2024 County Report for North Devon
Bob Kirby and Bob Hodgson
Bob Hodgson has been active mostly within VC3, with limited excursions northward into VC4. Bob Kirby’s plans to try to restore a local Rubus expertise-base have continued in parallel with re-visiting tetrads where most records are over twenty years old, or recording is only to tetrad level. Over ten thousand records have been collected. These included over 250 for taxa considered very-rare (mostly neophytes), and at least twelve new to VC4 (though more are still awaiting suitable confirmation). Rubus hot-spots with LORE targets have been re-visited, and hundreds of Rubus have now been photographically ‘sampled’. Ongoing evaluation of the pictures has already re-discovered some ‘lost’ Brambles. Various species with potentially under-reported subspecies have also been subjected to increased scrutiny, with some proving far more frequent than previous data suggested. Further interest this year has come from early and late suburban recording trips, with species such as Mentha requienii (Corsican Mint) and Erophila glabrescens (Glabrous Whitlowgrass) proving more widespread on block paved areas than previously appreciated. Another block-paving colonist, Bowlesia incana (Hoary Bowlesia), proved to be new to Britain and Ireland. Apparently already well established, it has the potential to spread. Euphorbia × pasteurii (Pasteur’s Spurge) was also new to the UK. The discovery of a notable Eucalyptus stellulata(Black Sallee)rewardedtime spent in the critical checking of records.VCRs have continued to support the Devonshire Association Botany Section’s program ofactivities.
