Rosemary Parslow, the preeminent authority on the wildlife of the Isles of Scilly, has died at the age of 90. Her decades of work documenting the archipelago's species, from seabirds to rare ferns, have left an indelible mark on conservation science.
A Lifelong Passion Begins
Parslow first visited the Isles of Scilly in 1958 to ring seabirds and collect marine specimens for the Natural History Museum. That initial trip sparked what she called "a lifetime love affair with Scilly," leading to annual visits that continued for over six decades. She meticulously recorded every facet of the islands' biodiversity, including seabirds, bats, wild plants, and the creatures of rockpools and shallow seas.
Her expertise made her the natural choice to author the definitive work on the subject, The Isles of Scilly (2007), part of Collins' prestigious New Naturalist Library. Her contributions extended beyond writing; she collected specimens that are now housed in the Natural History Museum's permanent collections.
Scientific Contributions and Adventures
Parslow timed her visits to coincide with the lowest spring tides around Easter and autumn, enabling her to gather fishes, sponges, worms, and starfish. These specimens, collected in the 1950s and 1960s, remain valuable resources for researchers. She also worked alongside her second husband, ornithologist John Parslow, operating the bird observatory on St Agnes. Together, they spent nights on uninhabited islets to ring seabirds, including her favorites: Manx shearwaters and storm petrels.
The museum would send her collecting gear in sturdy milk churns, which she returned filled with carefully preserved and labeled specimens. The process was not without mishaps; a carrier once mistook Scilly for Sicily, and Parslow nearly drowned after falling from a boat laden with heavy equipment. Despite these challenges, she forged strong friendships with local farmers, earning their respect through her dedication.
A Rare Fern and Family Traditions
One of Parslow's greatest fascinations was the least adder's-tongue fern (Ophioglossum lusitanicum), a thumbnail-sized plant found in Britain only on a few square yards of Wingletang Down on St Agnes. Because it grows only in midwinter, she scheduled family holidays to the island at Christmas, searching on hands and knees under wintry skies. Her children remember these expeditions fondly, though they "thought I was totally barking," she joked. She reflected, "I sometimes wondered whether I was wasting my time, but it means so much to me to be passing on my knowledge to people who are almost as enthusiastic as I am." Her final visit to Scilly, to celebrate her 90th birthday, occurred just weeks before her death.
Early Life and Career
Born in Slough, Berkshire, on 26 April 1936, Parslow was the daughter of Simpson Millar Gault, a prominent Scottish horticulturist, and his English wife, Phyllis (née Bold). She attended schools in Northampton and Reading, developing an early fascination with natural history, particularly shore life. At 19, she became a research assistant at the Natural History Museum, specializing in echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins, and relatives). Her career at the museum was cut short in 1960 when she and John Parslow, newly married, decided to start a family, as maternity leave was not then available. Nevertheless, she continued to collect specimens for the museum.
Conservation Leadership
In the late 1970s, after working as a cartographer in Cambridge, Parslow joined the Nature Conservancy Council (now Natural England), overseeing Northamptonshire. She later became nature reserves director for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, adding 20 new reserves to their portfolio. She also compiled the Red Data Book for Cambridgeshire, cataloging rare and threatened species, before retiring in 2000. Her roles included botanical recorder for the Isles of Scilly from 1983 and trustee of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East.
Recognition and Legacy
Parslow's New Flora of the Isles of Scilly (2017), co-written with Ian Bennallick, won the 2018 presidents' prize from the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and the Wild Flower Society. In 2023, she received the Wildlife Trusts' Christopher Cadbury medal for services to nature conservation.
Throughout her life, Parslow kept unusual pets, including a magpie, a crow, a swan, a muntjac deer, and an injured bat she carried in a pouch around her neck. She was known as a good raconteur with a wry sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm. She was married three times: briefly to naturalist WG "Bunny" Teagle, then to John Parslow (with whom she had three children, Jon, Annette, and Helen), and finally to Adrian Colston. All marriages ended in divorce. She is survived by her children.
