New Year Plant Hunt 2021: Day Two

Gorse in Killin, Scotland
Image: S. Watts

Day One of the BSBI New Year Plant Hunt got off to a roaring start and now, for a summary of Day Two, I'm handing over to the Orchid Hunter himself, Mr (soon to be Dr) Leif Bersweden! Leif is a highly-valued member of the BSBI Comms Team, the Wild Flower Hour Team and he runs the BSBI Instagram account. He is also a jolly good botanist and a keen New Year Plant Hunter. Take it away Leif...

"Day two of the 2021 New Year Plant Hunt has seen some fantastic records flooding in from around the country. We have now reached the halfway point for this year’s hunt and, so far, we have received an amazing 458 lists and 7873 individual records covering nearly 500 different species!

As they did yesterday, botanists up and down the country have been out and about hunting down daisies and dandelions, crane’s-bills and spurges for day 2 of the hunt, all the while doing an excellent job of keeping Covid-safe and totting up some impressive lists of plants in flower.

There were more records of the usual suspects of course, with the commonest species recorded including daisy, groundsel, dandelion, annual meadow-grass, shepherd’s-purse and smooth sow-thistle, to name a few. Gorse is another, which was found flowering everywhere from Dunnet Forest near John o’Groats to Exmouth in Devon today. Sarah Watts came across a rather nice example in Killin, Scotland.

There was plenty to see in Scotland aside from gorse, with records ranging from large bittercress near Galloway Forest Park in the south west to welted thistle in Dunfermline and wild pansies on the edge of the Caingorms National Park. Further north, in Inverness, common knapweed and common fumitory were among the species to make an appearance.

Ireland has put on a good show too. Hairy tare, winter heliotrope and thyme-leaved speedwell were three of 43 species found on a hunt in Bandon, Co. Cork. Paul Green found 55 species flowering in Wexford, with highlights like grey field-speedwell, keel-fruited cornsalad and water-cress. The latter was also found in Co. Laois by Martine Brennan (on left), one of nearly 40 species on her list. Lady’s Island in the south east featured the richly-coloured flowers of common-ramping fumitory.

Botanists in Wales produced various records for green field-speedwell, for example in Caergeiliog on the Isle of Anglesey and another on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Bristly oxtongue, field madder and wild strawberry were hiding out in the Taff valley, but didn’t escape the gaze of keen plant hunters. Cardiff was home to self-heal and Himalayan balsam, while there was water chickweed flowering on Anglesey.

On the opposite side of the country, in the east of England, we’ve had records for sticky mouse-ear, wild clary and fern-grass in Wells-next-the-sea, Norfolk; and Jersey cudweed and wild carrot were recorded in Wivenhoe, Essex. Just like yesterday, we have more records of water bent, Jersey cudweed and narrow-leaved ragwort, three species that have been expanding their ranges in recent years. Cow parsley has featured on many lists, photographed here by Mike Hoit (on right) in Norwich.

In the Midlands, Steven Wright found the golden flowers of marsh marigold (below right) at Ashlawn Cutting nature reserve in Warwickshire, one of several semi-aquatic species recorded today. Elsewhere Leamington Spa provided botanists with cut-leaved dead-nettle, black medick and dwarf mallow. Fern-leaved beggarticks (below left) was discovered naturalised in a pavement crack in Leicester by our very own BSBI Communications Officer Louise Marsh and BSBI County Recorder Geoffrey Hall – only the second record for this plant in vice-county 55! 

Highlights in the south included bugloss which was recorded in Dorking, Surrey; a harebell in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire; and meadowsweet in Bridgwater, Somerset. We also had records of burnet-saxifrage near Cheddar in Somerset and in Kent.

There have been many hunts occurring around the coast today, particularly in the south of England where we’ve had thrift and hawkweed oxtongue pop up in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex; sea radish in Browndown Common & Alver Valley, Hampshire; rock samphire at Highcliffe, Hampshire;. Plant hunters in Pagham, Sussex found lesser hawkbit and musk stork’s-bill. Another coastal hunt to note took place on the Isle of Arran, where both sheep’s-bit and sea mayweed were found flowering in Whiting Bay.

