17th September 2026
John Archer Thompson
The Flowers of the Pembrokeshire Coast and Beyond
A welcome return to the club which was very well supported . John, who is a coastal ecologist living locally , captivated the audience from the start with a fascinating tour of the stunning floral world that we, in Pembrokeshire, are lucky to have on our doorsteps.
John’s photography brought to life his journey through all the classes of the botanical world in Pembrokeshire. Starting with lichens, fungi and ferns then onto the more familiar flowers seen on cliff tops, woodland and sand dunes. He gave clear explanations of why a plant thrives in a particular place. Sunny, shady, boggy or dry there is a plant making it’s home. We were taken through the seasons from Wild Garlic and Bluebells in Spring, Campion & Thrift in Summer , Gorse and Knapweed in Autumn and Primroses and Violets in Winter. Something to be found on your walks through the year.
John is also well known for his stories of fables and myths, and there were so many associated with the floral world. Some were rather implausible but very comical and entertaining.
Explanations of the ecological aspects, medicinal uses , rarity and oddities were easily understood. John’s knowledge of all the latin names of the species was spectacular!
As always, John’s talk was interesting, filled with facts and photography to involve and fascinate.
The Flowers of the Pembrokeshire Coast and Beyond
A welcome return to the club which was very well supported . John, who is a coastal ecologist living locally , captivated the audience from the start with a fascinating tour of the stunning floral world that we, in Pembrokeshire, are lucky to have on our doorsteps.
John’s photography brought to life his journey through all the classes of the botanical world in Pembrokeshire. Starting with lichens, fungi and ferns then onto the more familiar flowers seen on cliff tops, woodland and sand dunes. He gave clear explanations of why a plant thrives in a particular place. Sunny, shady, boggy or dry there is a plant making it’s home. We were taken through the seasons from Wild Garlic and Bluebells in Spring, Campion & Thrift in Summer , Gorse and Knapweed in Autumn and Primroses and Violets in Winter. Something to be found on your walks through the year.
John is also well known for his stories of fables and myths, and there were so many associated with the floral world. Some were rather implausible but very comical and entertaining.
Explanations of the ecological aspects, medicinal uses , rarity and oddities were easily understood. John’s knowledge of all the latin names of the species was spectacular!
As always, John’s talk was interesting, filled with facts and photography to involve and fascinate.