main content A day at Darwin's entangled bank

Kent Wildlife Trust, the London Borough of Bromley, London’s Natural History Museum, local people and wildlife experts joined together to explore the secret lives of plants and animals this weekend, when Kent Wildlife Trust opened Downe Bank Nature Reserve for a special open day as part of the ‘Exploring in Darwin’s Footsteps’ programme. The event was designed to raise awareness of the work of Charles Darwin within the proposed World Heritage Site centred on Downe and was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“It was here that Darwin investigated the fantastic adaptations of plants to their pollinators,” said Professor Richard Bateman, Natural History Museum scientist and President of the Hardy Orchid Society. “Observations of local orchids fostered in Charles Darwin an interest in these plants, and with the help of Joseph Hooker, then Director of Kew Gardens, and a worldwide network of contacts, Darwin was able to observe and experiment with orchids from all over the world in greenhouses at ‘The Rookery’ and at Down House.”

Irene Palmer, Hon. Warden of Downe Bank Nature Reserve and Vice-President of Kent Wildlife Trust added, “Charles Darwin is recognised as one of the world’s greatest scientists. Our visitors can see the same species of plants and animals that Charles Darwin studied after he came to live at Down House in 1842. Darwin’s special genius recognised that familiar local plants and animals provided evidence for his theory of evolution by natural selection. It is a great privilege that we can still share his insights here today on the “entangled bank” amidst the rich biodiversity of the Downe countryside that inspired much of the work that changed the course of scientific thinking.

For more information about events within the site this summer phone 020 8461 7646 or email: conservation@bromley.gov.uk. For information about the bid for World Heritage Site status, see www.darwinatdowne.co.uk.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The ‘Exploring in Darwin’s Footsteps’ programme is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
In 1999 the British Government listed Darwin’s former home at Down House and the surrounding countryside as a potential World Heritage Site and a proposal will be submitted to UNESCO by Feb 2006.
Other events in the proposed World Heritage Site this summer include:-

Saturday 9 July 10.30am. Meet at Cudham Recreation Ground, off Cudham Lane North, for a guided walk visiting places where Charles Darwin studied wildlife and look at some of the plants and animals he referred to in his books, notebooks and letters. Distance: 3 ¾ miles.
Saturday 30 July 9pm - The Great Glow Worm Hunt. Meet at High Elms Nature Centre. Learn how to find this fascinating beetle, help us to discover where they live and how many there are in High Elms Country Park. Please bring a torch and wear suitable footwear. Booking Essential. (Tel. 01689 862815).
Saturday 3 September 7pm - Wild Night. Meet at Down House Car Park. See how a moth trap is set up by a moth expert from the Natural History Museum, then join a bat enthusiast looking and listening for bats. Return to see which moths have been caught. Please bring a torch and wear suitable footwear. Should finish by 10pm. Numbers limited, booking essential. Please phone 020 8461 7646 or email: conservation@bromley.gov.uk.
Saturday 17 September - Spectacular at High Elms Nature Centre.
Incredible Earthworms: the subject of a book by Darwin, see how many different species live at High Elms and learn about their lifestyles with earthworm experts from the University of Central Lancashire. Demonstrations from 2 to 4pm.
Superb Slime Moulds: learn about these amazing organisms with one of very few experts in the country. Demonstrations and guided walks from 10.30am to 4pm.
Spider Safari: Demonstrations and a spider foray with London’s spider recorder. 2 to 4pm.
Terrific Trees: Take a look at trees with Natural History Museum scientists and the plants and animals that live with them, 2-4pm. Booking Essential. Please phone 020 8461 7646 or email: conservation@bromley.gov.uk.
Sunday 18 September 2pm. Meet at Keston Ponds car park, Westerham Road, Keston for a guided walk looking at places and wildlife familiar to Charles Darwin and how some of them have changed. Distance: 3 miles.
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Communications Advisor on 020 8461 7670 or Judith John, World Heritage Site Projects Officer on 020 8313 4249 or email:  andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk.

Further information is available at www.bromley.gov.uk/conservation.