In the north of England, Dan Brown found spurge laurel in flower at Nosterfield nature reserve, while plant hunters in Manchester were rewarded with red bartsia and wall lettuce. James Common, on his second hunt in two days, found naturalised Mediterranean spurge on a snowy road verge in Gosforth, Northumberland.

Records of spring favourites have been coming in too: primroses have been found on lots of hunts, including from the Isle of Mull and Gwaelod-y-garth in Wales. Lesser celandines have been spotted blooming in Bath and in Wexford, Ireland. In Essex there have been sightings of garlic mustard, while dogwood is blooming in Gloucestershire and wayfaring-tree in Surrey. In Cambridgeshire, among other places, there have been early dog-violets in flower.

Urban areas have featured across the country with some of today’s longest lists. Ian went for a wander around Morden Park and Cemetery in south London and totted up 64 species in flower, including small nettle, ox-eye daisy and white melilot. Redhill in Surrey was the location for Caroline who managed 61 species, while Stephen found 57 species in flower in Bridgwater, Somerset. In Peterborough, Sarah and Peter found hemlock, small-flowered crane’s-bill and henbit dead-nettle which contributed to their list of 53 species.

It’s not all about the little plants either – there are trees flowering at the moment too, so don’t forget to check them! Hazel, for example (on left), has featured on many lists today. The hanging male catkins are quick to catch the eye in winter, but have a closer look and see if you can locate the sea-anemone-like female flowers – they look so exotic! Charlotte Rankin came across both while on her second hunt of the year, accompanied by Ryan Clark who is one of a group of wonderful volunteers working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the hunt runs as smoothly as possible.

And finally, botanists are well-known for crawling around on hands and knees to look for plants and this was very much the case today too. A passing stranger was worried that BSBI Comms Team/ New Year Plant Hunt/ Wild Flower Hour volunteer Moira O’Donnell had lost something while she was out botanising; Dan Ryan in Cornwall faced enquiries about whether he was okay; and I (Leif) was questioned by a security guard while crouched down having a look at some gallant soldier growing out of the pavement in London!

Many of you have been out in the rain and snow today (I would say hats off to you, but it’s probably better to keep them on), so a big thank you for braving the elements to get those records. Stay safe, and we all look forward to seeing what day 3 brings!"

New Year Plant Hunt 2021: Day One

Ragwort blooming on New Year's Day 2021
in mid-Laois, Republic of Ireland
Image: M. Brennan 

The tenth New Year Plant Hunt kicked off today and it was a very different affair to the previous nine! 

No group Hunts; no gangs of botanists proceeding very slowly along city streets, pointing at pavement cracks, dropping to their knees and attracting bemused glances from passers-by; no comfort stops in the pub or rowdy communal lunches after a morning Hunt... 

We weren't sure how many people would even take part in the Hunt in this strangest of years!

Daisy blooming through the snow in Buxton
Image: J. Mortin

But here we are approaching midnight on Day One and the Results page shows that more than 200 lists have been received, almost twice as many as on Day One of the 2020 Hunt! 

A similar number of species have been recorded in bloom (344 compared to 327 last time) but some botanists in northern England reported very nasty weather which forced them to curtail their hunts for safety's sake. 

This was, of course, the right thing to do. The 2021 New Year Plant Hunt is all about staying safe and protecting oneself from both Covid and treacherous icy conditions underfoot.

Once again the first flower of the Hunt was recorded by Ger Scollard in SW Ireland - he recorded Herb-Robert in bloom at 00.07 on New year's Day! Many more records throughout the day of the usual suspects - Daisy, Groundsel, Dandelion and Annual Meadow-grass - once again appeared at the top of the list of most frequently-recorded species. 

