The Wildflower Ark
Working to help conserve plant diversity in the Lower Tees Valley and increase public awareness of local plants and their habitats.
Plant Database
The database is held on Recorder 2002 software, with a library archive of paper records including historical information. The database holds records of:
- Locally rare and scarce plant species
- Locally occurring plant and tree species
- Plant and tree species lists from site surveys, including SNCIs
We now have over 23,000 observations at over 1200 different locations within the Lower Tees Valley. Records have been obtained from the Wildflower Ark Volunteer Support Group, local botanists, Cleveland Naturalists, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, Tyne and Wear Museums, Industry and Nature Conservation Association, and through field visits carried out by the Wildflower Ark team.
The database, together with a GIS mapping system (Arcview), is used by us and Tees Valley Wildlife Trust to monitor local plant biodiversity. It enables us to assess the natural distribution of local wildflowers and trees, and so advise on local character, locate suitable areas for seed collection (with permission!), and identify any plant species that are in decline and in need of attention.