Plantlife events, walks & workdays

Welcome to a packed programme of events across the UK for spring and early summer 2009. Click on one of the links to the right to see what's on near you.

Events are open to all and free of charge to Plantlife members, except where stated in the event details, for example where an entry fee is charged by another organisation. For more information, please get in touch with the contacts listed under each section or event.

Conservation activities
Volunteers are vital for many of the conservation tasks Plantlife undertakes to monitor some of our rare wildflowers, other plants and fungi, or to maintain their habitats. You do not need to be an experienced botanist to take part in surveys and workdays, as full guidance is given. Everyone is welcome.

How to book events

• Please book for all events – this is important in case of any changes due to weather or other circumstances, or when there are limited places.
  
  
• Please book with the contact listed under each event, or at the top of each section in this events supplement. If in doubt, phone the main Plantlife office.
  
  
• For the garden visits, please book your place by sending a cheque payable to Plantlife to: Garden visits, Plantlife, 14 Rollestone St, Salisbury SP1 1DX and enclose your contact details.
  
  
• When booking, please leave your telephone number in the unlikely event of any changes. If you have any special needs please mention them at this stage.
  
  
• If you intend to travel by public transport but need a pick-up, please discuss possible arrangements with the contact given.

What to bring
Any special items that you should bring are stated in the event details - tools and gloves are supplied by us when needed for conservation workdays. In general we recommend the following, as appropriate:

• Outdoor clothing appropriate to the weather waterproof outers (top & bottom).
  
• Sturdy footwear – e.g. walking boots.
  
• Sun hat and sun block (or high-factor cream).
  
• Something to drink, plus a packed lunch if appropriate.

We ask that children under the age of 16 are accompanied by an adult and that dogs are left at home.

 

Events for Spring/Summer 2009

East Anglia

Sat 6th June 2pm-3.30pm, Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
Guided tour. Established by Professor John Stevens Henslow, who is perhaps best remembered for inspiring his pupil Charles Darwin with a love of natural science, the garden was opened to the public in 1846. Covering 40 acres, it is home to a collection of over 10,000 labelled plants in beautifully landscaped settings, including nine National Collections. Please book your tour place by writing to Plantlife’s Salisbury office and enclosing a cheque payable to Plantlife. Members £7.00, guests £9.00.

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London and South East England

Sun 7th June, 10.30-3pm, Woldingham Woods, Surrey.
Woodland survey with the Surrey Rare Plants Group. Join us for a survey of these stunning woods on the North Downs with a possibility of seeing some woodland rarities. Please bring a packed lunch. Meet at the Woodland Trust car park at TQ373541. Contact Dominic Price on 01722 342749 if you plan to come.

Fri 12th June, 2.30pm, Swallowtail Hill Farm, near Rye, East Sussex.
Wildflower walk. Plantlife Trustee Christopher Broadbent has spent 10 years reverting 50 acres to a traditional and sustainable landscape, with wildflower meadows, hedged green lanes, boggy woodland, ponds, water-courses, reed beds and a hill top chestnut and oak coppice wood. Our exclusive guided walk will be led by Plantlife botanist Dominic Price – please book by phoning Dominic on 01722 342749.

Fri 26th June, 10am-4pm, London Wetland Centre, Barnes, London.
Plantlife Annual Members’ Day. The spectacular WWT London Wetland Centre is the setting for this year’s Annual Members’ Day. On the banks of the River Thames, the wetlands comprise a grazing marsh, lakes and wetland habitats and are home to a myriad of birds and other wildlife, and plants including Oxeye Daisy, orchids and Purple Loosestrife.

In a departure from recent years, this year we are introducing a new panel discussion session with the theme ‘Wild plants: the
wallflowers at the biodiversity ball?’ Is wild plant conservation getting the attention (and funding) from government, the media and the public that it deserves? Send in your questions on this theme to be asked on the day.

In the afternoon, a choice of tours and workshops will be on offer – including ‘Making a start on plant identification’, tours of the wetland centre with a botanical slant, and possibly a workshop on photographing flowers and other plant life. See the covering letter with this magazine for more information on how to book, phone Plantlife on 01722 342730, or go to the Plantlife website for more details. Cost £20 to cover lunch and other refreshments on the day.