White dead-nettle, one of the 
New Year Plant Hunt "usual suspects"
Image: S. Harrap

The longest list so far is also from the Republic of Ireland - Paul Green, BSBI Ireland Officer and County Recorder for Co. Wexford, was out in his local area - Irish botanists must not stray more than 5km from home - and recorded species 72 species in bloom, many of them natives such as Common Centaury, Water Figwort and Scarlet Pimpernel, with a couple of garden escapes such as Snapdragon and Garden Pansy. 

Up in Heaton in Northumbria, James and partner Matthew also recorded Snapdragon and Mexican Fleabane on a list of 41 species in bloom while a few miles away, naturalist Ryan Clark (who has been a key member of the team behind the New Year Plant Hunt since 2015) and partner Charlotte notched up 40 species in Gateshead before Ryan headed home to put in four hours on the help desk, assisting first-time Hunters with their lists. Great work as always Ryan!

Ryan & Charlotte with
warm hats & handlenses
- essential kit for botanists
(some would add cake & gin
to that list!)

In Norfolk, Simon and Anne Harrap recorded 50 species in flower including Annual Knawel, which you don't see every day - they just pipped Jo and Bob (current and former Secretaries of BSBI's Science & Data committee) in nearby Hemsby, who had 47 species. 

Chris Preston's list from Cambridge - following the same route he has walked every year since 2016 - was of 57 species in bloom, his highest ever total, and included Mediterranean Nettle, recorded in bloom outside the Isaac Newton pub. 

Last winter, Chris turned his observations on the species he recorded during his New Year Plant Hunts 2016 to 2019 into a paper for British & Irish Botany called 'The phenology of an urban street flora: a transect study'.

On the other side of the country, no list from north Wales has yet exceeded 30 species, probably reflecting bad weather there, and further west still, 20 species were recorded by Ciaran in Galway and 30 by Darren in Kerry. 

Mediterranean nettle in Cambridge
Image: C. D. Preston

Unsurprisingly, we saw some long lists from the south: 48 species on Alderney, 71 from Hayling Island and in Midhurst, Plant Hunt co-founder Tim Rich and his mum recorded 39 species in bloom, but in the north of Scotland it was much harder to find as many species in bloom: 7 species recorded in Caithness and only three over in Tobermory, although Ian notched up 31 species in Moray, but Sarah reported that snow stopped play on Ben Lawers and she came home empty-handed. Short lists and nil records are also valuable - several people have emailed us with the grid references of locations where they hunted and found nothing. 

Ellen Goddard and BSBI Head of Science Kevin Walker will be analysing the Plant Hunt data this year: they will be checking Met Office data and looking at how list lengths correlate with temperature anomalies for November and December 2020, to help us better understand how our wild and naturalised plants are responding to changes in autumn and winter weather patterns. 

Feverfew blooming in the Mecca
Bingo carpark, Chesterfield
Image: M. Lacey

Some of the plants recorded in bloom today do seem to indicate the effects of a changing climate. In Derbyshire, Mick Lacey recorded Water Bent, Annual Mercury and Jersey Cudweed. Rebecca, doing her first ever New Year Plant Hunt, also recorded the Jersey Cudweed in London and there were records too of Narrow-leaved Ragwort. Take a look at the BSBI distribution maps for all these species and see how their distribution has changed in the last 20 years or so. 

One of Mick's sites for interesting plants was the Mecca Bingo carpark in Chesterfield while in Uckfield in Sussex, New Year Plant Hunt regular Wendy Tagg found the by-pass near the Fire Station to be "the gift that keeps on giving". 

Chickweed growing through artificial turf
Image: W. Tagg

Urban botanists are definitely finding some fascinating species in some of the most unexpected places in their local areas. To what extent this is due to the urban heat-island effect and to what extent it's down to opportunities for alien plants to escape from city and suburban gardens, remains to be seen. 

