A new population of a Near Threatened plant has been
discovered in Surrey, the identification confirmed by local botanists and media contacts have been alerted - a good news story for a change!
Over to Natural England's Press
Officer Ellen Softley to tell us more:
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Shepherd's Cress at Thursley NNR
Image: Graham Steven |
Similar in appearance to its common relative, Shepherd’s Purse,
Shepherd’s Cress is classified as Near Threatened and close to imminent threat
of extinction. An annual plant of bare
and sandy places usually associated with lowland heath, coastal sites, arable
margins, mountain scree and disused railway lines, its widespread UK
distribution belies the fact that it is undergoing declines across its range. Most
colonies are small and isolated and its short-lived seed bank makes it
vulnerable to extinction if sites become unsuitable, usually due to competition
by more vigorous plants or urbanisation.
James Giles, Reserve Manager for Natural England at Thursley
National Nature Reserve said: “I stumbled across the colony by chance while
undertaking an invertebrate survey, and immediately told Graham Steven (Natural
England Land Management Adviser) who was tickled pink. He’s been hoping to find the plant at
Thursley for years!”
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VC55's only population of Shepherd's Cress
- having a good year. April 2016
Image: Richard Mabbutt |
Graham Steven said: “Shepherd’s Cress is very rare in Surrey
and Hampshire, so I was over the moon when I heard of James’ discovery! The habitat at Thursley is ideal for the
plant, but this is the first time it has ever been recorded here. I visited the
site to confirm its identity and determine the size of the population. It looks as though it’s confined to a single
site at present, even though there is suitable habitat elsewhere.”
“I also spotted other more widespread plants which were also
making their first appearance at Thursley, such as small mouse-ear and
spreading meadow grass. The discovery
reflects well on the land management at the Nature Reserve. Now we know they’re there, we will do what we
can to help ensure the population thrives.”
Dr Pete Stroh, Scientific Officer at the Botanical Society of
Britain and Ireland (BSBI) said:
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Shepherd's Cress in close-up
Image: Richard Mabbutt |
“Shepherd’s Cress is a lovely white-flowered crucifer of
sandy soils that requires periodic small-scale disturbance, bare open ground
and lots of sunlight for seedling germination and establishment. Such
conditions are, handily, often created by rabbits. The spread of myxomatosis in
the latter half of the 20th century was bad news for such a small, ephemeral
species.
"Such is the current fate for many of our threatened and Near Threatened grassland plants, this time due to a lack of cutting or livestock
grazing in particular, resulting in rank species-poor grassland and the
invasion of scrub. In this context it’s really great to hear of a new location
for a wildflower that has experienced such tough times in the recent past.”
You can read Ellen's press release, with notes for editors, here. Please also check out the England Red List to see why Shepherd's cress is described as Near Threatened in England. See also the BSBI species account for this plant and here is the distribution map showing where the plant has been recorded across Britain and Ireland. The new Surrey population will show up in the next few days as a new dot on the map!
The latest issue of BSBI News has been published and a print copy should be winging its way towards you very soon if you're a BSBI member. 
