Badgeworth nature reserve near Cheltenham is giving Gloucestershire nature lovers a chance to see Britain's rarest buttercup this June 2023.
It's opening to the public for one day only on Sunday 11 June 2023, where visitors can catch a glimpse of the rare adder's-tongue spearwort — affectionately known as the Badgeworth buttercup.
Visitors can also enjoy free tea and cake, have a go at pond dipping and chat to experts about the wildlife that lives on the reserve, which is closed to the public for the other 364 days of the year.
The one-hectare site on the edge of Cheltenham was the first reserve to be taken care of by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust when it formed in 1962.
The area of grassland has a pond — which lends its name to Cold Pool Lane, where the reserve is located — and supports one of only two populations of adder's-tongue spearwort, with the other growing intermittently on Inglestone Common in South Gloucestershire.
Keen-eyed nature enthusiasts can also look out for lesser spearwort; common water-crowfoot; narrow-leaved water-plantain; marsh speedwell; pink water speedwell; fen bedstraw; and marsh foxtail as they explore the reserve, as well as more than 300 species of beetle; common frogs; and great crested, smooth and palmate newts, which all breed in the pond.
The open day takes place from 2pm to 5pm on Sunday 11 June 2023.