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Events at Ranscombe Farm Reserve in Kent

Please contact Ranscombe’s warden Ben Sweeney on 01471 824180 or 07983 578201 or email ben.sweeney@plantlife.org.uk. for more details, timings and to book a place for events at the reserve.

Sun 14th June, Arable Flowers walk. Join Plantlife botanist and reserves manager Joe Costley on a gentle stroll around the cornfields of Ranscombe Farm looking at the rare arable flowers for which the reserve is famous.

Sun 21st June, Archaeology of Ranscombe. Walk the reserve with volunteer warden Dave May and hear about fascinating historical finds including a 10,000 year old flint axe, a medieval well, and a musket ball!

Sun 9th August, History and local lore walk. This walk will be led by local resident and volunteer warden Ken Law who has fascinating stories about the farm and village collected over the last 50 years.

Ranscombe Farm volunteer work days, on selected Wednesdays, May 6th and 20th, June 10th and 24th, July 8th and 22nd and August 5th and 19th. Learn more about conservation and gain practical skills with our regular volunteer group, the ‘A’ team. We meet once a fortnight in the summer from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm and all are welcome. These hardworking volunteers help with practical jobs around the reserve and learn basic conservation skills such as habitat restoration and wildlife survey. All tools and materials are supplied as well as a hot drink and snack. Please contact the warden for more information on volunteer activities, including the nature of the work, where to meet and so on.

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Midlands & Northern England

Sun 14th June, 11am-1pm, Ness Botanic Garden, Cheshire.

Guided tour. Ness Botanic Garden was born of one man’s passionate interest in plants, when Liverpool cotton merchant Arthur Kilpin Bulley established the gardens in 1898. After the tour, you are free to explore, have lunch in the café, and browse for plants. Please book your place by writing to Plantlife’s Salisbury office and enclosing a cheque payable to Plantlife. Cost - Plantlife members £6, guests £8.

Events at Lower Winskill Farm, North Yorkshire

Set in a wonderful limestone landscape, Lower Winskill Farm is part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and close to Plantlife’s own Winskill Stones Nature Reserve. These events will be hosted for us by farmer and archaeologist Tom Lord, whose interests include landscape history, nature conservation and farming practices of the past and present. Tom’s farm is managed with plant conservation very much in mind and includes colourful hay meadows and species-rich pastures.

These events will comprise an informal walk and talk format, with most or all of the time being spent outside on the farm. Please bring sturdy footwear such as walking boots and something to drink. To book a place for any of these events, please contact Joe Costley on 01722 342734, or email: joe.costley@plantlife.org.uk.

Directions: Follow the road from Langcliffe towards Malham. After about one mile, turn left onto a narrow road opposite a lay-by. Lower Winskill Farm is down a driveway on the left at the end of this road. The grid reference is SD826664.

Sun 21st June, 1pm–4pm. How old are hay meadows? An introduction to dating hay meadows and to the history of the hay meadow – field barn system in the Yorkshire Dales.

Sun 5th July, 1pm–4pm. Wild flower conservation on an upland dales farm: successes, failures and challenges for the future.

Sun 26th July, 1pm–4pm. An introduction to the annual management cycle on an upland dales farm and to the Environmental Stewardship Scheme.

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South West England

A packed programme of events is on offer this year in the South West, thanks to a new project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A full list of events taking place in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire can be found here.

• Download list of events in South West England 2009.

Below are just a few of the highlights, to give a taste of what is happening:

Tues 9th June, 10am-3pm, Salisbury, Wiltshire.
An introduction to Plantlife’s Common Plants Survey (CPS). A chance to learn how to complete a Plantlife CPS and have your queries answered. The morning will be spent in a classroom setting at Plantlife’s Salisbury office, followed by fieldwork at Old Sarum. Bring a picnic. Please ring Tim Wilkins on 01722 342746 to reserve your place.

Thurs 11th June, 10am-1pm. Box Farm Meadows SSSI, Gloucestershire.
Meadow Clary survey. Meadow Clary survives at just 22 native sites in the UK - help Plantlife and the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust monitor this lovely wild flower through this survey. Please bring a picnic and join us for lunch. All welcome. To book, please phone Bex on 07946 841322 or email becky.house@plantlife.org.uk.

Mon 15th June, 6pm, Braunton Burrows, Devon.
Family event – kids and orchids! An evening exploration of flora on the dunes, hopefully spotting some early orchids. All welcome. Meet at Broad Sands car park, Crowpoint South, Braunton Burrows, grid ref SX464327. To book, please phone Bex on 07946 841322 or email becky.house@plantlife.org.uk.

