Anna Stewart, 73, a botanist from Winchester, told the Chronicle she was concerned with the number of flowering plants found during the recent New Year Plant Hunt (NYPH).
Organised by the Botanical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the hunt calls on thousands of volunteers to help analyse and learn more about how our wild and naturalised plants are responding to climate change.
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Anna Stewart, 73, from Winchester (Image: Charles Elliman) Anna said: “Many of the plants shouldn’t really be in flower at all. Mild winters seem to be more frequent and the climate is changing.”
The conservation group, Friends of St Giles Hill Graveyard, recorded plants in flower on Wednesday, December 29, for three hours.
She said the small group of volunteers, with a range of experience, found 74 species of plants in flower in the Winchester area and came eighth nationally.
The hunt was the 14th and Anna has been involved since her first, with her husband Dave, in 2020.
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Asked about the importance of the event, Anna said: “It’s an important citizen science event which documents how plants respond to changes in the climate.
“We are seeing many more plants in flower now than previously.”
She continued: “They are key indicators of climate change so the information gathered has wider uses across the scientific community and further.”
The BSBI is one of the world’s largest contributors of biological records. Their data informs scientific research and underpins evidence-based conservation.
For those wanting to take part in future hunts, use this link to register: https://botanicalsocietyofbritainandireland.beaconforms.com/form/531ebede
For more information on this winter’s hunt, as well as more resources on identifying plants, head to https://bsbi.org/new-year-plant-hunt.
For survey summaries, head to: https://nyph.bsbi.org/results.php