Friday 23 June:  annual visit to Prison Bank, Wandsworth Common, to enjoy its wild flowers, 7 p.m.  Booking necessary.

Report:  Nine people had booked and all turned up to enjoy an hour-long stroll around the site.  Grass vetchling, Lathyrus nissolia, one of the special plants on the site had finished flowering, but we were able to examine a fruiting plant.  Other plants examined included wild carrot, Daucus carota, most of which was not yet flowering, and sainfoin, Onobrychis viciifolia, most of which had finished flowering.

‘I really enjoyed the wild flower walk and liked Roy and the way he presented the talk.’

Saturday 24 June:  Midsummer Wild Flower Hunt, Brockwell Park, London Borough of Lambeth,  7.00 p.m.

Report:  About 20 people gathered on a fine summer’s evening to spend c.90 minutes wandering around the Park, following roughly the same route as that taken on our New Year Flower Hunt on 1 January.  Then we were able to find only 21 species in flower, but at Midsummer almost 50 plants were in bloom.  Some of these, such as cornflower, Centaurea cyanea, were survivors from wild flower seed sown some years ago.  Others, such as weld, Reseda luteola – a plant not previously recorded in the Park – had arrived without intentional human intervention.

Sunday 25 June:  Botanical Field Meeting, Tooting Common, London Borough of Wandsworth,  2 p.m.

Report:  15 people met on a sweltering afternoon, and although we tried to stay in the shade, six dropped out before the end some three hours later.  Amongst the interesting plants seen were hare’s-foot clover, Trifolium arvense, first recorded on the Common in 2021 and now thriving, and field pansy, Viola arvensis, and toad rush, Juncus bufonius, neither of which had been seen on the Common for several years. A copy of the list of plants recorded is available from info@slbi.org.uk

‘Thanks  for facilitating such a wonderful afternoon … It was actually my first time attending a botany field meeting of any kind and I am thoroughly hooked!’

Monday 26 June:  Exploring our Flora, Unigate Woods Local Nature Reserve, London Borough of Lambeth,  7 p.m.  Booking necessary.

Report:  Due to narrow paths this event was restricted to 10 people, who gathered and spent about an hour wandering around the site as we recorded and discussed the plants growing there, a good variety of trees and herbaceous plants, the latter possibly threatened by invasive brambles (Rubus spp.) and ivy (Hedera helix).  A total of 54 species of plants was recorded, a copy of the list is available from roy@plant-lore.com

‘Everyone really enjoyed it … It will be great if you can do it again next year in late June.’

For further details see the Events page on this website.

Images:  upper, Brockwell Park, 24 June 2023; middle, hare’s-foot clover, Tooting Common, 25 June 2023; lower, Unigate Wood, 26 June 2023 © Stephen Lacey.