Spring Speedwell Veronica verna
Spring Speedwell (Veronica verna) is among the rarest native plants in Britain, confined almost entirely to the open, sandy soils of the Breckland – with Suffolk holding the core of the national population. This tiny, deeply lobed annual flowers briefly in April and May before the summer vegetation closes in, making it easily missed outside its short season. It favours disturbed, bare ground on grass-heath and arable margins, where competition from other plants is minimal. Suffolk sites around Icklingham and the wider Breckland are of outstanding national importance, and continued open-ground management through grazing and disturbance is vital for their persistence. Image: © Andreas Rockstein, Flickr.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora, Back from the Brink
Suffolk’s Priority Fern and Flowering Plant Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
