AEG Trail #4: Gorse - of course!
This is the 4th of a series of 9 caches in an enjoyable 2.6 km circuit taking in some varied scenery and environments to the south of the village. See the Trail Map for the route and points of interest - including cache locations. See here for a description of one of the numerous walks around Addingham - which includes the route of this trail.
The trail originally had 6 caches marking key points of interest as per the guided tour at the annual Environment Day held in May 2017.
The cache, a small camo-taped, screw-capped plastic pot, was added between the original #3 and #4 caches, so the later original caches have been renumbered accordingly.
From #3 the trail reaches the corner at the top of the field and a gate/trail junction - straight on crosses the busy A65 Ilkley-Skipton road to access the trail heading up to Addingham Moorside and - to the right - follows the line of the road along an often muddy and overgrown narrow path to access another long field on the edge of which the cache is hidden at the base of this large bright yellow, prickly bush.
(Common) gorse, furze or whin (Ulex europaeus) is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to the British Isles and Western Europe.
It is found in all kinds of habitats, from heaths and coastal grasslands to towns and gardens. It generally flowers from January-June (although may flower sporadically throughout the year).
It provides shelter and food for many insects and birds, such as Dartford Warblers, Stonechats and Yellowhammers.
It is an evergreen shrub which grows up to 3m tall and fixed nitrogen into the soil.
The solitary yellow flowers, with the pea-flower structure typical of the Fabaceae are produced throughout the year, but mainly over a long period in spring. They are coconut-scented.
The fruit is a legume (pod) containing 2–3 small blackish, shiny, hard seeds. These are ejected when the pod splits open in hot weather and are viable for 30 years!
Like many gorse species, it is often a fire-climax plant, which readily catches fire but re-grows from the roots after the fire; the seeds are also adapted to germinate after slight scorching by fire. It has a tap root, lateral and adventious roots. An extremely tough and hardy plant, it survives temperatures down to −20°C and can live for about thirty years.
Invasive species:it has been introduced to other areas of Europe, and also to the Americas, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia,where it is often considered a weed and is a serious problem invasive species in some areas.
Biological pest control using the gorse spider mite (Tetranychus lintearius) and the gorse seed weevil (Exapion ulicis) may be used to reduce the spread of the plant.
Cultivation: it is used for hedging, boundaries and groundcover in suitably sunny, open locations. Cultivars include 'Strictus' (Irish gorse), a dwarf form, and the double-flowered, non-fruiting 'Flore Pleno', which has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Other uses:it was regularly collected from common land for a number of purposes:
- fuel for firing bread ovens
- fodder for livestock (for this purpose it was bruised using a whin stone)
- bound to make floor and chimney brushes
- as a colourant for painting Easter Eggs
Also lectin extracted from its seeds binds to, is remarkably specific for, and is the standard method for identification of H-substance on human red blood cells. Most humans express this which is the basis of the ABO blood group classification system. However, a few rare individuals do not and a chemical extracted from gorse is used to identify them.
