The last 18 months have been particularly busy and we have updated and added to the database, so that it now has an unrivalled set of data for users. We are particularly thankful for a grant awarded to Prof Alastair Fitter from the British Ecological Society.
The next 18 months should see the continuation of updates, the addition of photographs and descriptions, the addition of seed germination data, and the major undertaking of checking the fungal and insect names, adding the authorities and linking to the NBN gateway.
Funding the British Ecological Society has been generously funding the Ecological Flora for the last 6 years, but that funding has now ended, and we are looking for sponsorship and funding in order to maintain the database, and to undertake the updates mentioned above. Offers are welcome. Contact Prof Alastair Fitter, or Henry Ford from the contacts page.
Links to NBN Distribution Maps
All plants now link to the NBN distribution maps directly, so that the distribution data, previously aggregated into 16 regions, now accurately reflects the distribution of the plants
Associated Fungi, and Phytophagous Insects:
Over the last two years we have added 2389 fungi, and 7368 associated insects to the database. We hope to have the names linked to the NBN database next year and the nomenclature complete with authority.
Updates of Ecological characteristics
Over 87 plants have had their ecological characteristics updated.
Plant Descriptions
148 plants have had complete descriptions added to the database
Ferns
The Pteridophytes have been added to the database, with as many of the ecological characteristics as appropriate.
Links:
Have a look at Cheshire County Council's Econet. One of the best publically available ecological web sites around