Several Club members assisted Paul Tinsley-Marshall and Karen Weeks of Kent Wildlife Trust with baseline plant surveys of Nemo Down, Dover on 10th June. Though KWT have only been managing the site for two years, the removal of scrub and grazing with Konik ponies has already had an observable impact; on the half of the site surveyed, a high diversity of chalk downland indicator species were already present (in addition to a raven, buzzards and marsh tits).

A small group of Club members met up with Andy Willmore of KWT at Hosey Common, Sevenoaks on the 21st May to provide records for the Seveonoaks Greensand Commons Project. The sun was bright but we didn't see much of it as most of this Site of Special Scientific Interest is ancient/secondary woodland. However, its historic management as wooded heath did show through in places, particularly under the power lines where heather (and insects) were abundant.

During May we recorded 60.5 mm of rain, the wettest month of the year so far, but insufficient to restore ponds to an appropriate level for the time of year. Only two mornings showed a significant amount or rainfall, these being 20 mm on the 18th, and 21.3 mm on the 19th. There was a generally cool start to much of the first half of the month, and an encouragingly warm spell throughout much of the second half.  Thus, the coldest daily maximum temperature of 10⁰ C occurred on the 7th, while the warmest was 26⁰ C on the 24th. An overnight frost between the 9th and 10th set back our potato crop mentioned last month for a second time, but signs are that they have now recovered and their leaves are looking healthy once more.

Several Field Club members turned up at Bingley Island, Canterbury to assist local experts and staff from the Natural History Museum with the next phase of plant and invertebrate surveys as part of the Westgate Parks project (http://www.westgateparks.co.uk/).

We recently reminded you of the Kent Field Club's display case at the Maidstone Museum.  This has now been updated by KFC members Judith Shorter, Malcom and Sally Jennings as part of the Pocock Herbarium Project.