Can't seem to keep away from the New Forest at the minute, another spur of the moment traipse in search of a botanical delight with Tony Davis (led by Tony Davis, to be precise). This time our target was the ridiculously localised New Forest Bladderwort (Utricularia bremii). Its current known British distribution is a small pond and adjacent large puddle at Shatterford. That's it! For a plant believed to be native (it also occurs in Europe) that is one frighteningly tiny distribution. It was only recognised in the 1990s, I believe the chap that discovered it had to wait several years for it to flower and positively clinch the ID. Given the fact that it grows right next to the main track across the heathland, which means that dogs often jump into the pond, I'm amazed it's survived. Although maybe the dogs are in fact keeping the adjacent puddle deep enough to retain water and hence allow the bladderwort to survive there?

Anyway, we soon arrived at the (frankly rather pathetic looking) puddle and began to check for signs of bladderwort.

Luckily, in such a tiny area, it didn't take very long at all to find my first few strands of New Forest Bladderwort (Utricularia bremii) - yay! Mega!! This is how it looked through the surface scum and filth

Ecstatic to behold such a mindblowing stunner there seemed only one thing to do...

After all the 'put it on me nose' shenanigans was done, I popped it straight back into its gloopy home and then noticed the much healthier-looking plants in the main pool just a few feet away. Vegetatively there's not much to suggest it's a different species from the Lesser Bladderwort that grows in other ponds nearby. Leaves are less than 30mm wide with less than 50 segments as opposed to less than 20mm wide with less than 22 segments, scapes less than 60cm with less than 14 flowers as opposed to less than 17cm with less than 6 flowers, plus the flowers themselves differ regards spur and calyx-lobe ratios. Microscopically the hairs on the bladders differ too. Top marks to the finder, and top marks to Tony for once again leading me by the nose to yet another of the New Forest's botanical delights. I caught him a Mottled Grasshopper in return, low-listing scummer that he is...