Autumn Newsletter 2024 - coming soon!

The formal field meetings program may be over, but never fear, the Shropshire Botanical Society Autumn 2024 newsletter will be out soon!  

It is packed full of features, with articles by new contributors, field visit accounts, plus a rundown of this year's plant finds.  

Sorry it has been a while, but we didn't have an Editor for a Spring 2024 edition, which is why this Autumn's is a chunker.

The newsletter will be emailed to members as a pdf just as soon as it is ready.

Non members will have to wait a seemly amount of time before the latest edition will become available via the website newsletter archive:  https://www.shropshirebotany.org.uk/p/newsletter-archive.html 

Enjoy!

Meandering in Church Stretton

The final field meeting of the season is at Coppice Leasowes Nature Reserve on the 31^st August. The reserve belongs to the Church Stretton Town Council and a neighbouring site: High Leasowes a 16 acre meadow was purchased in 2022 by the local community.

Greater Butterfly Orchid Platanthera chlorantha recorded at Coppice Leasowes in 1995.

Coppice Leasowes is a wetland site; the stream, Ashbrook from Cardingmill Valley, has recently been re-meandered so there will be plenty for us to look at. Parking and meeting on the east side of the A49, on Helmeth Road,  SO 46038 93846, https://w3w.co/special.dentures.expensive. Mike Carter and John Handley to lead 07507 054695, johnhandley11@gmail.com.We look forward to seeing you next Saturday.

We look forward to seeing you next Saturday.

Messing about at Wem Moss

The next society meeting is Saturday 24^th August at Wem Moss, a Shropshire Wildlife Trust owned site. Martin Godfrey will be providing a guiding hand in identifying Sphagnum. Thirteen different species of Sphagnum have been recorded here in the past, making it an interesting site to botanise. Parking at SJ 46883 33387, https://w3w.co/heightens.kipper.seaside.

 

White Beak-sedge Rhynchospora alba

Other rarities include Wood Small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos, Bog Myrtle Myrica gale, Royal Fern Osmunda regalis and White Beak-sedge Rhynchospora alba. Leaders Martin Godfrey and John Handley, 07507 054695, johnhandley11@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you next Saturday.

Recording in Shrawardine

We shall be meeting next Sunday 28th July at Shrawardine Millenium Green and churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Shrawardine.

We will meet at 11am at the gate onto the Green SJ 40074 15507, https://w3w.co/perfected.drifter.smashes, where we can park neatly, just inside the gate. The aim is to record in the Green and then move to the churchyard in the village, neither of which have comprehensive species lists.

Cowbane, Cicuta virosa a scarce plant in Shropshire.​

For those feeling intrepid we can proceed after lunch to the nearby Shrawardine Pool SSSI, for which we have permission from the owners to look for Cowbane Cicuta virosa, Royal Fern Osmunda regalis, Skullcap Scutellaria galericulata and other goodies of marsh, swamp and fen.  We will have to do battle with nettles, brambles, mosquitos and boggy ground and a tangle of Willow and Alder roots, so unlike the morning it will be no walk in the park!  For further details contact leader Mags Cousins; mags@bagbatch.co.uk, 07873 532681.

We look forward to seeing you next Sunday.

Messing about with Mags in Minsterley

The next field outing will be to Minsterley Meadows SSSI, Callow Lane, Minsterley, at 1pm on Sunday 7^th July. 

Park and meet at Minsterley Parish Hall, SY50EH; 
Grid Ref SJ37520483; What3words:marketing.eggshell.opposites.

The two fields (approx 13.5 acres) are old semi-natural hay meadows, floristically rich and supporting Shropshire's largest population of Green-winged Orchids Anacamptis (Orchis) morio, which number in their thousands.

The Middle Marches Community Land Trust have made an offer on these meadows and are currently fund raising: https://middlemarchescommunitylandtrust.org.uk/minsterley-meadows-appeal/

The Shropshire Botanical Society has made a pledge of £500 and on Sunday 7th will make a species list, to create an up-to-date record of what the site supports. 

There is a fund raiser event in the morning which is why we are starting the survey after lunch at 1pm to enable anyone to attend the fundraiser talk at the Hall first: Minsterley Meadows Fundraiser Event: The Natural Garden Sunday 7th July, Minsterley Parish Hall

10.00  – 12 noon: Nancy Lowe, The Natural Gardener (thenaturalgardener.org.uk) (donations to the Appeal), picnic lunch if required. To attend you must book your place through: conference@middlemarchescommunitylandtrust.org.uk

For attendance on the Shropshire Botanical Society survey, contact leader Mags Cousins for further details; mags@bagbatch.co.uk, 07873 532681.

We look forward to seeing you next week.

Limestone Lovelies!

 We will be meeting at Blackbridge Quarry in Llynclys, SJ 2781 2417 on Saturday 15^th June at 11:00 AM. https://w3w.co/like.clearcut.watch.

This is another site managed by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The site of an old limestone quarry, there are many lovely plants to see here including Anacamptis pyramidalis Pyramidal Orchid, Arabis hirsuta Hairy Rock-cress and Platanthera chlorantha Greater Butterfly-orchid.

Platanthera chlorantha Greater Butterfly-orchid 

For further information about the meeting please contact John Handley, 07507 054695, johnhandley11@gmail.com.

Minsterley Meadows Update

The Middle Marches Community Land Trust are fundraising in order to buy and manage two flower-rich Meadows at Minsterley. Amongst many other species, the meadows support the largest population of green-winged orchids, Anacamptis (Orchis) morio, (below) in Shropshire. This has led to their designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England.

The appeal to buy the meadows is now live and will be officially launched on Sunday 9^th June at 10:30 am at Minsterley Parish Hall, all are welcome to this event:

https://middlemarchescommunitylandtrust.org.uk/minsterley-meadows-appeal/

The Shropshire Botanical Society is supporting the campaign by pledging £500 and raising awareness through blog articles and writing to Minsterley Parish Council.  Mags Cousins, one of our Vice County Recorders, will be attending the launch which comprises talks and slide show, followed by a walk around the meadows.

You can make personal pledges by email to: info@middlemarchescommunitylandtrust.org.uk 

or by post to:

Middle Marches Community Land Trust
Enterprise House
Bishops Castle
SY9 5AQ