I arrange botanical meetings in Flintshire, North Wales under the auspices of the BSBI.
The next meetings are:
2022 meetings
Please note the dates below for this year’s BSBI meetings in Flintshire. All meetings aim to improve scientific understanding of the flora of the county as well as improving our plant ID skills, and of course, having fun! All meetings start at 10am and we expect to finish around 4pm, unless otherwise specified. Joining instructions are available from Gail Quartly-Bishop.
April 9th – Gronant Dunes
A trip to the seaside to look for early flowering plants such as Myosotis stricta, Cochlearia anglica, dandelions and Mibora minima. Meet at 10am at Gamfa Wen car park (CH8 9RT). This is a pay car park (£4 all day) open 8am – 7pm.
Recent study of scurvygrass (Cochlearia) on the Dee Marshes has revealed a more complicated picture than we expected, so if tides allow I would like to go and have a look. There are lots of other early flowering plants in the dunes and I would particularly like to look for species which haven’t yet been recorded here, but do occur in neighbouring counties in similar habitats. This includes the forget-me-not Myosotis stricta and early sand grass Mibora minima. Finally, the new dandelion handbook has been published and it would be fun to have a go at identifying some of the dandelions we find in the dunes, if time allows.
May 14th – Halkyn Mountain
Halkyn Mountain to look for Botrychium lunaria, Antennaria dioica, Thlaspi caerulescens, Sagina nodosa, Scutellaria minor, Cirsium acaule etc. Meet at 10am at the entrance to Pen-yr-Henblas quarry SJ192727. Limited parking, please car share if you can.
June 25th – orchids at Pantymwyn Pastures
Pantymywyn Pastures to study the fragrant orchids and decide which species we have in the county, also to admire the butterfly-orchids if they are still in flower and look for Alchemilla xanthochlora and Campanula trachelium. The site is also known for its green-winged orchids and there are records of other interesting plants nearby e.g. Bromopsis erecta. Meet at 10am at Pantymywyn Village Hall. Parking has not been agreed with the village hall – therefore, please park considerately in the village or use public transport where possible.
July 9th – Babell Racecourse
People often refer to Graeana wetland as “Babell Racecourse”, but I want to visit the racecourse proper and nearby woodlands, where there are records of butterfly-orchids and Serratula tinctoria. Meet at 10am at the crossroads of Babell Road and Fford Graeana (SJ152749). Very limited parking along Fford Graeana – a few cars at most. Please car share if you can and consider parking elsewhere and walking in e.g. in Calcoed.
August 6th – Hendre area
Hendre Big Wood to look for Monotropa hypopitys, last seen there in 1996. Other records include Epipactis helleborine (1999), Epipactis phyllanthes (1985), Bidens cernua (1984), and in a nearby woodland Campanula trachelium (1999). We’ll meander towards the wood via a network of footpaths and lanes and hope to see some interesting plants along the way. Meet at 10am at Coed y Felin car park (SJ195677), where we can check out the Dianthus armeria on the slope below the car park before setting off. Again, this is a fairly small car park, so car sharing would be a great idea if you are able to.
September 10th – Prestatyn Hillside
Prestatyn Hillside to look for Sorbus intermedia (last seen 2019), S. rupicola (2017), wild juniper (2017), Potentilla tabernaemontani (1985), Serratula tinctoria (2019), and Silene nutans (grows locally but never recorded here). These are all rare plants in the county.
Prestatyn Hillside is a woodland nature reserve on a steep slope just south of Prestatyn. Much of the site is open access, but because of the terrain, I intend to stay close to the public footpaths. Please come ready to tackle steep uneven paths – a walking stick may come in handy.
Meet at the AONB car park off Hillside, Prestatyn at 10am (off the first hairpin bend up the hill from the intersection with Bishopswood Road at SJ07158210). If this car park is full, carry on up the hill and you will find another car park half way up at SJ07458183. There is a path downhill signposted from here. As always, car sharing is encouraged 🙂
For more info on vascular plant meetings, please visit the BSBI Flintshire page and for bryophyte meetings, join North Wales Plant Group on Facebook, or contact me.
Click here to read about previous meetings in Flintshire.
Gail Quartly-Bishop 