Plant surveys

Plantlife runs a variety of plant surveys, sometimes involving a single species, and sometimes looking out for a variety of species. each year. The surveys are open to all the public and you do not need to be a botanist to take part.

Below are details of some of the surveys Plantlife has asked members of the public to be involved with in the last few years.

Plant Invaders (2006)

In 2006 we ran Plant Invaders. We are still collecting invasive plant records, so if you have seen a plant invader in your neighbourhood please let us know by clicking on the Plant Invaders link.

Results from the 2006 Plant Invaders survey are now available. More information on our previous years' surveys, can be found below.

Click here to read more about the Plant Invaders results in this extract "Stemming the Tide" from our members' magazine Plantlife.

The Harebell Hunt (2005)

In 2005 we invited people to spot Harebells and four other members of the Bellflower family (Clustered, Giant, Spreading and Nettle-leaved Bellflowers).

Harebells were the most frequently recorded species with records from most areas in the UK. The results suggest that both grassland and roadside verges are important habitats for the Harebell, with the latter acting as refuges when traditional sites are lost.

Almost all Clustered Bellflower records were from chalk grassland, reflecting the habitat preferences of this plant. Giant Bellflower was mainly found growing in linear habitats such as hedgerows, roadsides and along rivers.

The majority of Bellflowers were seen in just ones or twos, suggesting that they are not dominant in the countryside but are surviving in small populations throughout the UK.

(PDF 325kb) Click here to read a summary of the results, taken from Plantlife's newsletter.

Thank you very much to all the Harebell Hunters who made this survey a success.

Click here to visit our interactive Harebell and Bellflower Guide.

The Poppy Survey (2004)

This survey in 2004 recorded our five different red-flowered poppies: Common, Rough, Prickly, Long-headed and Babington’s Poppy.

The results suggested that roadsides may be as important a habitat for the Common Poppy as the more traditional arable field. An opportunist, this poppy could be finding refuge alongside roads, as fields become inhospitable in the wake of intensive agricultural practices such as the spraying of herbicides.

By contrast, both Prickly and Rough Poppies are mainly confined to fields - the traditional poppy habitat. These poppies seem less able to find refuge elsewhere. For these species it is vital that suitable habitat is retained for them within agricultural landscapes through appropriate management.

 

Click here to visit the interactive poppy pages

Click here to read more about the results in this extract from our members' magazine Plantlife.(PDF 174 kb)

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The Bluebell survey - Bluebells for Britain (2003)

In the spring of 2003, we asked the public to record Bluebells wherever they found them – from woodlands to urban gardens.

We launched this survey as the result of concern that our native Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) was under threat from the Spanish Bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica). This latter species, which was introduced in the UK in the 17th century, can cross breed with the native bluebell to create a fertile hybrid.

To find out more follow this link

 

 

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The Crane's-bill survey - Counting Crane's-bills(2002)

In 2002 Counting Crane's-bills collected information relating to three of our native species of geranium: Meadow Crane's-bill (Geranium pratense), Wood Crane's-bill (Geranium sylvaticum) and Bloody Crane's-bill (Geranium sanguineum).

Thanks to the numerous volunteers who took part, Counting Crane's-bills helped to assess the health of the UK geranium populations, and will enable future surveys to determine changes in their abundance and distribution.

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The Cowslip survey - The Cowslip Count (2000)

The Cowslip Count received data on over 2,000 places around the UK where Cowslips, Primroses and False Oxlips are growing. This data will enable us to improve our understanding of Cowslip ecology and distribution.

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Making It Count for People and Plants (2000-2006)

Plantlife and the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) joined forces to deliver an exciting and innovative programme: Making It Count for People and Plants, which was generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The funding helped us to carry out Counting Crane’s-bills, Bluebells for Britain, the Poppy Survey, the Harebell Hunt as well as the Common Plants Survey. The BSBI co-ordinated the Local Change Survey and the County Rare Plant Registers.

Over 5,500 people took part in the project, including 100 schools participating in the Bluebells for Britain survey. Over 500 people joined in with the Common Plants Survey in 2005 and initial results show impacts from eutrophication (increase of Nettle and decrease of Bird’s-foot-trefoil), a decline in wetland species, species-poor plots in intensively farmed areas (with Common Poppy utilising other habitats such as roadsides to survive) and one in six woodlands with a mixture of native and hybrid/Spanish Bluebells, highlighting the possible threat to our native Bluebell from hybridisation.

In excess of 750 botanists participated in the BSBI Local Change Survey. Results have shown that species of chalk/limestone grassland and heather moorland have shown the strongest evidence of decline; evidence of eutrophication is apparent in wetlands through decline of Marsh Marigold and increase of Bulrush; species are responding to climate change such as Pyramidal Orchid and Bee Orchid almost doubling in frequency; arable weeds appear to be recovering (such as Long-headed Poppy), but the rare ones continue to decline; and some roadside plants have spread dramatically, such as Great Lettuce and Grass-leaved Orache.

Making It Count for People and Plants has now come to an end, although some of the individual projects are still on going. Please click here to download a copy of the results -

(PDF 2.52mb) People and Plants: mapping the UK's wild flora.

The Mistletoe Survey (1997)

The Mistletoe Survey took place in 1997 and provided us with very useful information about the current status and distribution of this mystical plant. The results are included in the Plantlife report Kissing Goodbye to Mistletoe, available for £3, plus £1 p&p. Click here to purchase this report.