The Crackles Bequest Project

A study of plants and climate in northern Europe

The Crackles Bequest Project is centred on field botany and has three main components: research into the relationships between plants and climate; education and training to help develop a new generation of field taxonomists; and the establishment of a longer-term research resource within the University of Hull.  The project, which began in January 2010, has a northern European scope and will focus on species of three key habitats: traditionally managed nutrient-poor grassland, woodland and heath, all of which have considerable ecological and conservation value in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The project is funded by a bequest from the will of Dr F. Eva Crackles, who made an outstanding contribution to our understanding of plant distribution in the British Isles both through her work with Professor Ron Good for the first Atlas of the British Flora, published in 1962, and through the publication of her Flora of the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1990.  By supporting the training of a new generation of field botanists, building on a well-established tradition of internationally respected biogeographical research at the University of Hull, and creating a well-curated, widely accessible resource based on collected field material, the project reflects Dr Crackles’ life-long interests.