including comments,
with a drawing, on Limonium recurvum and the history of its
discovery and determination.
(A good project might be to compare these with the current flora of the
area nearly 100 years later!)
- VOLUME 36, 1915. pp. xli-xlii
Reference to exhibits at second winter meeting of two pressed specimens
of Snake-tongue ranunculus (Ranunculus ophiglossifolius) found
by Ronald Good (aged about 18); almost extinct in Britain, not
previously identified (and now thought to be extinct) in Dorset.
- VOLUME 55, 1933. GOOD R. pp.
272-273
`A Note on the Lizard Orchid and its occurrence in Dorset'.
Description of the rapid extension of its range.
- VOLUME 64, 1942. SYLVESTER-BRADLEY Lt.
Col. C.R. pp.118-120
`Some Notes on the Occurrence of Iris spuria in Dorset'.
Interesting account of Iris spuria and of its occurrence at
Chickerell, growing wild in the fields.
- VOLUME 79, 1957 MEGGISON D. p.25 and
VOLUME 82, 1960 GOOD R. p.40
`Reports on Dorset Natural History for 1957 and 1960 ... Botany'
Adverse effects of post-war increases in agricultural and forestry
activity on the Dorset flora.
- VOLUME 79, 1957. CARTER P.W.
pp.73-98
`The Botanical Exploration of Dorset'
Very useful summary of the history of Dorset botany; short biographies
of Dorset botanists, with lists of their discoveries; references to
botanical articles in the Proceedings and other
publications.
- VOLUME 91, 1969. RANWELL D.S. pp.
134-146
`Losses and Gains in the Wetland and Coastal Flora of Dorset'.
Good summary of changes due to man-made and other factors over 250
years.
- VOLUME 99, 1977. `G.S.' pp.
146-149
`Natural History Reports for 1977 ... Species Mapping by the Dorset
Environmental Records Centre.'
Historically interesting account of the results of early work by
D.E.R.C.
- VOLUME 100, 1978. WHITTAKER J.E. pp.
73-99
`The Fleet, Dorset - A Seasonal Study of the Watermass and its
Vegetation'.
A study of the hydrography of the Fleet and its flora, including a list
of algae.
- VOLUME 101, 1979 pp. 121-132; VOLUME
102, 1980 pp. 83-84; VOLUME 103, 1981 pp. 115-116; VOLUME 104, 1982 pp. 147-148; VOLUME 106, 1984 pp. 97-98; VOLUME 108, 1986 pp. 157-158
HORSFALL A.
`Changes in the Habitats of the Dorset Flora since 1931'.
An important series of papers giving the results of a survey of habitat
changes in R. Good's stands or botanical sites originally surveyed in
the 1930s, with the causes of these changes, in different areas of the
county. A significant proportion of the sites was found to be either
partly or totally changed.
- VOLUME 107, 1985. ROBERTS C.D. et
al. pp. 141-151
`Marine Habitats and Associations on the Dorset Coast'.
Results of a survey, using diving techniques, of the plants and animals
off the Dorset Heritage Coast from Ringstead to Studland.
-
VOLUME 111, 1989. HORSFALL A. pp.
99-104
`Some Effects of Habitat Change on the Dorset Flora'.
Development of the work described by Horsfall in earlier volumes to consider effects on
various plant species.
- VOLUME 111, 1989. p.134
`Natural History Report 1989....Botany' (D. Pearman) - part.
Reference to a violent storm removing all visible vegetation from the
crest of the Chesil Beach on a three mile stretch.
- VOLUME 113, 1991. PORLEY R.D. &
ULF-HANSEN P.F. pp. 161-165
`Unimproved Neutral Grassland in Dorset: Survey and
Conservation'.
Results of a survey which found that only 344 ha of neutral grassland
of high conservation interest survived.
- VOLUME 113, 1991. PRESTON C.D. & PEARMAN D.A. pp. 207-210
`Natural History Reports ... A Second Extant Dorset Locality for
Gastridium ventricosum'
Description of a newly discovered site, with very large populations, in
set-aside fields.
- VOLUME 114, 1992. PICKESS B.P. et al.
pp. 227-232
`The Management of Lowland Heath from 1966-1989 at Arne Nature Reserve,
Dorset, UK'.
