marsh gentian from the summer

[drypulse]

Hi I was told these were reasonably rare? Noticed them whilst walking round a marsh land back in August









thanks for looking

[Dorts]

Some lovely photo's of a very scarce plant.
The main colonies are in Hampshire/Dorset, Norfolk and Anglesey; very scattered and decreasing elsewhere as you can see from this distribution map.

BSBI Maps Scheme: Hectad Map

Where did you find these great plants? (needn't be too precise).
Dorts.

[drypulse]

I was in hampshire, each year they have a party for them and everything! Always a pleasure to see them, I wish they were more common

[alindsay]

A party? Tell more.....

[Dorts]

When the M3 was being built, thet actually moved the route through N. E. Hampshire because the original route went right through a piece of heathland where the Marsh Gentian grows.
I wonder if they would go to that trouble today?
Dorts.

[IanS]

Sadly I suspect not... Once new planning regs come in who knows what will get bulldozed.

[alindsay]

Everybody assumes that the new planning laws will give developers the right to tarmac over the countryside. Not true!!

The current planning laws will still be in place with all the safeguards and protections that there are now, with developments still having to prove they are in the right place and in the best interests of the local community & economy & are sustainable environmentally.

The government have even promised more consultation with local interest groups.

The only thing that will change is that planners will have try harder to encourage developers to get their proposals right so that planning permission can be granted to developments that will encourage growth to the economy.

This may mean that developers try to get planning permission on sites not previously though suitable, but there are plenty of reasons why planning won't be granted.

Do not panic........

[Dorts]

This story may, or may not surprise you. (sorry it's off thread).
On three occasions in the past I was involved in moving colonies of rare plants due to the building of major new roads.
Not a problem you may think, but, each time the story went like this.
I was approached by the local authority, via the County Recorder, that a colony of plants was in danger due to a new road due to be built, and could I supervise their movement to a new site. This was done with the help of some council workers, a digger and a lorry. Fine, plants moved, all is well.

Then about three of four years later it is publicly announced that there is to be a new by-pass/motorway/trunk road. There are three possible routes proposed, these would be put before all interested parties and public enquiries to decide which is best.
Eventually after many years and much argument and protest the final route is 'chosen', and it seems to be least popular of the 'choices'.

Each time the chosen route is the one that went straight through were I moved those plants from many years before.

Now call me a skeptic, but it seems too much of a coincidence, and makes me think the final route on each occasion was chosen long before the evential 'choice' was made.
Buy the way, each of these new roads was major news for several years due to the protests during the building along the final chosen route.
Dorts.