The Isles of Scilly are unique, having a very different flora to the rest of Britain and even Cornwall. So, although the islands share many species and habitats with the mainland, there are usually subtle differences; it is this aspect of the island flora that makes them special.
One habitat that seems to be rare or missing these days are hay meadows. There are pastures and some grasslands, but no traditional hay meadows. I was delighted to find some St Agnes locals who told me which grasslands had once been hay-cut. I had recalled Lewis Hicks and Gordon George carrying out hay-making and using a horse and cart to take the load from Browarth fields to the farm.
So based on recent and past surveys and research on both grasslands and arable fields we are now able to come up with this comprehensive species list of plants that would be found in these habitats that could form the basis of Isles of Scilly themed seed mixes.
This species list will be embedded into the project, assisting land managers to use seed mixes containing these species wherever possible.
Rosemary Parslow