Hector Wilks

Hector Wilks was an English botanist and conservationist. He is perhaps best known for rediscovering the Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia) in Kent at a site near Faversham and subsequently introducing the species to Park Gate Down near Elham. The site near Faversham remains one of only two native sites for the Monkey Orchid in the British Isles and has remained closed to the public since its discovery. On the 21 May 2007 Park Gate Down was renamed "The Hector Wilks Reserve" in recognition of his involvement with the reserve from its inception.