Book now for the year's main botanical event in Wales!

Sand Catchfly at Pembrey Burrows
Image: R. Pryce

Bookings have opened for this year's Annual Meeting of Wales BSBI, which features some great talks, field excursions and much much more! I was chatting with Barbara Brown, BSBI Wales Officer, to try and find out about the "much more" so she went straight to the horse's mouth: below is a report Barbara has sent through from organisers Richard and Kath Pryce about what you can expect if you come to the Wales Annual Meeting, which runs from 21st to 23rd of May and is based at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. 

The images, on this page, taken by Richard, show some of the lovely plants you can expect to see if you come to the meeting.

Over to Richard and Kath:

"A provisional programme of the BSBI Welsh Annual Meeting has now been drawn-up and it includes site visits to a selection of the county’s notable and diverse habitats.

Moonwort at Pembrey Burrows
Image: R. Pryce

"After meeting at the hotel by 1:30pm, the field excursion on Tuesday afternoon will include several brownfield sites in the vicinity of Burry Port Harbour where Prostrate Toadflax Linaria supina occurs. We will monitor the only extant site in the county of Small-flowered Catchfly Silene gallica and will see some annual clover species and Sand Catchfly Silene conica in nearby disturbed dunes. 

"Wednesday’s field visit will be to Capel Dyddgen SSSI which includes grassland and woodland on Carboniferous Limestone, home to  Early Purple Orchid Orchis mascula and, unusually in woodland, a small population of Moonwort Botrychium lunaria. Land adjacent to the SSSI includes rhos pasture with, for instance, Marsh Valerian Valeriana dioica and Whorled Caraway Carum verticillatum. If the weather is sunny, we may also be lucky enough to see Marsh Fritillary butterflies.

Green-winged orchid
at Pembrey Burrows
Image: R. Pryce

"Thursday’s trip is bound for Pembrey Burrows LNR, a very rich duneland and saltmarsh site where Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum  and Greater Spearwort Ranunculus lingua  grow, but the highlight should be the large populations of Moonwort Botrychium lunaria  and Green-winged Orchid Anacamptis morio. We should also see Common Broomrape Orobanche minor, Hound’s-tongue Cynoglossum officinale and many others.

"On the Tuesday evening, Richard Pryce will present his view of 40 years’ botanical recording in Carmarthenshire, whilst on Wednesday evening, BSBI's Scientific Officer for England, Dr Pete Stroh, will give us a short update on progress with BSBI Atlas 2020. This will be followed by the keynote talk by Dr. Nigel Stringer that will feature a brief introduction to the biology of fungal plant parasites and the recording of rusts in Carmarthenshire including a comparison with other counties in Wales and the rest of the UK. Nigel will also discuss the impact of rusts on their hosts and plant communities.

"There will also be exhibits, an ID help table and a sale of second-hand books.

"The BSBI Welsh Meeting is a great way to learn more about plants and plant recording whilst having the opportunity to informally meet and absorb knowledge from some of the country’s principal botanical experts. Beginners are welcome and you can book a place on the Wales AGM page of the BSBI website".