2024 County Report for Shropshire

John Martin & Mags Cousins

After something of a hiatus in adding VC40 records to the DDb since we took over as joint recorders we submitted a spreadsheet with over 84000 records for upload by the team at HQ. A large proportion were made by Jonathan Shanklin (BSBI Field Meeting Secretary and VC29 Cambridgeshire Recorder) who continues to make an enormous contribution to Shropshire records, and this year accounted 14,407 of the 15300 on the spreadsheet from 2024, (and he doesn’t even live here!). While this might look as if other recorders are slacking this is not the case and we have another 46900 verified on iRecord, which has been our preferred format, 14000 of them from 2024. We expect to add these when the next iRecord batch moves to the holding area of DDb.

The Shropshire Botanical Society ran seven well attended field trips between April and August with the most exciting find perhaps being a new site for Carex muricata subsp. muricata (Large-fruited Prickly-sedge) in a somewhat wooded area at Blackbridge. This rarity was only discovered in Shropshire at a nearby site in 1999 by Sarah Whild. Another SBS trip produced a second excellent sedge record when Ellen Jones found an inflorescence of Carex lasiocarpa (Slender Sedge), which proved to be part of a stand covering 10 square metres, at Wem Moss, where it was last recorded by Charles Sinker in 1962. Not content with this Ellen also found Eleocharis multicaulis (Many-stalked Spike-rush) the same trip (last recorded in 1970). Dianthus armeria (Deptford Pink) was found by Andrew Middleton in his garden at Church Stretton. Last seen in VC40 in 1923 it had been considered extinct here. Its origin is obscure here but it had not been planted in the 32 years under the current owners and disturbance of long buried seed seems most likely. The most notable of many good finds by Jonathan Shanklin was Potentilla verna (Spring Cinquefoil), in the churchyard at Shawbury, last recorded in 1986 by Charles Sinker in a more typical limestone grassland site at Llanymynech.

10 new VCRs this year are highlighted below and as expected none of them is an undisputed native species:

Bupleurum rotundifolium (Thorow-wax),

formerly an arable plant with archaeophyte-colonist status but now popular with flower arrangers, the most likely origin for several plants found by John Martin at the base of a street tree on Abbey Foregate in Shrewsbury.

Galium parisiense (Wall Bedstraw)

classed as ‘native or alien’ in PlantAtlas 2020, found by Mark Duffell on waste ground on the southeast edge of Shrewsbury.

Allium trifoliatum (Hirsute Garlic)

found by John Martin at Hodnet disused railway line.

Angelica gigas (Giant Angelica)

found by Matt Parratt Near Bucknall, far from gardens, as they say. There is only one record of this species on the DDb, from 2021!

Adiantum raddianum (Delta Maidenhair Fern)

found by John Martin, along with Pteris cretica (Cretan Brake) (also a NCR), growing on walls of a part demolished glasshouse, that will be restored in due course, at Attingham Park walled garden.

Satureja montana (Winter Savoury)

a well established patch found growing on Town Walls, Shrewsbury by John Martin.

Jasminum officinale (Summer Jasmine)

The Frankwell area of Shrewsbury produced a NCR of Jasminum officinale (Summer Jasmine) with the second county record of Solanum laciniatum (Kangaroo Apple), both found by Sarah Whild and first seen from a moving car! John & Janette Martin found Cephalaria gigantea (Giant Scabious) (pictured) and Tanacetum macrophyllum (Rayed Tansy), both NCRs, in nearby areas when twitching Sarah’s find.