An Epic Rescue – Saving 3,000 Plants From One of The Odyssey Filming Sites

It was an epic conservation journey, when conservationists undertook a rescue mission to save one of the UK’s rarest wildflowers.

A plant with a green stem, green leaves at the bottom of the plant and a white flower. The white flower is star-shaped with a green centre. It sits among wood and twigs.

You might recognise the pine woods of Scotland’s stunning Culbin Forest as the setting of iconic scenes from Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster movie, The Odyssey. But did you know that this incredible location, where pine trees meet the golden sands of the beach, is also home to a very rare wildflower?

The forest is home to a large population of One-flowered Wintergreen, Moneses uniflora , which is at risk of being lost. So, our conservation team and volunteers have been out on a rescue mission to save it.

A plant with a green stem, green leaves at the bottom of the plant and a white flower. The white flower is star-shaped with a green centre. It is growing out of a wooded area.

How Rare is One-flowered Wintergreen?

One-flowered Wintergreen, is a rare wildflower in the UK, that can only be found in North East Scotland. In the last 50 years, it’s estimated that more than half of the entire UK population of the plant has been lost.

In fact, this pretty, white, star-shaped flower, is at risk of disappearing from Scotland and the UK altogether.

One-flowered Wintergreen, which has sadly gone extinct from more than half of 20 sites in the last few decades, has been clinging on at 7 remaining sites – and only 3 of those are home to a healthy population.

Why are One-flowered Wintergreen Populations Declining?

Populations of One-flowered Wintergreen have been declining due to a variety of reasons including:

Many woodlands are planted with non-native species, which do not provide suitable habitats for One-flowered Wintergreen.
The increase of hotter, dryer climate conditions due to the climate crisis climate reduces the moisture in the soils on which the plant relies, contributing to its decline, particularly in upland areas. 
Changes to forest management over the last few centuries that have gradually impacted the conditions needed for energy-giving fungi to thrive in the soil.
Many woodlands are relatively undisturbed, and this species needs soil disturbance to germinate.
Many pine woodlands are periodically clear-felled.

How Did We Save One-flowered Wintergreen at Culbin Forest?

Plantlife Scotland worked alongside partners Forestry and Land Scotland, NatureScot, and an amazing group of volunteers, to rescue thousands of plants through a process called translocation (the movement of a species from one location to another). 

A total of 3,400 plants were moved in Culbin Forest, in Moray, Scotland. This could be one of the largest translocations on record in the UK.

The translocation process involved: 

With the help of volunteers, the plants were removed from a shorefront where thousands of wildflowers were at risk of falling into the sea. About 2-3m of land has collapsed into the sea over the last few years – and is set to continue. 
The translocation process at Culbin Forest, involved cutting and removing sections of soil around the plants. This was important as it ensured the fungi networks, which are vital to the survival and germination of the species, were moved with the plants to help them survive. 
One-flowered Wintergreen is often found growing in a fungi-rich area. Instead of relying on photosynthesis to create energy to survive, One-flowered Wintergreen can also take energy from fungus in woodland soils (known as a partial-mycoheterotroph).  
This complexity means it has been a challenge for conservationists to understand it and help it thrive again, but also a key target species to tell us about the fungi in the pinewoods .

This project is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.