Eyebright expert Fred Rumsey & members of Kent Botanical Recording Group, Dover, 2017 Image: Alfred Gay |
BSBI’s network of local recording groups continues to
grow and some of them have a staggering amount of useful information on their
webpages.
One of the most vibrant local groups is the Kent Botanical Recording
Group. Since 2010, they have published an annual newsletter with accounts of
field meetings, and they also publish ‘Kent Botany’, an annual report of
botanical developments in the county, which lists notable plant records.
Their webpage also features site Floras, historic
Floras, notes on conservation work carried out on rare species in the county, a
photographic gallery and ID videos by resident ace photographer Lliam Rooney
and sections of the Rare Plant Register as they become available. All these
resources are available for any botanist to download free of charge. There is
also a link to the Kent Botany Facebook group.
I asked County Recorder Geoffrey Kitchener
how long he had been at the helm in Kent and what was the secret of the Kent
Botanical Recording Group’s success.
Geoffrey said: “I've been Kent recorder
since the end of 2009 (subsequently joined by Sue Buckingham as co-recorder for
East Kent). In March 2010, I brought together 36 other botanists to form
the Kent Botanical Recording Group. We now number 124 members, young and
not-so, and there's been a lot of enthusiasm. I'm particularly pleased how
many have developed considerable botanical skills as a result of joining
in.
"By the beginning of 2017 we had gathered nearly 300,000 records since
the group started; but it's not just about numbers - we have, I think, made
significant advances in our knowledge of the Kent flora, moving on from the
baseline established by Eric Philp's two Kent Atlases.
Hypericum montanum spotted during a KBRG field meeting Image: Alfred Gay |
“I think it's important that those
recording, or interested in it, can see, as soon as may be, the results of our
meetings and recording. So, in addition to the newsletter giving reports of
meetings, plant lists for each meeting are sent to all recording group members
shortly afterwards; and all the special records for the year are featured in
our annual report”.
The growing number of Kent botanists who
post photographs of their plant finds on Twitter suggests that Geoffrey’s
approach is proving highly effective. The story of one of these botanists, David Steere, is currently being serialised
on these pages, with the first
instalment creating huge interest
on social media. David is living proof that if you are keen to improve your
botanical skills, your local recording group can be just the support you need!
Head over here to find out about
local groups in your area.
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