1995 Isles of Scilly 10th to 15th May Main Meeting
We wasted no time when we arrived at St Mary's, Scilly, on the morning of 10 May. At 11 a.m. we met Miss Celia Sisam, a WFS member who lives on the island, and she began by showing us several colourful 'mesems' (Aizoaceae) growing on a rocky outcrop behind her house. She also had Sparaxis grandiflora as a weed in her garden, and this set the tone for our days' botanising, when the emphasis was strongly on established aliens and garden escapes. Better known, but still 'foreigners' were Cyrtomium falcatum which we found on the shore, and German Ivy in Old Town churchyard.
On the following day, a rough and wet one, we went to Tresco where Rumex rupestris on the shore was surely the plant most people most wanted to see. The heath, the pool sides and the gardens provided many interesting and spectacular plants, ranging from Gunnera tinctoria and Cortaderia selloana to Nothoscordum borbonicum and Ixia paniculata as garden weeds, and Allium babingtonii on the way back to the boat. Friday, another rough day, saw us at St Martin's where several fields were covered in Scandix pecten-veneris. Claytonia perfoliata was in abundance, but the St Martin's buttercup Ranunculus marginatus could not be found though we searched diligently, and is presumably now extinct. Another field had a fine stand of Zantedeschia aethiopica to end a most profitable day.
On Saturday, Celia Sisam led the party to St Agnes'. The chief objects of the trip were of course Ophioglossum azoricum and Ornithopus pinnatus: these were satisfactorily located side by side. Erigeron glaucus was a bonus. The next day was spent on St Mary's itself looking first at abandoned bulbfields, one of which had Bromus willdenowii (Rescue Brome). In a ditch was the fern Blechnum cordatum, at Old Town Lavatera cretica, and in the marshy nature reserve was Juncus articulatus var. atlanticus and lots of Osmunda regalis.
On Monday we took a trip to Bryher. The state of the tide made landing at the quay impossible, so the journey had to be completed by rowing boat. Even then the final scramble over slimy, seaweed-covered boulders proved quite testing, but Viola kitaibeliana at the end was well worth the effort. All the commoner sand plants were there too and, heading for a cafe, we found Giant Herb Robert Geranium rubescens.
A concluding walk round the St Mary's coast gave Crassula decumbens, and we found a ditch with Sibthorpia europaea in it. We also came upon some Holly and some Cow Parsley which were interesting as both are rare on the islands. The expedition ended unfortunately, though, as my mother had to go to hospital where she was in intensive care with fluid on the lung. The party left on Wednesday but I had to stay over until she was better and able to leave. Thank you to all who sent her flowers and good wishes while she was ill.
RON PARKER