2023 County Report for Leicestershire

Stephen Woodward

Some 21,068 records have been entered into the ddB for 2023. GH and SFW continue to monitor tetrad coverage to direct fieldwork towards under-recorded areas. Square-bashing in these botanical backwaters has gathered about 12,000 records. Using the Atlas 2020 metric, we now have 552 tetrads (76%) well-recorded in VC55.

We conducted a grassland survey on the Belvoir escarpment, to help a farmer with a grant application, and we helped with a survey of Cropston parish. GH and SFW attended the aquatic plant course at Treborth Botanic Garden.

Meanwhile RP and his team of urban botanists have focused on Leicester City, working their way around 50 monads and amassing 6,700 records. RP has also run ID courses for our local recording network, NatureSpot, encouraging contributors to record more confidently. He assists with the maintenance and development of the University of Leicester Herbarium.

In terms of species, Euphrasia arctica and Gymnadenia conopsea s.s. were confirmed in two nature reserves where they had not been critically examined before; both were atypical, robust forms. Sixteen neophytes were added, mostly from urban and suburban localities.

Between us, we have contributed botany reports for local society newsletters and presented a summary of recent recording at the on-line Recorder's Conference for Leicestershire & Rutland. GH published Guy Messenger’s supplement to the Flora of Rutland – detailing records arising from fieldwork and research between 1971 and 1990. SFW contributed an article to British Wildlife (35.2), including some botanical work at Grace Dieu.

 

Stephen Woodward

Geoffrey Hall

Russell Parry