The Annual Public Lecture of the Wildlife Trust of south and west Wales will take place at the Civic Hall on Thursday 20 November at 7.30pm. Richard Pryce, Carmarthenshire County's Orchid/wild Flower expert will give this lecture on "The Wild Orchids of Carmarthenshire". There can surely be few flowers that arouse more excitement than Orchids all over the world and Carmarthenshire is blessed with a very fair share of them - some meadows being so well-covered that they defy counting. Richard was born in London to a Welsh father and came to Wales to read geology in Swansea University. Graduation led him to work for the National Coal Board, supervising the drilling to locate potential sites for open-cast mines. This he did for eighteen years with the growing realisation of the wonderful areas of native plantlife he was helping to destroy - in contrast to the relatively unspoiled part of Carmarthenshire where he had made his home. A further five years with what was, by then, British Coal saw him engaged in ecological surveys of the sites to be handed back once again - all of which led him to consider a future in business for himself. Developers were increasingly obliged to submit surveys as well as a growing awareness of organisations and individuals of the need to know exactly what they had in trust for an uncertain future, Setting up Pryce, Consultant Ecologist, and calling on the willing services of colleagues in other fields, the business has flourished beyond all expectations. A long-standing member of the Wildlife Trust and secretary of the prestigious Llanelli Naturalists, he is the highly-regarded Plant Recorder for the County. A member of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, he achieved international recognition during the three years term as its President. Looking forward to one day having enough time to compete the long-awaited county Flora he recognises he can only meet the pressure of business and voluntary activities with the support and dedicated help of Kathleen, his wife, herself a competent botanist. Together they form an enviable team. So on Thursday November 20 everyone will have the chance to recognise all our many orchid species and where and when we can enjoy them.