You can read here about a damp but successful day out last month, at Adcombe Wood and Woodram Copse in the Blackdowns. Adder’s-tongue, Zigzag Clover, Herb-Paris and Midland Hawthorn were among the highlights.
Happy Botanists in the Rain. Photo: FJR
Author: Val Graham
Adventures at Crook Peak
Around a dozen members had a memorable day out at one of the most important rocky limestone sites on the Mendip scarp earlier this month. You can read the report here.
Typical rocky slope at Crook Peak Photo: VG
Field Meeting at Clevedon
Clevedon Pill Photo: HJC
Liz and Helena led small groups visiting the coast around Clevedon on 2nd May. You can read their reports here.
First field meeting of 2021
Our first field meeting of the year was held at Quants SSSI (Blackdown Hills) on 18th April. You can read all about it in Simon’s report on the new meeting reports page.
Hunting for Adder’s-tongue
The latest target species for which we need to update our records is the diminutive Adder’s-tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum. You can find a spreadsheet of places to search, compiled by Liz McDonnell, on the Adder’s-tongue page.
Ophioglossun vulgatum, Great Breach Wood (HJC)
Arable plants talk
Next month, Cath Shellswell of Plantlife will be participating in an online talk about the fast-declining group of plants characteristic of arable fields. If you are interested, you can book a place via the Field Studies Council website.
Improving biodiversity in churchyards
Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Diocese of Bath and Wells have started a joint Wilder Churches project to protect biodiversity in churchyards and on other church land. You can read about it on the Somerset Wildlife Trust website. Somerset Botany Group have been asked by the SWT coordinator, Pippa Rayner, to provide help with habitat mapping and plant identification. The diocese covers almost all of historic Somerset, and so the project will include parishes in BANES and North Somerset.
If members of SRPG, or other people with habitat and botanical skills, would like to participate you would be most welcome. Please either contact the SBG via Chris Billinghurst on 01761 221579 or Val Graham. You might also like to find out if your local parish is participating.
The first zoom session for parish representatives was attended by 200 people, so it seems there is a high level of interest. A video of the meeting is available on the SWT project page.
A year of first flowering dates
It has been a year since the start of the first Covid-19 lockdown and a year since Simon Leach started the First Flowering Dates project. To mark this milestone he has compiled a report on the first three weeks findings from this March. There won’t be regular reports this year but there will be a grand round-up when the ivy is in flower. More background on the project and its current status can be found under Activities > Projects.
Summer Meetings 2021
Despite all the uncertainty due to COVID, we have optimistically organised a full programme of field meetings for this summer. You can find the meeting programme under the Activities menu. Let’s hope we can all meet before too long.
Target Species for Spring 2021
As we are definitely in spring now that the Equinox has passed, we thought you might like to look for some woodland flowers. A list of five species, with maps and descriptions, has been prepared by Liz McDonnell. You can find it in the new Target Species section (under Activities > Projects in the menu).
The RPR account of Oxalis acetosella (Wood-sorrel – pictured) has been updated as well. While you are there you can have a look at the new account of Trinia glauca (Honewort).
The mistletoe project is now closed and the web page has been updated (also under Projects).