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Read in: EnglishCymraeg
The endangered species Field Wormwood is one of the rarest plants in the UK. Before our work to conserve this precious plant, just 530 individual plants were known in the UK.
One of the UK’s rarest plants, Field Wormwood, has been given a lifeline to try and boost the numbers of this endangered plant. This rare species is found nowhere in Britain apart from the Brecks where it has just been introduced to a new site. We have just undertaken the largest conservation effort for this plant for over 25 years.
Across the UK, Field Wormwood Artemisia campestris can only be found in the Brecks – at just 3 native sites and 7 translocation sites. It is one of the rarest plants in the UK and is listed as an endangered species, according to the GB Red List of Threatened Species.
It can thrive in the Brecks, but the numbers of this rare plant have dramatically declined due to development, forestry and intensive farming.
The impacts of theoretically losing Field Wormwood could also have drastic biodiversity impacts in the Brecks. Field Wormwood is particularly important for a very rare beetle Wormwood Moonshiner, which depends on the plants’ seeds for food during the cold autumn and winter months.
In a bid to ensure this plant’s survival in the Brecks, we used a method called translocation – a process used in conservation which involves moving a plant to a new location where it will hopefully survive and thrive.
Recently, a total of 78 Field Wormwood plants were successfully translocated from Banham Zoo to Warren Hill, Mildenhall. The site was chosen for its steep slope and poor, chalky-sandy soils. It’s hoped the steep slopes will increase the plants’ chances of survival because this species is susceptible to grazing and unable to cope with competition from other vegetation.
The plants were grown from seed collected from the two largest remaining local sites by Plantlife and Natural England staff, cleaned and stored by Kew Millennium Seed Bank, then planted at Banham Zoo in February. Growing the plants at the Zoo gave them a headstart, optimising their chance of survival. The new site is owned by Forestry England and managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
Before we started conservation work, there were just 650 individual plants in the whole of the UK. However, the species is widespread in Eastern Europe.
This translocation is also part of broader ambitions to develop our understanding of the ecology of Field Wormwood and the life cycle of the rare beetle, Wormwood Moonshiner, that appears to rely on Field Wormwood. It is part of a wider collaborative conservation effort between Plantlife, Banham Zoo, Natural England and Buglife.
The rare beetle Wormwood Moonshiner Amara fusca could greatly benefit if Field Wormwood populations could be restored.
This beetle has only ever been spotted at night, at sites where Field Wormwood is present – either feeding on the plant’s seeds or on adjacent Yarrow plants.
It is hoped that once established, this new site of Field Wormwood will attract the Wormwood Moonshiner beetle and help it to thrive.
The chosen translocation site is 3km from the nearest known site with Wormwood Moonshiner, so it will help us to learn if the beetle is able to move this far to find them.
The unique environment in the Brecks really suits this plant. With its long tap roots it can thrive in the Brecks’ nutrient-poor chalky-sandy soils, and cope with the dry, hot and cold conditions associated with this unique landscape. The Brecks, which spans across Norfolk and Suffolk, is one of the driest parts of the UK. Meanwhile plants which would outcompete it struggle to grow, leaving plenty of space for Field Wormwood.
Now the plants are at the new site, we need to monitor how they grow. We will know the translocation has been a success once the plants are self-sustaining, which means they have set seed with enough germinated plants growing to replace the planted population. This could take up to 5 years.
Field Wormwood successfully translocated to a hill in Middenhall
Planting Field Wormwood
Planting Field Wormwood seeds at Banham Zoo
People planting Field Wormwood on a hill in Middenhall
Chris Jones, the Warden of Kenfig National Nature Reserve, recently found the very rare fungus, during a routine survey.
The effort Greena Moor Nature Reserve management team put in place to save the Three-lobed Water Crowfoot.
Alistair Whyte, Head of Plantlife Scotland shares his thoughts on Scotland's Plant Relict, Purple Oxytropis
Plantlife’s Vascular Plants Officer Robbie Blackhall-Miles finds an exciting new plant species for Wales.
In the UK we have over 45 species of orchid – which might be more than you thought! Learn more about this wild and wonderful family of plants with Plantlife wildflower expert Sarah Shuttleworth.
Throughout February, Plantlife is participating in Reverse the Red's Fungi Month – a chance to discover some of our most threatened species.
Plantlife’s Cairngorms Project Manager Sam Jones reveals how a tiny flower in Scotland is fighting back against extinction in the UK.
Did you know some of our plants are threatened by extinction? Here are 3 species that are endangered in Scotland and the work that’s being done to bring them back.
Some of our plants in Wales are threatened by extinction, but here are 3 species that are being brought back from the brink of extinction.
Join us on a journey to discover the Daisy – from fun facts to folklore!
Everyone knows the Daisy. It’s a common wildflower that can be found in almost all temperate regions of the world, although is only native to temperate Europe.
The Daisy sometimes forms a sea of white flowers over our lawns. It’s easily recognised, but often overlooked and underrated.
But this small unassuming wildflower is much more than just a pretty blossom, it has an impressive history, fabulous folklore and plays an important role for other wildlife!
Join us on a journey to discover the Daisy.
From March until September, the Daisy can be spotted popping out of lawns and other short grassland from road verges to meadows.
Each flower has a rosette of small, thin white petals surrounding a bright yellow centre. These are supported by a single stem which grows from a group of dark green rounded leaves. But did you know that the delicate Daisy isn’t just one flower? It’s actually over 100 flowers! Each of the ray florets (which appear as white petals) is an individual flower, and the disc florets (which appear as the yellow centre) are hundreds more tiny flowers.
Find out more about the Daisy here.
