2020 County Report for North Devon

Bob Hodgson and Jeremy Ison

We have managed two socially distanced meetings-one to a very good culm grassland site near Okehampton where after years of trying we finally obtained permission,and the second to a farm in mid Devon where the owners were very actively encouraging wildlife and creating more culm grassland.Otherwise I had two trips to Exmoor to check on odd Hieracium records with mixed results and some recording on old railways and the Bude canal.Due to travel restrictions most of my botanising has been in the Exeter area(VC3) with some interesting finds.Bob Kirby has been busy in his local patch at Bideford again with some interesting records-mostly aliens.

The New Flora of Devon  sold out soon after its publication in 2016.Roger Smith and John Maltby of The Devonshire Association have been working to make this available on line through the Devonshire Association website and this should be available in the near future and enable updates to be added

Euphrasia scottica

Found on Exmoor by Alex Worsley,confirmed by Chris Metherell .W.P.Hiern labelled some specimens in his herbarium(now in RAMM) as this species but Keble Martin and Fraser in the 1939 Devon Flora said they were Euphrasia micrantha.When we have access again it is planned to reexamine Hiern’s specimens at RAMM.

Polycarpon tetraphyllum

Northam,found by Bob Kirby-2nd VCR

Cotula sessilis

Croyde 1st VCR

Orobanche rapum-genistae

Nr Knowle,by Mary Breeds

Polypodium cambricum

Abbotsham, by Bob Kirby.v rare in North Devon

Isolepis cernua

Lundy,by Sam Bosanqet.1st record since 1950

Trichomanes speciosum

Lundy,by Sam Bosanquet,gametophyte form .1st Lundy record