Elms, their Ecology and Identification

Speaker: Brian Eversham, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire
Series: Cambridge Natural History Society
Note: Note this is a WEDNESDAY

Brian Eversham, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, will introduce elms, their history, ecology and associated wildlife. Central and eastern English elms are the most diverse in Europe, perhaps because recolonization routes at the end of the Ice Age converged here and hybridization produced new forms. Previous books have included 1-8 species, plus sub-species, hybrids and varieties. The latest flora (2018) names 62 British species, most of which are found in our area. Brian has now met all 62: they are distinctive in growth form, leaf shape, seed shape and in their associated insect species. Most still grow into large, handsome trees despite Dutch elm disease.