Botany walk finds signs of the late revival of spring
SPRING is making a late revival in some parts of the island, according to botanists.
La Societe Guernesiaise Botany Section co-secretary, Helen Litchfield said that due to the dry summer, a lot of plants were having a second flush, particularly in south-facing areas.
She was talking at the group’s November monthly walk which took in the Le Guet area.
The conditions meant that sour fig and Cape ivy had thrived this year, which was not a good thing as they smothered other plants and destroyed local flora.
‘And without the flora there’s nothing to support the birds and insects,’ she said.
The monthly walks gave people a gentle introduction in to botany in a friendly way.
‘Since lockdown there has been more interest in all aspects of nature, including botany,’ she said.
‘Because people had their movements restricted they began looking more closely at what was directly in front on them.’
Section member Pam Turner said she had always had an interest in nature.
‘Since I’ve been coming to botany I find that the more you look, the more you see,’ she said.
Ms Litchfield said there was currently more awareness of the value of the island’s green spaces.
‘We collect an enormous amount of data which is used by bodies such as the States and landowners to assist them in carrying out more informed land management and we’re always willing to help people,’ she said.
Plants moving up from the Mediterranean were often recorded in the Channel Islands first.
Guernsey Fleabane, which was first found in the wild at Mont Crevelt in 1961, had now been found as far north as Newcastle, according to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.
. All are welcome on the botany walks and further information including when they take place could be found on La Societe Guernesiaise’s website or Facebook profile, or the Guernsey Press’s What’s On pages.