We missed seeing a photo of Wendy's usual lunch-time pit-stop (a still-life of wine-glass, plant ID book and handlens!) but she notched up an impressive list, 46 species including fennel, a couple of fumitories and, perhaps my favourite find of the day, a chickweed plant growing through artificial turf. As Wendy says, "nature always finds a way".

So, what will Day Two bring?

2020: BSBI members rose to the challenges of lockdown

Melancholy thistle & associates, Ben Lawers
Image: Sarah Watts

As this strangest of years draws to a close, it's a good time to look back on everything that BSBI members achieved in 2020. The year started with our ninth New Year Plant Hunt which attracted a record number of participants: 1,714. In late March, just as the botanical season was about to start... well you all know what happened. 

Probably a good job that 2019 was our final year to go out recording for Atlas 2020 - this year was always meant to be the year when plant records were checked and uploaded and by the end of March, around six million records had been added to our Distribution Database, taking the total to more than 48 million*. Find out more about all our members' achievements up to the end of March in our Annual Review. 

A fortnight after lockdown started, we launched our Garden Wildflower Hunt so that botanists could hunt for plants and collect valuable data while following Government restrictions to stay at home. By the end of April, our wonderful members and supporters had submitted more than 9,000 records of wildflowers in gardens.  

Sporangia of Europe's newest fern
Image: R. Hodd

From May onwards we started offering online training webinars and supporting webpages on the identification of dandelions, ferns, grasses, aquatics and stoneworts and we set up a BSBI YouTube channel to share videos of the webinars. The YouTube channel also proved handy later in the year when we moved our Scottish Botanists' Conference and Annual Exhibition Meeting online and then made all the talks available via YouTube. We were fortunate to receive funding from NPWS, CeDAR and the Heritage Lottery Fund to make all these projects and activities possible. 

Our scientific journal, British & Irish Botany, went from strength to strength with four issues throughout the year including a paper on Europe's newest fern, which attracted international media interest. We also made sample issues of our membership newsletter available to non-members and December saw the launch of a new mid-monthly eNewsletter - more than 1000 people signed up to receive the first issue. In all these ways we are meeting the goals laid out in our new Strategy for 2021-4.    

Only one new BSBI Handbook was published in 2020 but there are ten currently in the pipeline, with two due for publication early in 2021 and as always, there will be large discounts for BSBI members, as there were for Britain's Orchids which featured BSBI distribution maps.

We were also contributors once again to RBG Kew's report on the State of the World's Plants & Fungi - Kevin Walker, BSBI Head of Science, and Pete Stroh, Scientific Officer for England, were co-authors on this paper which included BSBI plant data.

As 2020 draws to a close we are delighted to report that membership has continued to grow, with 3,260 members as of today, and the contributions of two long-standing BSBI members have been acknowledged in the New Year Honours list: Oxfordshire botanist/ ecologist Dr Judy Webb is awarded the British Empire Medal and Dr Steph Tyler, Chair of BSBI Committee for Wales, is awarded OBE. Congratulations to both of them.  

Who knows what challenges we will face in 2021 but we do know how we will be starting the year - our tenth New Year Plant Hunt kicks off at one minute past midnight on New Year's Day and we hope that you will be able to take part, as long as you can do so while following Government guidance and staying safe. Plant records are important but the safety and health of our botanists is even more important, so please look after yourselves and have a very Happy New Year!

* By midnight on 31st December 2020, the total number of plant records in our Database had risen to 49,265,649 - well done everyone! 

Happy Christmas from BSBI President Lynne Farrell

A Christmas message from BSBI President Lynne Farrell: 

"It is raining and windy again, and the news is not good, but the nearby villagers in Levens have done their best to brighten us up with their splendid, multi-coloured Christmas tree (on right), so well done to them. The colours are those of the rainbow, ‘highlighting’ the role the NHS have played in all our lives this year.

