2022 County Report for VC113b

Anne Haden

Jersey report for 2022

 

Approximately 3000 records were collected during the year, many from our weekly Thursday morning walks and some from our fortnightly walks with the Sociẻtẻ Jersiaise Botany Section.We worked with the Government Environment Department on several projects including advising on invasive species, green roofs and protected plants on the island. Notable finds this year were Tragopogon pratensis Goat’s-beard which was found growing near a drain in the Covid testing car park and Mimulus moschatus Musk growing in Rozel Manor.

In April Fred Rumsey visited Guernsey and a party of botanists from Jersey flew over to our sister island to enjoy days of exploring new habitats and especially looking at hybrid Aspleniums. In August a party of Jersey botanists joined a gang from Guernsey in Sark for a day’s plant hunting on a very hot day.   We found Stachys palustris Marsh Woundwort in a hedgerow, this is rarely seen in Jersey. John Poland visited Jersey in spring and joined in a botany walk and presented a talk on rare plants one evening.  It was fortuitous that 13 small plants of Myosotis sicula Jersey Forget-me-not were found while John was in the island, possible as a result of the clearing of the Crassula helmsii New Zealand Pigmyweed that was undertaken by a gang of Jersey botanists at the site, mentioned in my report last year.  This find has galvanized the Environment department to do more clearing this year.

One student completed the Identiplant course and 4 are already signed up for next year, the 3 NPMS squares we have on the island were surveyed again this year.  Local botanists helped the Environment Department with surveys on the sand dunes to assess the impact of a herd of Loaghtan sheep grazing in a fenced off area.  And once again the New Year Plant Hunt proved very popular with the customary pub lunch half way through the hunt, the balmy 12°C temperature was a bonus.

 

Anne Haden