News from the Pillwort Bowl
Saturday, March 12th 2016
Pillwort is a water fern but it is not like the land ferns. A frond of Hart's Tongue fern from a garden, was taken and laid on soil and has been kept moist for about five months. The back of the frond was covered in sori that were filled with spores. Over the last month these spores have developed into prothalli. These will eventually produce new ferns.
Pillwort produced sporocarps from which the spores were released. These spores have now developed into tiny ferns, looking like pieces of grass.
Meanwhile the adult fern is still growing and as the days lengthen and there is more heat in the sun coming through the window, so it is growing more quickly. In the right hand corner, out of focus, the root of the Pillwort can be seen.
Checking the plastic bowl on a regular basis and topping it up with water, 'things' have started to appear. Daphnia and Cyclops species are moving around, presumably having spent the winter dormant either as adults or eggs. Then there was a green 'thing'. Glasses off to look closer, excitement growing, large magnifying glass out and yes the green 'thing' was a Green Hydra.
They are basically a tube, an outer layer and an inner layer which digests the food. The tentacles around the opening of the tube catch the prey by stinging it. In this species, because they contain chlorophyll they are not as voracious as other species. If conditions are right then they reproduce asexually by producing a bud, which is a new hydra which will fall off and start life on its own. Within a few days of discovery, one hydra has a bud.
This is a new species for the reserve but it is unable to be entered into the species list at this time, as there is some confusion over its correct name. The species programme is saying that it is a marine invertebrate!
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Undergrowth Newsletter
Undergrowth Newsletter Winter 2020/21 Issue 54

Find out what has been going on at the reserve during the lockdown!
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Recent Blog Posts
- The Dream Team!
- Foxglove 30 BIOBLITZ
- New Species
- Summertime
- Short-eared Owls
- Celebrate 30 Years of Foxglove!
- Butterflies And Moths Treasure Trail
- Busy Wednesdays
- Wildlife and Warm Days
- Yet More Moths
- Mainly Moths and Butterflies
- Blustery Days
- Working On The Wetland
- Beautiful Barn Owls
- Beaver and Cub Scouts
- Holt’s Military Banking
- Trinity Academy Richmond
- Butterflies and Moths
- Foxglove 30th Anniversary Raffle
- Nature Roundup
- Moths
- The Beginning of Summer
- Royal Garden Party
- More Nature
- Tread Quietly, Tread Gently
- Plenty To See
- No Snow, No Hail
- Tawny Owls and Grey Herons
- More Flowers
- Nature
- Moving Slowly Through Spring
- Nesting Time
- Winter Spring
- Warm Days
- Biscoff Cheesecake, Brownies and Bakewell Tarts!
- A Busy Day for Some
- Volunteers at Work
- Around the Reserve
- A Ringing Day
- Flowers at Last!
- More Spring Photos
- Moths!
- A Special Visit
- Spring Has Sprung!
- Reducing, Reusing and Recycling!
- Almost Spring
- Thank you!
- Ringing Resumes!
- Arrival of Spring
- Strong Support
- Back To Work!
- We Are Open!
- Update
- Temporary Closure
- Large, Little and In Between
- The Weather
- A Wild Worky Day!
- Malik and Corrie
- Forest School Fun
- Winter Work
- Preventing The Spread of Bird Flu
- Thank You and Congratulations!
- Job Jobbed!
- Hazel, a Hedge and more High Vis!
- Moths
- Many Happy Returns!
- Winter Scenes at Foxglove
- Sheer Dedication!
- Back to Work
- Happy New Year!
- All Kinds of Weather
- Last Volunteer Day 2021
- Pillwort
- Volunteers at Work
- Winter Work Continues
- Edward the Elf Returns!
- Sunshine and Blue Skies
- More Clearing Up
- December Winter Worky Day
- Dangerous Trees
- Tidying Up After Storm Arwen
- Storm Damage
- Willow Weaving
- Considerate Contributions
- Storm Arwen
- Look Both Ways
- Never Work With Wildlife
- Traditional Woodland Skills
- Technicolour Nature!
- November Worky Day
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- All About Fungi
- Look North
- Autumn Views at Foxglove
- Happy Halloween
- Bat Monitoring
- Forest Fun
- Hazel Coppice
- Wildlife Activity Day
- Winter Visitors
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