Sherwood Forest Nottinghamshire

Iris had not been seen in this ancient forest for about 40 years. Then, last July, Nick Brownley came across this damaged specimen on a cycle path. Subsequently, he and his wife Sam found four larvae in the vicinity. They lost track of these four during the winter. This year, they found another five larvae, and eventually eight pupae [!], two of which were not from the larvae. Two of the pupae were predated, and, of the six left, five adults emerged with one to go at the time of writing this blog. Considering Nick and Sam had no previous iris experience, this is a remarkable achievement. It suggests that there is a reasonable population in this vast forest. Yesterday, Nick saw the first wild specimen. Together with Chambers Farm Wood Lincolnshire, this is the most northerly habitat in the UK so far recorded.