Cam Valley Wildlife Group Flora Project
Project Leader: Helena Crouch
Project Aims:
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To identify and record the flora of the Cam Valley Wildlife Group area
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To increase members’ interest in, and enjoyment and knowledge of, the plant species and communities of our local area
Project Activities:
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Regular botanical walks and excursions, making detailed plant records
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Continual botanical education and development of interest in our flora
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Talks on the local flora
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Submission of records to the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI) and to the Local Record Centres (BRERC and SERC)
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Networking with other relevant organisations: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, Somerset Rare Plants Group, Bath Natural History Society, Bristol Naturalists’ Society, and other local botanists
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Producing a publication (one day) on the flora of the Cam and Wellow Valleys
Project Achievements:
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From 1997 to 1999 CVWG botanists gathered data for inclusion in the New Atlas of the British & Irish Flora (published in 2002)
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The CVWG Flora Recording Project developed from this; 2022 was the twenty-sixth year of recording
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Over 65,000 plant records have now been made on regular CVWG botany walks
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More than 1000 plant species have been recorded during the weekly botany walks in the Cam & Wellow Valleys
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Over 250 members and guests have participated in walks over the last 25 years
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All records are sent to the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, contributing to their constantly updated online maps of species distributions (see bsbidb.org.uk)
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Data gathered from 2000 to 2019 will contribute to the third Atlas of the British & Irish Flora (to be published in 2023)
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Records are also sent to the Local Record Centres, where they help inform surveys required for planning applications, etc.
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Records for the rarer species are being included in the Rare Plant Register for Somerset (see www.somersetrareplantsgroup.org.uk)
How to get involved:
CVWG botany walks are held weekly from April to September, each week at a different location within the CVWG recording area, or further afield. For more information please contact Helena via helenacrouch@sky.com
Drawing: Oxeye Daisy by Ann Mead – not to be reproduced without permission
Header photo: Round-leaved Fluellen (Kickxsia spuria)
This project outline can be downloaded here.