Call goes out for wild daffodil spotters in Rosedale (From Gazette & Herald)

Call goes out for wild daffodil spotters in Rosedale

10:23am Wednesday 20th March 2013 in News

THE North York Moors National Park Authority is keen to hear from people who have seen carpets of wild daffodils in Rosedale.

The wild Farndale daffodils in the national park are well-known but there is also an impressive display of wild daffodils in Rosedale.

Now, the authority is keen to establish just how big the Rosedale daffodil population is, and the size of any other well-populated sites.

The narcissus pseudonarcissus is extremely important as it is the only wild daffodil species native to Britain.

However, garden daffodils are making their way into the countryside and there is the risk that they will hybridise with the wild daffodils.

True wild daffodils can be recognised from the more showy garden varieties and hybrids by their altogether smaller, but perfectly formed, appearance.

Wild daffodils grow mainly in partial shade in habitats such as woodlands, on riverbanks or in fields and grassland with clay or loam soils which are not too acidic.

These habitats are abundant in Rosedale which is why the daffodils are growing there.

Monitoring of the Rosedale daffodils is simple. The national park wants to categorise how densely the daffodils are growing, note how successful their flowering is and, by using photographs taken from the same key areas each year, look at the success of the Rosedale daffodils.

If you are walking in Rosedale in the spring months, are a keen photographer or a Rosedale resident with wild daffodils on your land and you would like to get involved in surveying the Rosedale daffodil population this year, email Alex Cripps, conservation graduate trainee, at a.cripps@northyorkmoors.org.uk or phone 01439 772700.