"In my village we have a nativity trail and 16 different displays in various homes and gardens to spot. On Sunday morning I am making mince pies for all the houses in my cul-de-sac and we are emerging onto our doorsteps to raise a glass and wish each other a much better New Year. That is my wish for all BSBI members too, and I am hoping to actually see some of you in 2021. Meanwhile - Happy Christmas!"

You can read monthly posts from Lynne on this blog - watch out for her next post in early January, when she will tell us all about her New Year Plant Hunt. 

New BSBI Handbooks in the pipeline!

A selection of BSBI Handbooks

Since the demise of BSBI Publications Committee under the Governance changes voted in at last month's Exhibition Meeting, our former President David Pearman has been keeping an eye on BSBI's publications portfolio and liaising with Handbook authors and editors. 

There was a rumour going round recently that there were no fewer than ten BSBI Handbooks in the pipeline, so I caught up with David to find out if this could possibly be true - ten Handbooks! 

Here's what David said:   

"We are pleased to say that the list of forthcoming BSBI Handbooks is longer than ever and very exciting! This spring we have two coming - the next monograph on a Hawkweed section, by Tim Rich & David McCosh, this time Hieracium sections Foliosa & Prenanthoidea, followed in April 2021 by a completely new work on Broomrapes, written by Chris Thorogood and Fred Rumsey (Natural History Museum).

Sample of Chris Thorogood's
illustrations of Broomrapes
Orobanche spp.

"These will be followed in the spring of 2022 by a completely new, all-colour edition of the Dandelions Handbook and a comprehensively revised edition of Umbellifers (Carrot family), with many new species and drawings.

"2023 should see two more completely revised editions of the Handbooks on Roses, and on Willows and Poplars, plus two new works, on Alchemilla, Lady's Mantles, and on Oxalis, the latter covering Europe as well as Britain and Ireland.

"Finally, we are working on a Fern and Horsetail guide, in conjunction with the British Pteridological Society, and an updated version of the Crucifer Handbook".

So there you have it straight from the horse's mouth - ten Handbooks (count them!) in the pipeline. 

Keep an eye on the BSBI Handbooks page on the website for more info and don't forget - BSBI members can enjoy special money-saving offers on all BSBI Handbooks: yet another reason to join the growing ranks of BSBI members! 

November: big events and Yellow Brains: notes from the BSBI President

Here's the latest monthly report from BSBI President Lynne Farrell telling us what she got up to in November:

"We have held three very successful and much-appreciated annual exhibition and general meetings recently in Dublin, Edinburgh and London- virtually, of course. You can see the talks on the BSBI YouTube channel here for the Irish Meeting, here for the Scottish Conference and here for the Exhibition Meeting.

You can also browse exhibits via the event websites - here for the Scottish Conference and here for the Annual Exhibition Meeting. 

The downside was that we were not able to be together in reality but the upside was that more people from all round Britain and Ireland were able to share the events on-line. Members from Donegal and Cork ‘came’ to London, which would have been time-consuming and expensive otherwise. Although you have to concentrate using Zoom, there is the advantage that you can dip in and out on the day itself, and also view the event at a later date. We hope that you will do so and continue to enjoy the presentations. Thanks go to the technological team for making this possible.

Outside you may have noticed on your ‘health walks’ and in your garden that plants are continuing to flower much later due to the mild conditions, but as I write there is a cold front approaching so that may change quickly. The Garden Wildflower Hunt should indicate some of these late bloomers.

During the autumn I have turned my attention to fungi, which have also continued to emerge throughout November. Fungi have featured on Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4 and there are several new publications to help you with identification and understanding of this extremely large and important ‘group’. The variety of shapes and forms is worth looking at even if running down to species level is challenging. Here are a few for you to enjoy- the names are also interesting- Collared Earthstar, Purple Jellydisc (below), Yellow Brain (above left), Pink Ballerina".

Paul Green returns (for a while) as BSBI Ireland Officer

Last year we welcomed Sarah Pierce as our new BSBI IrelandOfficer and now that Sarah has gone on maternity leave, it’s time to welcome her maternity cover, Paul Green. Paul‘s name will be familiar to many people in BSBI as he has previously filled the role of our Wales Officer – not once but twice!

