Finding flowers in January
Since 2012, BSBI volunteers have been going out for a 3 hour walk between Christmas and New Year’s Day, recording all native and non-native plants found flowering in the wild (not gardens!). In 2019, 627 species were recorded in flower! The top five species most frequently recorded in flower were Daisy (Bellis perennis), Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), Dandelion (Taraxacum agg.), Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua) and Gorse (Ulex europaeus).This rank order was identical to 2017 and almost identical to 2016. But other species that regularly appear in the top ten are Chickweed (Stellaria media), Purple Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum) Smooth Sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), Petty Spurge (Euphorbia peplus) Common Field-speedwell (Veronica persica), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), White Dead-nettle (Lamium album) and Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum). Take a look at their website (https://bsbi.org/new-year-plant-hunt) to see what was found flowering in your area and if there isn’t a recording, why not join them next year and add to their data? As well as being good fun you would be helping the BSBI find out how our wildflowers are responding to changes in autumn and winter weather patterns.