Describes heathland management at Arne for conservation purposes;
includes areas with Dorset Heath, Erica ciliaris.
- VOLUME 119, 1997. RAYBOULD A.F. pp.
147-158
`The History and Ecology of Spartina anglica in Poole
Harbour'.
Describes the effects of changes in the distribution of Spartina
anglica on the hydrography and ecology of Poole Harbour.
- Preface
- VOLUME 7, 1886. CAMBRIDGE Rev. O.P. pp.
79-83
`Notes on Lycaena argiades Pall. A Butterfly New to
Britain'.
Description of the first British record of the Short-tailed Blue;
includes a beautiful colour illustration.
- VOLUME 9, 1888. STUART M.G. pp.
130-135
`The Construction of a Naturalist's Calendar for Dorsetshire'.
Paper which was the forerunner of Natural History reports and rainfall
records in the Proceedings.
- VOLUME 15, 1894. RICHARDSON N.M. pp.
59-61
`Dorset Lepidoptera in 1892-3, with a Description of the Larva of
Epischnia bankesiella Richardson' - part.
Describes the appearance of great numbers of Clouded Yellows in 1892
and explains this as due to immigration (apparently not generally known
at the time).
- VOLUME 44, 1923 p. 114 and VOLUME 48,
1927 pp. 128-130
`First Appearances of Birds, Insects, etc....'
References to the reappearance of the Comma in Dorset, its increasing
range here and possible reasons for this.
- VOLUME 76, 1954. KING, Harold, p.
116
`Report on Dorset Natural History (except birds) for
1954...Lepidoptera'
Reference to the adverse effects of agricultural activities on
butterflies.
- VOLUME 99, 1977. THOMAS J.A. & MERRETT
P. pp. 112-119
`Observations of Butterflies in the Purbeck Hills in 1976 &
1977'.
Description of early use of modern monitoring techniques using regular
counts along transects.
- VOLUME 99, 1977. `G.S.' pp.
146-149
`Natural History Reports for 1977....Species Mapping by the Dorset
Environmental Records Centre'.
Historically interesting account of the results of early work by
D.E.R.C.
- VOLUME 104, 1982. THOMAS J.A. & WEBB
N.R. pp. 155-158
`The Butterflies of the Dorset Nature Reserves'.
Statistics and notes on the occurrence of species on the Reserves;
useful References.
- VOLUME 105, 1983. WEBB N.R. & THOMAS
J.A. pp. 173-174
`Natural History Reports 1983....The Clouded Yellow (Colias
croceus) in Dorset during 1983'.
Description of the best year in Dorset since 1949; includes
distribution map and figures showing results of transect counts.
- VOLUME 106, 1984. THOMAS J.A. pp.
93-96
`Changes in the Status of the Adonis Blue and Lulworth Skipper in
Dorset'.
Review of records showing the decline of the Adonis Blue and stability
of the Lulworth Skipper.
- VOLUME 107, 1985. WEBB N.R.
p.197
`Natural History Reports...The Spring Immigration of the Painted Lady
Butterfly (Cynthia cardui) to Dorset in 1985'.
Includes a figure showing numbers sighted on each day in April and
their relationship to weather conditions.
- VOLUME 108, 1986. WARREN M.S. pp.
153-155
`The Status of the Cretaceous Race of the Silver-studded Blue Butterfly
on the Isle of Portland'.
Summary of the results of the first systematic survey of the Portland
populations and discussion of long-term conservation problems they
might face.
- VOLUME 110, 1988. BROWN S.C.S. pp.
1-16
`A Biographical Account of Some Dorset Entomologists'.
Short biographies with summaries of work of leading Dorset
entomologists; appendices on their publications and collections.
-
VOLUME 118, 1996. SHREEVES, Bill. pp.
183-187
`Natural History Reports....The Painted Lady Migration in Dorset
1996'.
Background to the species and description of the migration; weekly
transect counts for 1996 and transect counts over 12 years.
- VOLUME 121, 1999. pp. 169-172
`Natural History Reports ... Butterfly Report 1999' (Bill Shreeves) -
part.
Summary of Dorset results of Butterfly Conservation's 1995-1999 Survey;
comparison of results with those of surveys of 1970-1984 and
1980-1994.
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