Paul & Allium. Image: I. Bonner

I caught up with Paul and asked him to tell us more:

LM: Paul, it’s great to be working with you again – welcome back! Before we talk about your new role, could you tell us something about your previous times as a BSBI staff member?

PG: I worked as the BSBI Wales Officer from 2012-2015, covering Polly Spencer-Vellacott while on maternity leave, and we also job shared during that time. I stepped back into the role for six months in late 2017, as Polly’s family had decided to relocate to Scotland. I had a desk space in the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

LM: And you’ve also filled the role of BSBI Vice-County Recorder (VCR) more than once I think?

Paul (on right) leads an Atriplex workshop

PG: I served as the VCR for South Somerset VC5 for ten years from 1992. Stepped down as VCR for Waterford H6 in 2019, after being in the post for 18 years. I am still the VCR for Wexford H12, which I have been doing since 2003.

LM: And I think you were working with Sarah to get the Aquatic Plant Project set up?

PG: While Sarah settled in as Ireland Officer in 2019, I was working in the background organising the Aquatic Plant Project. Working out sites to visit, species we had to re-find at sites, advertising the project etc. Nick Stewart led the training days, he knows everything you need to know about plants growing in water, and explains how to identify them in an easy way to understand.

LM: So you know BSBI inside out! What will your main duties be as Ireland Officer?

PG: It will be working with members in Ireland in every way I can be of help, and with staff members across BSBI. Promoting BSBI as much as possible, and hopefully being able to get out in the field with botanists in Ireland.

Paul (on right) leading a fern workshop

LM: And could you take us right back to the beginning – how did you first get attracted to botany?

PG: I have always been into all wildlife since I was a very young child, but can’t remember when it was just plants that I wanted to know their names. All other wildlife groups I’m just happy looking, not being that bothered what they are.

LM: And what happened next? How did you build up your botanical skills?

PG: I'm completely self-taught, with a little help from my grandmothers, as one loved wildlife and the other gardening. I never intended making a living from plants, it came about by chance when in 2004 Ian Bennallick said Greentours Natural History Holidays were looking for botanical leaders, he put my name forward. Ever since, I have been making my living from plants.

LM: So now you are Ireland Officer, and in this strange Covid world I guess you’ll be working from home – whereabouts is that?

PG: I’m based 6km from the south coast, at Ballycullane, Co. Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. Because of Covid-19 restrictions I’m working from home. My botany room has been converted into my Ireland Officer office. I have a large collection of botany books from all around the world, which take up one entire wall space. For example I have a near complete set of the Journal of Botany dating back to the 1860s.  

LM: Well that's fitting, as you are also editor of Irish Botanical News! So what’s next on your To Do list? Apart from the NewYear Plant Hunt of course - you’ve notched up some great Plant Hunt records over the years!

PG: I generally like to botanise in my home patch, rather than travel miles. This year I took on a new challenge, to see how many of the monads in Wexford that had 14 or less species needed to bring their total of species recorded up to 200. I started this on 1st January when I took part in the New Year Plant Hunt and did a circular walk in a monad, easily finding the 4 species I needed. On average I generally added 30-40 new species to each monad. I love just being out looking at plants, and seem to have a lot of luck finding the unexpected, for example in 2019 I was walking along the beach at Morriscastle, Co. Wexford and refound Sea Stock Matthiola sinuata, (image on right) which had been thought extinct in Ireland since 1933.

LM: That was a great (re)find! Can we follow the latest news about your botanical finds on social media?

PG: On Twitter I can be followed at @BSBI_Ireland (the BSBI Ireland Officer's account) and @WexfordBotany1 (my VCR account). I normally tweet at least once a week, and always try and put something flowering up for Wild Flower Hour that I have seen during the week.

LM: Well, many thanks for talking to us Paul and again – welcome back!