Corn Marigold - Threatened Species Survey
Corn Marigold (Chrysanthemum segetum) is an iconic species across the arable areas of Lancashire . It flowers from June to September, or even later in some cases, but can quickly be lost to ploughing as an annual. As an agricultural weed, it has a close association with farmland as can be seen in the map below (west Lancashire is a key area in the south of the county), and its current situation is that it is listed as a 'vulnerable' species. Its large colourful flowers, not only make it stand out across the countryside but also provide a valuable resource for invertebrates.
South Lancashire Flora Recording Project June 2010
Care of David Earl and the South Lancashire Flora. More information can be found at www.southlancsflora.co.uk
Its vulnerable status has lead to the species to be included in the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) Threatened Plant Project in 2010 (www.bsbi.org.uk/tpp.html), and for this reason we are interested in getting your records.
About recording
Biological recording is all about getting the information on the location of specific species. TO understand where species are distributed, numbers, and any trends that may be going on, we require information on where animals and plants are spotted, as well as any information on the site that can be gathered. Sometime we have specific surveys co-ordinated, and sometime its more about getting informal records submitted when you are out and about. Many species have specific people nominated to co-ordinate and check records being submitted within the county. For plants this through the BSBI, and we have two vice-counties each with a record to whom records are submitted (for example in South Lancashire, this is David Earl).
For this survey you can submit records to Tim Graham, Lancashire Biodiversity Manager, who will collate and pass them to the county recorder. We would ideally want the following information:
- Grid reference
- Numbers (this may be a field full, or an approximate amount)
- Location description (such as road verge, arable field and crop, and details about environmental features)
- A photo if possible of plant and location
What does the species look like?
Try this link: www.southlancsflora.co.uk/Flowers/C/Chrysanthemum segetum pics.htm
Getting a grid reference?
Try the Ordinance Survey, get-a-map website (just search for the area and click where you located the plant and it will centre the map and give a grid reference below the map).
