New Year Plant Hunt in Bath, 2 January 2026

Above: Greater Dodder (Cuscuta europaea) in flower by the River Avon, Bath © Helena Crouch

Leader: Helena Crouch
The weather was cold but gloriously sunny as 23 members and guests assembled beside the river for our annual New Year Plant Hunt. This event, organised by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, spans four days over New Year, the aim being to record all species found in flower during a three-hour walk. We followed the same route as last year, heading east along the riverside, our first flower being Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). Members soon spotted Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum), Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua), Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), Shepherd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), Chickweed (Stellaria media) and White Dead-nettle (Lamium album), all commonly encountered in flower at New Year. The most exciting find of the day was made soon after we started: Greater Dodder (Cuscuta europaea), parasitic on nettles by the river. Furthermore, it was a new 1km square record for this nationally scarce and declining species.

We continued eastwards finding Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Hedgerow Crane’s-bill (Geranium pyrenaicum): we had found twenty species in flower by the time we reached the bus station. Crossing the river, we continued along the riverside path, adding eleven species, including Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus) and Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua), all seen at the same places as last year. Leaving the river, we followed the canal, passing Widcombe Lock where a Kingfisher was an exciting distraction. Beside Bath Deep Lock, the long yellow catkins of Hazel (Corylus avellana) were easily spotted. Tiny white flowers of Hairy Bitter-cress (Cardamine hirsuta) and Common Whitlowgrass (Erophila verna) were found at the edges of the towpath, along with Smooth Sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) and a gaudy Dandelion.

Crossing Pulteney Gardens, we found Yellow Corydalis (Pseudofumaria lutea) and Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianum) on a wall. At the base of a large Ash there was a single Early Dog-violet (Viola reichenbachiana) and Wood Avens (Geum urbanum) in flower. Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) was discovered beside a boat and the sweet-scented flowers of Winter Heliotrope (Petasites pyrenaicus) were admired, although this rapidly spreading non-native species is smothering the canal bank. As planned, we stopped at the Holburne Café in Sydney Gardens for warming refreshments.

Several members departed, but with an hour left, we headed to St Mary’s Churchyard, finding both Adria Bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana) and Trailing Bellflower (C. poscharskyana) on the way. The churchyard added Holly (Ilex aquifolium), a Primrose (Primula vulgaris), naturalised Lenten-rose (Helleborus orientalis), Periwinkles and Butcher’s-broom (Ruscus aculeatus) to our list. From there, we walked through Henrietta Park, where a lone Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) was growing in a lawn, then back alongside the river, finding Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica) and a single Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) in flower. As a finale, the remaining team members admired Shaggy Soldier (Galinsoga quadriradiata) on a pavement back where we started. We recorded 66 species in flower; our list was the twenty-third longest of 1,978 submitted.

Helena Crouch