Hugh Harris

Ten Liverpool Botanical Society members accompanied by Anne-Marie Belcher, Reserve Warden and Lee Lappin, local naturalist explored the footpaths and bird hides of Moore Nature Reserve and Moss Side. Moore Nature Reserve is situated between the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey. The 186 acres site has been managed as a nature reserve since 1991 after a history of land use for farming and sand quarrying. Today the reserve is surrounded by woodland, meadows and wetlands which provide a rich biodiversity of habitats for birds, mammals, insects, plants, amphibians and fungi. On the day 180 species of wildflowers were recorded.

Objectives:

• Fifteen months after the closure of Landlife and National Wildflower centre in Knowsley, to raise awareness of the opportunity to build upon this charitable legacy, the wildflower fields and harvests and the projects, and a new future with Eden Project.
• To launch new partnerships which have the potential to build on the grass-roots nature of the work and to make wildflowers more of an integral part of urban planning and peri-urban sites, bridging rural divides, with environmental justice.
• To engage people in support of the Northern Flowerhouse and the National Wildflower Centre, charting a forward-looking vision for creative conservation in Merseyside and across the North. Linking Northern and Southern energies.
• To inspire forward-looking thinking in what is meant by green infrastructure.
• To make clear links between environmental action and social justice.
• To celebrate wildflower landscapes and to openly thank those who have stood by the ethics and have supported the past work and charitable purpose of Landlife and the National Wildflower Centre.

The aims of the workshop were to develop skills in identifying British native grass species, recognise the most widely occurring grasses and to familiarise ourselves with reference book keys and herbarium specimens.

Peter Gateley, local Ecologist recommended at least 2 guides for starters in grass identification:

• FSC “Guide to Common Grasses”
• C.E. Hubbard, “Grasses”, Third Edition, 1984 Penguin Books

We started with naming of parts of live specimens and photographs which are diagnostic in identifying the grass; Inflorescence (flower head), florets, awns, spikelets, ligules, leaves and growth forms

There was a feeling of spring in the air as we walked the Millers Bridge Trail lined with Daffodils, Primroses, Lesser Celandine and Common Dog Violet. The Willow’s bright green leaves were appearing above the Flamingo Pen as we proceeded to the Ron Barker Hide.