Cowslip Survey

Do you like being outside? Could you spare an hour? We need your help...

Cowslips are one of our best-known spring flowers appearing in pastures and along banks in April and May.  An important symbol of our once flower-rich meadows, did you know that cowslips can also reveal secrets about the health of the grassy places where they grow?

What's this survey about?

There are actually two forms of cowslip, and the difference is in the flowers.  One is the "S-form" where the male parts (the stamen) are easy to spot, but in the other - the "L-form" - only the top of the female part (the stigma) is visible.  In healthy cowslip populations there are equal numbers of both forms of flower.  However, this 50:50 ratio becomes imbalanced when the cowslip population declines, whether through loss of habitat or a change in agricultural practices.  Knowing the ratio of these two forms in an area helps us understand more about the quality of our grasslands.  This is where you can help: you can visit the Spetchells when the cowslips are flowering and look at 100 individual plants, counting whether they are L-forms or S-forms.

What do I do?

You do not need to have any prior experience to take part in this survey. All you need to do is:

• Visit the Spetchells tops in May when cowslips are in flower (the flowers need to be in full flower, too early and the different forms will not be clear).
• Look very closely at the flowers (you do not need to damage them to do this).
• Make a note of how many of each form you see in your 100.
• Let SCIG know your answer!

SCIG compiles a regularly updated list of all flora and fauna recorded on the Spetchells; members can apply via the Secretary to have access to this.