BEARDED botanist David Bellamy, the man who has put the environment in the spotlight more than almost any other over the past 30 years, is on his way to Herefordshire.

The 72-year-old broadcaster, lecturer and writer, with the bushy beard and distinctive voice, will open a new nature reserve at Ailey near Kinnersley.

He will open a rare unspoilt reserve of wetland at the Sturts in the flood plain of the River Wye.

This area of unspoilt grassland includes a rare collection of plants, including meadow sweet, lesser pond rush, lady's smock and great burnet.

In the drier areas are black knapweed, pepper saxifrage, devils bit scabious, dyer's greenweed and quaking grass.

It is equally rich in bird life with snipe, curlew and lapwing as well as the increasingly rare reed bunting. Species nesting nearby include yellowhammer, whitethroat and lesser whitethroat, long-tailed tit and common buzzard.

The site covers nearly 40 acres and was bought by the Herefordshire Nature Trust in 1998 with the help of money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

David Bellamy is one of the best known and controversial environmentalists. He has made more than 400 television programmes and written extensively. Last year, he provoked controversy when he described the theory of man-made global warming as "poppycock".

The nature reserve will be opened on Tuesday, June 28.