THE magic of special plants and habitats to be found on the Quantock Hills, and captured in paintings and drawings by award-winning botanical artists, will go on show for the first time at an exhibition in the Music Hall of Fyne Court, Broomfield, from July 11 to 26.

The project, the result of a partnership between the Quantock Hills National Landscape (QHNL) team and the South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA), began in 2024 when the artists’ society put forward the plan following successful schemes in the New Forest and in other protected landscapes.

A QHNL spokesperson said: “The project concentrated on the flora of the Quantock Hills, celebrating the special habitats including heathland, woodland, farmland, and the coast.

“The timing was perfect, as having just produced the Quantock Hills Nature Recovery Plan, the team was aware that the understanding and promotion of flora and fungi was behind that of the fauna of the National Landscape.”

The project has involved a number of arts days, usually one a month, where the group’s artists drew and painted specimens from the various habitats of interest.

This allowed members to concentrate on particular groups of flora and fungi, including such species as waxcaps, or to follow the lifecycle through the seasons.

The spokesperson said: “As the scheme progressed, it became apparent that the visiting public were interested in the project and the group decided to run several painting workshops open to the public.

“These proved extremely popular with a number of people joining SWSBA to continue to develop their artistic skills.”

Qauntocks team manager Iain Porter said: “This excellent project has produced a significant body of art based on plants, fungi and lichen species, and we are excited to be running an exhibit showcasing the work of the group, allowing artists and the public the opportunity to discover more about the special flora of the Quantock Hills.”

SBSBA’s Mary Taylor said: “We are creating an archive of paintings of the significant plants, fungi, and lichens that can be of use to the landscape team.

“We are raising the profile of plant life on the Quantocks and through our open workshops we have enabled those attending to explore botanical painting.

“The Quantocks project is very rewarding for all those involved and we are all looking forward to the first exhibition of our work.

“The society celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

“We provide a forum for excellence in botanical art and for fellow artists to meet and exhibit and we encourage education in plant observation and conservation.

“The society was awarded three silver medals for group entries in Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) exhibitions in 2013, 2018, and 2021.

“Many of our members have won gold and silver gilt RHS medals with their own solo exhibitions.

“Membership includes our quarterly Palette and Petal magazine, discount for workshops, and entry to our annual exhibition.”

More information about the Quantock Hills National Landscape is available on its website.