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This exciting new project will create more possibilities to save Twinflower populations.
We have teamed up with partners including the RSPB to build a brand new plant nursery in the Cairngorms in the hope of saving a rare and iconic little plant, Twinflower Linnaea borealis.
Once found all over the Highlands, Twinflower is now considered ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
In fact it is thought there are fewer than 800 individual plants left in the UK, with most clinging on to fragmented patches of Scots Pinewood in the Cairngorms.
Sadly, clearance of these native woodlands, in particular in the early 1900s, resulted in severe losses of the species. And continued habitat loss and changes in woodland management have left the remaining Twinflower patches isolated and declining.
Plantlife has been leading a community of partners in pioneering restoration. We have been working on Twinflower over the past few years, advising on the management of its home, the pinewoods of Scotland, and performing careful translocations to support cross-pollination.
Remaining patches of Twinflower survive in fragmented habitats, which means that the plants are unable to cross-pollinate. One way to help with this issue is through translocations, a process used in conservation which involves moving an organism to a new location, where it will hopefully survive and thrive.
Through our Cairngorms Rare Plants Project, more than 1,000 Twinflower cuttings were moved or reinforced across 10 new sites to boost reproduction and help the species recover.
Now, we have teamed up with the RSPB Scotland to take the next step by creating a Twinflower nursery.
This exciting new nursery is being built on the site of a former tennis court at RSPB Abernethy Forest and volunteers have played a vital role.
Work started in late 2025, with volunteers helping to build nursery beds and prepare the site. And this spring, their hard work paid off, with the first young Twinflowers planted in April 2026.
This haven will see young plants reared in a safe setting before being moved out into suitable habitats in the wild.
There’s currently a total of 26 nursery beds that are full of growing Twinflower – but the aim is to have all 98 beds completed and filled in a few years time. This will help with the longer-term goal of being able to complete 150 translocations by 2040.
“We’re passionate about saving Scotland’s rare and endangered species and this exciting project, in partnership with Plantlife Scotland, will provide the opportunity to strengthen the abundance of this much-loved plant at Abernethy Forest and support its restoration in other forests so that it can thrive once again. We are grateful to Net Zero Scotland’s #NatureRestorationFund, managed by NatureScot for supporting their work.”
The beautiful Twinflower has two pink bell-like flowers on a slender stem, and a thicker stem below which creeps along the ground, forming small mats of the plant.
An aerial view looking down at the Twinflower Nursery site.
Volunteers worked hard building large plant nursery beds from wooden sleepers.
Volunteers also prepared the site of the new Twinflower nursery.
Join us as we take a look back at what went right for nature in 2025.
Thanks to Training to ID a rare moss species, numbers at one site where it is found in Scotland, tripled in just one afternoon!
The peat-rich Flow Country, which our Munsary Peatlands are part of, has been given the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
Whether it’s your back garden, local park, community field or lawn, wildflower meadows are amazing spaces with so much to offer.
Discover the activities and work that our volunteers in the Cairngorms do with Sam Jones of the Rare Plants and Wild Connections Project.
Learn about why our Munsary Peatlands reserve is being put forward for inscription as the world’s first peatland UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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