PORT Erin is the leading area in the Island for wildflowers - with Ramsey and Sandygate very close behind.

The Isle of Man Flora Group has been working for two years to survey the Island's wildflowers, with 40 volunteers working for hundreds of hours to scour hundreds of square kilometres of the Island.

While the survey will last another three years before the final results are published, preliminary data has revealed the very best locations.

Port Erin has had 486 species of wildflowers recorded since records began, coming just two ahead of Ramsey and with Sandygate not far behind at 481.

Port Erin's amazing record includes Manx rarities such as spring sandwort on the mine deads and narrow-fruited watercress in Athol Park.

As well as lots of coastal, saltmarsh, woodland and grassland plants, garden plants that have gone wild are an interesting feature in Port Erin with species such as the 10’ high giant viper's bugloss occasionally springing up from buried seed.

Ramsey's mix of suburbs, saltmarsh and sand dunes made it score high and Sandygate contains some of the best wetlands in the Island and contains more records of native plants than any other area.

With records still to come in, some of these areas could reach 500 species before the survey finishes.

As well as pinpointing wildflower hotspots, the flora survey has also discovered plants never before recorded in the Island such as tor-grass that is growing wild in Jurby and rediscovered plants long thought to have been lost.

 
The 2011 surveying season kicks off with a spring social at the Douglas iMuseum on March 29.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a wildflower surveyor should contact Andree Dubbeldam on 434251.