Enlightening talk on 'Wildflowers on the Malvern Hills' given at town's latest Worcestershire Wildlife Trust group meeting - The Malvern Observer

Enlightening talk on 'Wildflowers on the Malvern Hills' given at town's latest Worcestershire Wildlife Trust group meeting

Malvern Editorial 24th Apr, 2022   0

A TALK on the Wildflowers of the Malvern Hills was given at the latest meeting at the town’s Worcestershire Wildlife Trust grooup.

Keen botanist Gerry Davies, from the U3A’s Botany Group, shed light on the local flora of the Malvern area.

Gerry has been walking, running, and cycling around the area for 45 years, observing and recording what he has seen and where he saw it.




From the Shepherds Cress and Annual Knawel to be seen on the crest of the Malvern Hills to Lousewort and Marsh Speedwell found on Castlemorton Common, Gerry knows where they all can be found.

Not all plant names are easy to remember or understand. Gerry recalled how one student who had been out surveying the woodland flora had seen Wood Anemones and had recorded ‘Wooden enemies’.


Orchids are one of Gerry’s favourite plant families.

Many happy hours have been spent on local commons recording the Common Spotted, Heath Spotted and Southern Marsh Orchids which are all members of the Dactylorhiza family and can cross with each other to produce hybrids, making recording difficult.

A recent interest for Gerry has been walking around the arable fields near his home recording the once common, but now rare, cornfield annuals such as Small Toadflax, Corn Spurrey and Sharp Leaved Fluellen.

Gerry is very knowledgeable about wildlife in general and flora in particular and said every walk would reveal much of interest.

Group members said after the talk that ‘a walk in the countryside would never be the same again’.

Gerry will be leading a walk looking at the wildflowers of British Camp at 10am on May 10. To book a place please contact Neil Edwards on 01684 564288 or [email protected].

The next meeting of the Malvern Group is at 7.30pm on May 5 at The Lyttelton Rooms, Church Street, Malvern WR14 2AY.

‘Verging on Wild. Working for Biodiversity on Herefordshire Verges’ will be given by Suzanne Noble from the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust.

Admission is £2.50 and everyone is welcome.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Malvern Observer newspaper.

Subscribe

Receive a weekly update to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Malvern Observer.

Reader Travel

Check out all of the latest reader travel offers to get your hands on some free gifts.