11am-1pm
No booking necessary, but please arrive on time, dressed for the weather.
Join Amanda Tuke and Roy Vickery for the 7th in a series of surveys recording wild plants at West Norwood Cemetery. This is one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries of London, and a site of major historical, architectural and ecological interest.

Meeting place just inside the main entrance on the corner of Robson Road and Norwood Road.

Purpose
To record the flowering plants and ferns growing in West Norwood Cemetery, and make our findings available to all those who want them.

Methods
Our team visits the Cemetery about four times a year to examine and record the plants growing in a section of the site in rotation, so that each section is visited at different times of the year. Each visit last for about 90min - 2hrs.

At present there is no end date; it is probable that the surveys will continue for another couple of years, hoping to have covered the whole of the Cemetery in different seasons.  Thereafter it’s possible that one or two visits are made each year to monitor any changes.

Participants
All abilities welcome as we learn together. Everyone is expected to contribute so that we share our knowledge and learn from each other. (Unlike wild flower walks when a leader talks about the plants seen, but does not expect great input from other participants).

To date we have had c.10-12 people turn up to each meeting; if more people turn up it is possible to divide the group into two with each group surveying the same area and then gathering to compare their results.

Due to the uneven nature of the site, half-hidden gravestones, etc., our surveys are not suitable for people with mobility problems. If there is sufficient demand from people with such problems we are willing to consider alternative ways of doing things, using hard-surface paths. If you have any questions about access please contact Kim Hart: khart@lambeth.gov.uk

Results
We will accumulate high quality records which will be passed on to Iain Boulton, Environmental Compliance Officer, Lambeth Parks and Open Spaces, who will pass them on to GiGL (Greenspace Information for Greater London). The results will also be available for anyone else who requests them.

More on Roy Vickery

This survey is led by Roy Vickery who has been collecting, and writing about, plants and plant folklore for over 40 years - see his website www.plant-lore.com. His Vickery's Folk Flora - An A-Z of the Folklore & Uses of British & Irish Plants was published in 2019. Roy has also been active with the South London Botanical Institute, founded in 1910 and based in Norwood Road, for many years, including spells as Chair of the Trustees and as President.

Image courtesy of Peter Matthews

More on Amanda Tuke

​Amanda is a nature writer and naturalist with a particular interest in urban and suburban nature in the British Isles. An ecologist and teacher by background, she’s passionate about demystifying the natural world for a wide audience and sharing her joy in finding nature in the most surprising and unlikely places. When she’s not writing Amanda loves meeting other people who get as excited about nature as she does. Website https://freelancenaturewriter.com