The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust are deeply saddened to hear of Rosemary Parslow's passing.

She had been a very regular visitor to the Isles of Scilly since the 1950s. She had such passion for our Scilly and her knowledge was encyclopaedic. She wrote the definitive New Naturalist volume on the wildlife of the Isles of Scilly, The New Flora of the Isles of Scilly published in 2017, and many other booklets and papers.

Her contribution to the work of the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust has been outstanding, through her published work and the direct help she provided to land management planning. Her reputation reached far beyond the islands, with her career in natural history and nature conservation having had great impact. This was recognised in 2023 when she was the annual recipient of the prestigious Christopher Cadbury Medal in recognition of her lifelong commitment and contribution to nature conservation.

Julian Branscombe, CEO, remembers her very fondly. “It was such a privilege to spend time outdoors and in correspondence with Rosemary. I will particularly remember her showing the Least Adder’s-tongue colonies on Wingletang Down in December 2022 to our staff, volunteers and some of the St Agnes residents. This is the only site in the UK for this tiny fern; on that precious, cold, bright day we were so pleased to have her comment ‘I’ve spent so much of my life studying this little plant. I have sometimes wondered whether I have been wasting my time, but it means so much to me to be passing on my knowledge to people who are giving such a good impression of being almost as enthusiastic about the fern as I am.’ We are so lucky that she wrote so prolifically, but anyone lucky enough to walk and talk with her got so much more, from her amazing field skills to her good humour and wonderful recollections.”

She was on St Mary’s this spring to celebrate her 90th birthday. We have lost so much in her passing but she has enriched our lives. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.