Rain, flooding and high winds have obliterated the annual count of Oxfordshire’s county flower - with the lowest number recorded in nearly 30 years. Just over 6,000 snake’s-head fritillaries were counted - down from 43,000 in 2023.

Volunteers joined ecologists from BBOWT at Iffley Meadows nature reserve on the banks of the River Thames in Oxford, to meticulously count the wild flowers.

The 2024 tally of 6,087 is the lowest number counted since 1993, which the Trust has blamed on wild weather conditions and browsing by deer.

The disappointing result comes in the same week that the charity seeks public donations for a ‘double your money’ £60k one-week appeal to help floodplain meadows like those at Iffley.

BBOWT Senior Ecologist Colin Williams, who was in charge of the count, said:
“The low numbers are disappointing, but not unexpected. Prolonged and extensive flooding of the site this year, along with recent heavy rain means many of the plants are really struggling. Strong winds and deer browsing have also obliterated many of the delicate flower heads. It was simply a dreadful year for snake’s-head fritillaries at Iffley.”

Iffley Meadows is a floodplain meadow and one of fewer than 30 sites in the country where these striking flowers bloom in the wild. When BBOWT took over management of the site in 1983 less than 500 fritillaries were counted. Under the Trust's management, this number has soared to more than 80,000 in some years.

Floodplain meadows are one of the rarest habitats in the UK and are vitally important for precious wildlife and climate change mitigation. They soak up and store carbon and help prevent flooding downstream. Yet they are disappearing fast, destroyed by industrial-scale farming or swallowed up by development or infrastructure projects.

BBOWT manages an incredible 10% of the last remaining floodplain meadows in the UK - including Iffley and Chimney Meadows near Bampton.

The Trust is working hard to protect and restore these valuable habitats - and this week the charity has the chance to boost donations to its floodplain meadows work through the Big Give’s Green Match Fund 2024.

Mr Williams continued:
“Funds raised will help us to continue managing this reserve as a traditional hay meadow, so that not only the fritillaries but all the other important plants and animals here will continue to flourish. If the weather behaves for the next 12 months, the plants should recover very quickly, as they have done many times before. I’d like to say a huge thankyou to all the amazing volunteers who braved the weather to help us with the count this year - we simply couldn’t do it without you.”

The Green Match Fund for BBOWT’s Nature Recovery Fund - Securing our floodplain meadows runs for just ONE week – starting at 12noon on Thursday 18 April until 12noon on Thursday 25 April 2024. Click below to give today!
 

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