Thurs 23rd July, 10.30-3, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset. Common Plants Survey introduction. Come along to learn more about Plantlife and how to undertake the Common Plants Survey. The morning will be an indoor session and the afternoon spent out on the heath seeing what we can find. Please bring a packed lunch. All welcome. To book, please phone Bex on 07946 841322 or email becky.house@plantlife.org.uk.

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Scotland

For details and timings of all events in Scotland, and to book a place, please phone Jill Williams at the Plantlife Scotland office on 01786 479382 or email Scotland@plantlife.org.uk.

Sat 13th June, 2.30pm-4.30pm, Moniack Woodland, near Beauly, Inverness.
Guided woodland walk. Walk in beautiful mixed woodland near the famous Moniack Castle Winery. Joint event with the local Community Woodland Group.

Sun 21st June, 10am-3pm, Garve, Wester Ross.
Common Plants Survey training day. Suitable for beginners and existing surveyors - find out more about doing the survey, the plants involved and meet fellow surveyors. Joint event with the Highland Ranger Service.

Sun 28th June, 11am, Keltneyburn, near Loch Tay, Perthshire. Guided walk. A visit to the Keltneyburn meadows, where 230 different species have been recorded, including a number of orchids.

Sun 5th July, 11.30am start, Whitlaw Mosses National Nature Reserve, near Selkirk, Roxburghshire.
Guided walk. Enjoy the rich mix of willow scrub, sweet-smelling herb meadows and butterfly-rich grasslands at this fascinating wetland site. The four Mosses making up the reserve are used as examples of best practice in fen and mire management. Site can feel quite exposed, and rough underfoot - please bring waterproof boots and weatherproof clothing. Not suitable for children.

Sat 11th and Sun 12th July, 10am–4pm, The Carse, Tongland Bridge, Kirkcudbright.
Kirkcudbright Garden & Country Fair. Come and see the Plantlife stand at the fair – please get in touch if you are able to help man the stand.

Sun 26th July, 1.30pm–5.30pm, Munsary Peatlands reserve, near Lybster, Caithness.
Guided walk and opening of new nature trail. Ken Butler, local plant expert, will lead a walk along the new nature trail at Plantlife’s Munsary reserve, from Loch Stemster to Munsary Cottage. Bring a packed lunch. Contact CaithnessNature@aol.com to book a place.

Sat 8th August, 11 am, Hill and Mountain Research Centre, Scottish Agricultural College Kirkton, Crianlarich.
Guided walk led by upland ecologist Dr John Holland of SAC. The research farm focuses on sustainable hill-farming and its effects on upland biodiversity.
Note: upland site on rough ground. Please bring waterproof boots and weatherproof clothing.

Sunday 20th September, 2-4 pm, Morrone Hill, near Braemar,
Aberdeenshire.
Fungal foray. Led by freelance mycologist Liz Holden, around Morrone Birkwood.

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Wales

Sat 20th June, 11am-3pm, Cae Blaen Dyffryn, Carmarthenshire. Meadow survey. Join in the annual survey of this wonderful Plantlife reserve just outside Lampeter. As well as recording changes in the vegetation, let’s see if we can beat the previous highest count of 5000 butterfly orchids in this one meadow. We’ll also be looking for rare orchid hybrids. Please bring a packed lunch. Directions to the reserve are in the Reserves Guide. For more details, phone Trevor Dines on 07789 685635.

Sat 27th June, 11am-3pm, Caeau Tan y Bwlch, Gwynedd. Meadow survey. We’ll be joined by the Wildlife Trust for the annual survey of this very special Plantlife reserve, recording vegetation with quadrats and counting the large population of butterfly orchids. We’ll also be looking for Adder’s-tongue Fern and rare eyebrights. Please bring a packed lunch. Directions to the reserve are in the Reserves Guide. For more details, phone Trevor Dines on 07789 685635.

Various dates.
Welsh lichen field meetings. Want to know more about lichens? A lichen apprenticeship scheme is being developed in Wales and a number of field meetings are planned in the beautiful countryside of Mid Wales. If you would like to come along contact Plantlife's Lower Plants Officer for Wales for more information (01597 824661 or ray.woods@plantlife.org.uk).

 

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