Mixed fortunes for one of our rarest plants
Both of the (introduced) East Sussex populations of the rare stinking hawk’s-beard Crepis foetida have increased in numbers this year. At Rye a minimum of 1035 plants were present, a major increase from the previous highest total of 417 plants last year. This significant increase was down to the creation of another fenced plot from which rabbits were excluded two years ago. This now contains 79% of the plants, and most of the larger specimens. The original plot may be getting a little overgrown, and may benefit from some deliberate scarification of the gravel to see if this produces better growing conditions. As in previous years a few plants were found growing outside of these plots until they started to grow tall flowering stems and attracted lagomorph attention. Read the rest of this entry »
