Alderney is home to approximately 900 species of flowering plant and (with an area of 92 km) has a ratio of 100 species to each square kilometre! With our location between England and France (albeit lying closer to the latter), a large proportion of UK flora doesn’t exist on Alderney, while some continental species that are rare in the UK are quite common on Alderney. Considering all of this, Alderney is a special place for wildflowers!
Two wildflower species are especially worth noting: the Alderney Sea Lavender and Alderney Geranium. These are endemic to Alderney, meaning they are limited to our beautiful island, however, they are still rare here and there have been a few recorded in Jersey and Guernsey.
With Alderney Sea Lavender, this has only recently earnt the recognition of being a separate species rather than another ‘variety’ of Sea Lavender. It flowers between May to August and can be found along the rocky shoreline at Houmet Herbe, while Alderney Geranium can be spotted around the south-east of the island.
The AWT’s efforts to remove invasive plants (such as Sour Fig – which I discussed in my previous blog) is all with the aim of helping the island’s natural flora flourish. This includes the Alderney Sea Lavender and Alderney Geranium. To help our Wildlife Volunteers in this conservation work, please email Poppy on conservation@alderneywildlife.org.
