Speaker: Simon Harrap
Report by: Steph Plaster

​We were treated to a fantastic talk by Simon Harrap, from ‘Natural Surroundings’, who runs the Norfolk Wildlife gardening and Wildflower Centre based at the Bayfield Estate in the Glaven Valley.
Judging by all the comments on the WhatsApp group this talk went down very well as I think we were all enthralled by the amazing diversity of the coastal flora that is found in Norfolk. Simon is one of the UK’s leading botanists and has produced many books on the subject - some of which were available to purchase including his revised, Second Edition, ’Flowers of the Norfolk Coast’ and the more
comprehensive ‘Harrap’s Wild Flowers’.

Speaker: Malcolm Fisher
Report: Steph Plaster

​We had another good turnout for Malcolm Fisher of the Norfolk branch of Butterfly Conservation. Malcolm has been a birder for over 35 years and also has a great love of natural history and conservation, so being an advocate for butterflies is no surprise and he delivered a marvellous insight
into the state of Norfolk’s butterflies. He joined the committee of the Norfolk branch in 2022 and is responsible for press, social media and publicity.

Speaker: Will Russell
Report by: Steph Plaster

On a lovely May evening we heard from Will Russell, the Woods and Heaths Manager for Norfolk Wildlife Trust, who spoke to the group about Foxley Wood and the newly acquired site at Wood Norton. Will started his talk by giving some background information about the NWT reserve sites and advised that although there are 42 well known reserves, in reality there are around 70 or so as some are very small or have no public access. One of the smallest sites is the Hethel Old Thorn, an impressive ancient hawthorn tree reputed to date back to the 13th century!

Report by: Steph Plaster

We were yet again treated to an amazing talk by James Lowen and the topic for his presentation was ‘The Pantanal’, an area of incredible natural diversity in South America.
James started the talk by explaining that this area is often referred to as South America’s ‘Serengeti’ as it has a wealth of biodiversity and holds populations of rare species such as the Hyacinth macaw and the striking Jaguar. The Pantanal covers an area of around 55,000 square
miles, mainly in Brazil, with smaller areas in the neighbouring countries of Bolivia and Paraguay.

Speaker: Andy Bloomfield
Report: Steph Plaster

Another large gathering of WVBS members and guests were treated to an amazingly informative talk by Andy Bloomfield, the Senior Warden at Holkham NNR. Andy is Holkham born and bred and his in- depth knowledge of the area and its wildlife, in particular Spoonbills, was clear for all to see. This species is a success story and we certainly need these at the present time when nature and wildlife are suffering major declines all across the UK and beyond.