County Recorders

Gill Gent, 3 Irthlingborough Road, Wellingborough NN8 1NL

Rob Wilson, 23 Cecil Street, Rothwell, NN14 6EZ

The Northamptonshire Flora Group was first formed to facilitate the publication of a new vice-county flora, which was published in 1995. Since then a small group of botanists have worked together to record for the Millenium Atlas, the local change project and are now recording for an updated flora.

In 2007 we were asked by the Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust to produce an updated edition of the flora and this has been our main focus for the past few years. This project is now entering its final stages but there are still areas that need recording and we will be focusing on these during the rest of this year, working both individually and together on Flora Group outings. We welcome any enthusiastic botanist at these meetings - everyone is welcome but please call either Gill Gent or Rob Wilson if you wish to join us in case there have been any changes to our plans for any reason.

A Rare Plant Register was published in 2009, and is available either from Rob Wilson or from Summerfield Books.  In due course an updated version will be made available using the data collected for the New Flora.

A provisional axiophyte list will shortly be available on this web site. This is subject to checking and revision and any comments would be appreciated.

Resources

>> Checklist of the Flora of v.c. 32, listing all species recorded, historically and currently.

Field Meetings

If you are coming to any of the meetings could you please let Rob Wilson (01536 711144 robwilsondesigns@hotmail.com mobile: 07891 828435 on the day of the meeting only) know prior to the meeting so that we can make sure everyone has arrived before we move off.

Badby Wood Sunday April 28 2013. Meet at Badby Church SP559587 at 11.00. Another attempt to visit Badby Wood as last year’s planned visit had to be cancelled due to torrential rain. Hopefully we will have better luck this time. Badby Wood is an ancient semi-natural oak/ash/hazel woodland with ancient wood banks and a stream. There is a small area of marsh on the boundary of the site with a number of county rarities. Bring a packed lunch.

Pitsford Reservoir and Scaldwell. Sunday July 14 2013. Meet in the Fishing Lodge Car Park at Pitsford Reservoir. SP787700. We will be walking around the edge of Pitsford Reservoir  where a wide variety of now well established habitats should ensure an equally diverse range of plant species. In the afternoon should time permit we will drive to the village of Scaldwell, just to the north of the Reservoir, where, just outside the village and adjoining a public footpath are fields where a variety of arable weeds have been recorded at this time of the year for the past few years. Access to the fishing lodge is via a short private road from the Brixworth to Holcot road. Coming from Brixworth the entrance is immediately after crossing the reservoir causeway and passing a small tree belt on the reservoir edge. Bring a packed lunch.

Charwelton. Sunday 11 August 2013. Meet in the lay by outside the Fox and Hounds pub on the A361 in Charwelton at 11.00 SP534560. We will probably explore the village and surroundings of Charwelton, but the main interest will be to visit the lost settlement of Church Charwelton and walk along the Jurassic Way footpath to see what can be found in the old hollow-way and in the remains of the mediaeval fish ponds. Bring a packed lunch.

Pictures

Pasqueflower: Barnack Hills and Holes, near Stamford, is the site of a mediaeval limestone quarry where species-rich grassland has developed over the old diggings. One of its glories is the display of pasqueflowers Pulsatilla vulgaris in the spring.

Odontites jaubertianus: first recorded in the vice-county in 2005, a few dozen plants of French bartsia Odontites jaubertianus grow on thin soil over former hard-standings at the former World War Two airfield at Spanhoe.