Naturalists and Visitors - Gower - page 24

FIG 14. Robert (Bob) Howells, perhaps one of the most dedicated of present-day Gower naturalists, birdwatching at
Llanrhidian. (Harold Grenfell)
Since people have been exploring Gower for well over 300 years it may seem that there is nothing
new for the present-day naturalist to discover. This is not the case, however: as this topic makes clear,
changes in plant and animal distribution are continuous. Even in botany there are discoveries, the latest
as recently as 1987 when western clover Trifolium occidentale , a new record for Wales, was found by
Jo Dunn, an Oxfordshire botanist, growing in the clifftop red fescue Festuca rubra turf near Tears Point.
Later searches showed that the clover grew not only on the Point but also on similar south-facing cliffs
between Fall Bay and Mewslade. It is not an easy plant to find and might yet turn up elsewhere. One of
the best times to search is during April, as it flowers earlier than white clover Trifolium repens. The plant
is largely restricted to exposed sites liable to soaking by salt-laden winds, often growing around rock out-
crops or on stabilised sand. Rock and sand, indeed, form the basis of the Gower landscape. Before return-
ing to the flora and fauna, therefore, it is important to understand their origins and the features that they
have created.