DFG New Year Plant Hunt 2025
- Tom & Jean Smith
- Mar 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 4
DHBlog037 · Sightings Plain and Curious by Tom & Jean Smith
This year was the fifth that the DFG has taken part in the New Year Plant Hunt (NYPH) and the fourteenth that this Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) event has been held nationally. The level of participation among DFG members was good with around 33 people taking part. Their challenge was to record wild and naturalised plants in flower over 3 hours between the qualifying dates of Sunday 29th December and Wednesday 1st January. Results came in to us from two large groups plus a number of small groups and individuals across the county, most of which were also submitted to the BSBI by the respective recorders. We later made use of the comprehensive data available on the BSBI's national results website to make some enlightening comparisons.
In Dorset, the weather was favourable for the first three days and then became wetter and windier on New Year's Day. Although there had been snow in late November, most of the days leading up to the plant hunt were frost free and mild, and once again this seems to have allowed many species to continue flowering late or begin flowering early.
On 29th December, Jo Stephen was out in Winterborne Stickland (ST8304, ST8305) finding 30 species in flower including a beautiful Butterbur (Petasites hybridus), some very early flowering Honesty (Lunaria annua), Wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana) and Bush Vetch (Vicia sepium).
Lesley Mellor also hunted on 29th December, covering SY6778, SY6779 and SY6878 in the Weymouth area and finding 24 flowering species including Dove's-foot Crane's-bill (Geranium molle), Scentless Mayweed (Tripleurospermum inodorum), Winter Heliotrope (Petasites pyrenaicus) and Red Clover (Trifolium pratense).
On the same day, Sigrid Osborne headed out around Durley Chine, Bournemouth (SZ0790) and recorded 10 flowering species including naturalised Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata). This Antipodean member of the Fabaceae is not recognised in Plant Atlas 2020 but grows well on this part of the Dorset coast, its pod-borne seeds offering the potential for dispersal by birds. One obstacle is their need for high heat (e.g. bush fire) for good germination rates but perhaps a good sun-baking in sheltered spots of Bournemouth can substitute for this. [For the curious, this can be simulated by submersion of the seeds in 70°C water for a short while.] Sigrid was back out the following day in neighbouring West Cliff (SZ0790, SZ0890), seeing a further 10 species in flower including Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua).
On 30th December, we held our Dorset Flora Group Poole Plant Hunt (as advertised in the BSBI listings) and in total, 9 enthusiastic people assembled at the Poole Dolphin Leisure Centre, which provided the location for the start of our route. Here, at the base of kerbs and walls, we found flowering Common Whitlowgrass (Erophila verna) and Shaggy Soldier (Galinsoga quadriradiata), while the verge yielded some vigorous Musk Stork's-bill (Erodium moschatum).
Near the subway, we recorded a clump of Greater Quaking-grass (Briza maxima) but perhaps more of a pleasant surprise was the Common Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium) flowering well in the grassed areas. Also present among the grass was a new species for some of us in the form of Bullwort (Ammi majus), an unusual birdseed alien.
After spending around 45 minutes close to the car park, we walked on through the edge of Poole Park to Baiter, passing Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) and Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) along the way. We continued westwards and found several more species flowering including Chinese Mustard (Brassica juncea), another unusual alien. This attractive yellow crucifer is believed to originate from birdseed or, as the name suggests, imported mustard seed.
The next main area of interest was Whitecliff and here we added more species including Bristly Oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides) and Rescue Brome (Ceratochloa cathartica). The latter was our third curiosity of the day; this one has its origins as a historic imported fodder grass and as a grain- or wool-alien.
The final part of our route took us back through Poole Park. By now, we'd been on the go for 2½ hours so we decided to take a break for refreshments at the Ark Café. The remaining 15 minutes yielded 8 species, and by the end we had covered three grid squares: SZ0190 (Leisure Centre and part of the Old Town; 29 species), SZ0290 (Baiter and Poole Park south; 28 species) and SZ0291 (Poole Park north; 8 species). After eliminating duplicates, our final total was 45 distinct species.
Angela Swain was also out on 30th December, covering the Kingston Lacy estate and Pamphill area (ST9900) where she found some unexpected flowering Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.) and Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre). The following day, she covered parts of Wimborne (SU000) where her sightings included a remarkable Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), and she finished with an impressive combined total of 39 species.
Members of the National Trust West Dorset Ecology Group and the Dorset Flora Group (11 people in total) held the second of the larger group hunts on 31st December, finding 41 species in flower around Dorchester (SY6990). These included Fern-grass (Catapodium rigidum), Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and a radiant Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris).
Also on 31st December, Sue and John East conducted their regular plant hunt in the village of Hinton St Mary (ST7816), finding 25 species in flower. There were subtle differences between their hunts of this year and last. For example, 3 of this year's species were not seen in 2024: Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Meanwhile, their overall total was 2 lower than last year and 5 of the species seen in 2024 were not found this year.
On New Year's Day itself, despite the poor weather, Tony Fulford and Sheena hunted in the Arne area (SY9798). In marked contrast to last year, none of the four heath/heather species was flowering this time. Overall, they found 9 species including some unexpected ones such as Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans) and Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis). Not far away around Ridge (SY9282), Di Hall found a dozen species flowering including Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) and Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys).
Comparison with the national data collected by the BSBI confirms that unusual sightings have been a feature of this year's hunts in Dorset. Indeed, several species were the only examples recorded in the whole of the BSBI region (Table 1). Dorset certainly has its share of naturalised garden escapes (some of which present a formidable challenge to the keepers of its designated sites) but native species make an equal contribution to our unusual sightings list.
Our thanks go to everyone who provided species lists and anyone who reported back via the DFG WhatsApp Group. The combined species list can be viewed here:
Overall, the group saw 101 different species in flower, an increase on the 90 reported last year and the best total since our NYPH records began (Table 2). Despite the eye-catching curiosities, the proportion of native species in our combined hunts was higher than the national average and has been so for several years. It's tempting to speculate that the range of blooms in Dorset remains distinctive, even in the depths of winter!
This article comprises text and statistics by Tom and Jean Smith, additional analysis by Daniel Holloway and photos by Jo Stephen, Lesley Mellor, Angela Swain, Ruth Worsley and Diana Hall. It was edited by Daniel Holloway.
