2020 County Report for Surrey
Ann Sankey
Some key points about botanical life in Surrey:
- The only scheduled meeting to take place this year was the now annual New Year’s Day Plant Hunt in TQ15. 22 members took part which is an excellent number. This was probably due to a combination of sunny weather, the chance to meet friends again plus the traditional pub lunch afterwards. The range of habitats resulted in 33 species recorded in flower.
- Some members recorded the wild plants in their gardens.
- One member recorded his local golf courses during the first lockdown and was able to record some notable species, including some noted since 1960s.
- Others explored their local areas more intensively than usual and also had some significant finds.
- When first lockdown ended, we recorded more widely in ones, twos or threes, again making some good records and finds. The focus remains one of recording on a 1km plus basis for a New Flora of Surrey.
- The ending of this first lockdown resulted in some major heathland fires, including those on two NNRs. Other parts of the VC were over-visited such that significant damage was done to important sites. This included excessive trampling of both calcareous and dry acid grasslands, widening of paths and excessive amounts of litter, some very undesirable.
- Because we only went out in small groups, we had very limited contact many members. This is of some concern as many are uncertain recorders and teaching in the field is a major part of what we do.
- The more limited November lockdown enabled us to safely record more golf courses and to observe some harmful practices such as herbicide and fertiliser use plus excessive mowing.
- Over 300 new hectad records were made.
- Major problems experienced with MapMate.
- We have made a start on compiling an Inventory of Unimproved Grasslands in Surrey, with support and help from SWT and SBIC.
- Some of us continue to work with other conservation organisations in Surrey.
More notable taxa new to a hectad
| 10kSquare | Taxon |
| SU83 | Hieracium lepidulum |
| SU83 | Orobanche minor |
| SU84 | Berberis vulgaris |
| SU84 | Berula erecta |
| SU84 | Senecio inaequidens |
| SU86 | Hieracium scotostictum |
| SU86 | Viola × bavarica |
| SU94 | Alopecurus aequalis |
| SU94 | Gnaphalium luteoalbum |
| SU94 | Hieracium argutifolium |
| SU95 | Geranium purpureum |
| SU95 | Hieracium argillaceum |
| SU95 | Hieracium consociatum |
| SU95 | Hieracium lepidulum |
| SU96 | Hieracium lepidulum |
| SU96 | Lathraea clandestina |
| SU96 | Ludwigia hexapetala |
| SU96 | Poa infirma |
| SU96 | Viola × bavarica |
| SU97 | Polypogon viridis |
| TQ03 | Eleocharis acicularis |
| TQ03 | Ononis repens |
| TQ03 | Potamogeton berchtoldii |
| TQ04 | Aethusa cynapium subsp. agrestis |
| TQ04 | Chenopodium strictum |
| TQ04 | Poa infirma |
| TQ04 | Rosa mollis |
| TQ05 | Hyacinthoides hispanica |
| TQ07 | Geranium rotundifolium |
| TQ07 | Herniaria glabra |
| TQ14 | Hieracium lepidulum |
| TQ14 | Rosa × irregularis |
| TQ14 | Torilis nodosa |
| TQ16 | Hypochaeris glabra |
| TQ16 | Poa infirma |
| TQ25 | Lathraea clandestina |
| TQ25 | Lepidium ruderale |
| TQ25 | Nitella flexilis sens. lat. |
| TQ25 | Poa infirma |
| TQ27 | Catapodium marinum |
| TQ34 | Apera spica-venti |
| TQ35 | Chenopodium strictum |
| TQ35 | Cyrtomium fortunei |
| TQ35 | Potentilla anglica |
| TQ45 | Agrostis vinealis |