Three New Year Wild Flower Hunts coming up in early January; for further details please see the  Events page on this website.  All starting at 11 a.m. and continuing for c.90 minutes.  All welcome.

Thursday 1 January: Brockwell Park.   Our first Hunt here was held in 2018, the average of number of species being found in flower being 27.

Report: c.25 people turned up on a bright winter’s morning for this enjoyable event.  All fully participated in the hunt and all stayed to the end, c.90 minutes later.  In all 36 species were found in flower; nothing surprising, but some, such as black nightshade (Solanum nigrum), which we had not seen in the past.  A list of what we recorded will be available in due course from info@slbi.org.uk

Although participants apparently enjoyed the hunt, the only feedback received commented ‘It was difficult to follow’.  This is being followed up and we hope to get information concerning the difficulties.

Saturday 3 January: Tooting Common.  First Hunt held in 2021, the average being 23.

Report:  10 people gathered on a cold but sunny morning and spent c.90 minutes wandering along the usual route taken for these walks.  Everyone actively searched for flowers, and consequently 25 species were recorded.  Again there were no surprises, but a curiosity was two  female trees of goat willow (Salix caprea) which apparently had fruits forming, suggesting that they had flowered well out of season about two months earlier.  A nearby male tree had a few catkins which were sufficiently open to be counted as flowering.  The list of species recorded is available from roy@plant-lore.com

‘Thank you for an interesting and fun walk. Nice to meet new local folk and chat about nature.’

Sunday 4 January: Brompton Cemetery.  First Hunt held in 2023, the average being 23.

Report: c.18 people turned up on a sunny, but cold, morning and spent about 90 minutes wandering through the Cemetery noting any plants we could find in flower, the total being 39 species, including several, such as sun spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia) and, unbelievably, common field-speedwell  (Veronica persica), not previously recorded there.  The list of species recorded is available from roy@plant-lore.com

‘Thanks for sharing your knowledge.’

Images:  upper, Roy Vickery, Tooting Common, November 2025, © Carlos Bruzon; middle, arrowwood (Viburnum x bodnantense). Tooting Common,  where it was planted many years ago, when the former boating lake was changed into an ecology pond (later converted into a reedbed, and now an amphibia pool area); as it has not received any care for at least two decades we decided it could be recorded as ‘wild’, January 2026.; lower, hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Brompton Cemetery, January 2026.