2020 County Report for Huntingdonshire

David Broughton

Huntingdonshire has quite a small recording community, so inevitably the challenges of 2020 have resulted in a bit of a ‘rest’ in botanical activity. Survey efforts by Owen Mountford and Jonathan Graham for the Flora of Fenland project, which contributed so much to updating and expanding knowledge of the local flora, also came to their planned conclusion this year. Their focus is now on interpreting the multitude of records collected, and I look forward to seeing the end result of this in print in due course.  Despite the quiet year, a number of interesting finds were still made. Not least the excitement to many from the arrival of lizard orchid (Himantoglossum hircinum) in the county. The single plant still appeared in good health in late 2020 and promises another flowering this year. Other big news was the discovery by Sarah Lambert of grey mouse-ear (Cerastium brachypetalum) new to the county at a rail-side location already known for its exceptional list of flora, and the re-find by Alan Leslie of small-flowered dog-rose (Rosa micrantha) after a long absence.