Back in the mid 20^th century it was thought that if a variety of wildflowers was sought, one should take a trip out of town and into the countryside. In recent years there has been an increasing awareness that this can be a very frustrating experience unless travelling to a very specific conserved area. A few years ago I started to notice just how much botanic variety there was when walking the Leicester streets, and decided to record this in more detail. During the winter months I investigated all previous botanic records for the City area. This talk is a summary of the findings up to the end of 2024, and a description of an attempt to find ‘the bigger picture.’

When I reached state pensionable age 15 years ago, I decided to clear the way for others to help to lead our county instrumental and vocal tuition service. A year or so later my latent interest in plants encountered the vc55 botany group, and, led by Louise Marsh, it began to develop via the University of Leicester plant ID class led by Richard Gornall. I started volunteering at the university herbarium and joined the BSBI, which later invited me to assist the county recorder for vascular plants, Geoffrey Hall. What a hobby!

Quaker Meeting House - link to map

Doors open 7 pm for start at 7.30 pm, finish by 9.30 pm.