Every year The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group hold two public talks. The first is usually associated with the group’s AGM in April or May given by nature conservationists or wildlife experts. The second is held in August and is given by a nationally acknowledged distinguished author or a leading authority on nature and our natural environment. These are held for the benefit of our supporters and the general public to increase our knowledge of the natural world and identify where action is required to assist it. One of these talks is taking place shortly in August 2023 and the invitation is given below.

 

 

The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group invite you to an illustrated talk by the distinguished writer, botanist and science communicator Leif Bersweden entitled ‘Where the wild flowers grow’.

It will take place on Tuesday, 15th August at 7.00pm in the Main Hall at Hurstpierpoint Village Centre, Trinity Road, Hurstpierpoint, BN6 9UY.

Leif Bersweden possesses a face-down, bottom-up approach to watching nature and has a fascination for wild plants. From a young age, his afternoons were spent hunting for and cataloguing wild plants in a landscape that is fast disappearing. Climate change, habitat destruction and declining pollinator populations mean that the future for plant life looks bleaker than ever before. Many people are now unable to identify or even notice the plants that grow around them. His talk aims to highlight and hopefully rectify this trend. It will immediately follow a brief introduction by The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group.

Using his botanical knowledge, Leif undertook a mission to explore the plants that the UK has to offer and meet others who also spent time searching for them. His year long journey around the country allowed him to highlight the unique plants that grow there, their history and the threats that face them. He highlights the joy and positivity that can be found through understanding nature and why it is so desperately important to protect our wildflowers.

He is a busy person so we are very pleased he has found time to speak to us. We strive to organise eminent speakers to improve our knowledge so please join us to make the most of this opportunity.

Entry is free (although voluntary contributions are welcome to help fund our nature conservation work) and all are invited. Please bring any interested friends. There is a car park opposite the building.