We have concentrated largely on Widdybank Fell to date. Thirteen sites on the fell, covering 3,216 10m x 10m squares (321,600 square metres of ground), have been surveyed thoroughly. We have made other records from over 50 additional sites in Teesdale. 

Our first three year summary report is available here (LINK TO PDF).

This work has substantially increased the number of records for many of the rare species. For instance, the BSBI (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland) database held 200 records of Carex (Kobresia) simpliciuscula for the area prior to our survey: we have added 1,007 new records in 2017 alone. There were only thirteen records of Viola x burnatii prior to the survey and we added 236 records in 2018.

In 2019 we found the ‘Nationally Scarce’ Ostenfeld’s eyebright Euphrasia ostenfeldii on Little Fell and Mickle Fell.  This was not only a new plant to Teesdale but also were the first confirmed records of this species anywhere in the Pennines.

LINK TO JOHN O’REILLY PAGE