The Daisy is such a common sight that it can often go unappreciated, but it’s actually incredibly important. The humble Daisy helps support a wide range of wildlife. They provide pollen to bees, hoverflies, butterflies, beetles and moths. But it’s not just pollen, the plants themselves provide food to larvae, snails, caterpillars and rabbits and dried Daisy heads are sometimes enjoyed by foraging birds such as Finches. Given their long bloom time they are a vital resource to wildlife at times when not much else is in flower.
It might not be a surprise that the Daisy has been around for thousands of years, but did you know that their history intertwines with ours for millennia as well?
Evidence shows the Daisy was being grown in gardens in ancient Egypt, and was used back then to treat a number of health concerns from coughs to pain. Roman soldiers collected daisies to heal wounds, so much so that it was often called ‘woundwort’ or ‘bruisewort’. Throughout history the tiny wildflower has had a number of uses from medicinal to culinary. Today they are still being used, and are a popular ingredient in skincare thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties.
The Daisy is often seen to symbolise innocence and love and can be found in folklore from around the world, and throughout the ages.
In Norse mythology, the Daisy was the sacred flower of Freyja, the goddess of love and fertility – this in turn made them a symbol of motherhood.
A tale from Roman folklore follows the story of Belides, a nymph who turned herself into a Daisy to avoid the advances of the god of seasons, Vertumnus.
In Celtic folklore it is said that when a child passed away, God would scatter daisies over the land, and the white flowers came to symbolise their pure spirits.
So the next time you spot a Daisy, imagine them growing in gardens bordering the Nile, or being picked by an injured Roman soldier. Think of the nymph Belides, or the grieving Celtic parents comforted by it’s bloom.
This wonderful wildflower is so much more than meets the eye!
Why not visit our species page here, to learn more about other wonderful wildflowers.
Did you know that a simple walk in nature can have positive effects on your family's physical and mental health? Join 9-year-old Flora on an outdoor adventure and explore the wonders of the wild!
Join us as we take a look back at what went right for nature in 2025.
The news hasn’t all been good for nature this year – and the truth is we have been working tirelessly in the face of the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis, and it is an uphill battle. We’re not saying that we’ve turned the tide, there is certainly a long way to go to protect our incredible plants and fungi for the future – but over the last 12 months, we’ve been at the heart of some amazing wins for nature!
So to celebrate a new year, full of opportunity, we wanted to take a look back at 10 stories that show nature is capable of incredible resilience.
We’ve seen wildflowers fight back from the brink of extinction, thousands work together to boost biodiversity in gardens and hope for some of our most vulnerable lichens.
The Breckland, in the east of England, has suffered more than other places with habitat loss – and one of the casualties is Scrambled Egg Lichen. This yellow lichen with a white fungus on top really does look like an egg.
It became extinct in the Breckland due to habitat loss resulting from changes in farming practices, an increase in tree cover and a loss of rabbits. The Scrambled Egg Lichen is 1 of 3 specialist lichens lost from the region, where they were once common, along with the Starry Breck and Scaly Breck Lichen.
Fortunately, we have found a way to reintroduce it back into the Breckland. Our Lichen and Bryophyte Senior Specialist Dave Lamacraft collected small patches of the lichen from Penhale in Cornwall and transported it using a process called translocation.
Read the full story here.
Thousands of people all over the UK ditched the mower in May and beyond to help boost biodiversity in gardens.
In previous years, people as far away as Italy and the USA have taken on the challenge, and we’ve seen No Mow diaries from far afield popping up on YouTube which is amazing. But this year, the Movement really started to snowball overseas when it was picked up by the New York Times!
We hope that this is just the start of a world-wide initiative of people leaving their lawns for nature.
Find out more about the No Mow Movement here.
The iconic orchid, Lady’s-slipper, was believed to have been driven to extinction in the UK by the early part of the 20th century as a result of over-collecting and habitat loss.
However, in 1930 a single plant was discovered growing in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales. The location was kept secret for decades, during which time volunteers frequently checked on the plant to make sure it wasn’t dug up and stolen.
A reintroduction programme was planned with the ambition of reinstating self-sustaining populations of the orchid in the wild. Now, decades of work have finally paid off.
Last summer, the first new naturally occurring Lady’s-slipper Cypripedium calceolus plant was discovered in the wild for almost 100 years. The team who discovered the plant included Plantlife, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and Chester Zoo.
We recently discovered 2 rare lichen species at risk in the Lake District’s unique temperate rainforest. They were growing on an infected Ash tree and needed to be moved to ensure they continued to thrive in this habitat.
The tree has been infected with ash dieback meaning it is at a high risk of dying or collapsing in a storm.
Our experts translocated some of the lichen from the infected Ash tree to a nearby Hazel tree in the Lake District, home to some of the UK’s rare temperate rainforests.
The high rainfall, humid temperatures and ancient woodlands provide a perfect climate for rare lichens to survive.
On National Meadows Day 2025, we asked you to help us make sure our meadows don’t become a memory, by joining our call for the government to protect them.
The government has an Irreplaceable Habitat list, which includes ancient woodlands, blanket bogs, coastal sand dunes and lowland fens offering them a level of protection. But ancient meadows have no protection to stop them from disappearing – and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.
We asked you to write to your MPs – and as a result of the emails sent by our supporters and members, the Minister for Nature responded to our letter.
We also received information that the UK Government plans to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats in national planning policy in England.
Find out more here.
In 2003 Aspen Bristle-moss, which was thought to be extinct in the UK, was rediscovered by a chance finding. Now, thanks to a team effort – moss experts, landowners and volunteers discovered 3 times the amount of Aspen Bristle-moss at one site. This brilliant find led to the known population of this rare moss doubling in Scotland in a single afternoon.
This amazing feat was thanks to a training session organised by our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World Project Manager, Sam Jones, where volunteers were taught how to ID this marvellous moss.
The elusive epiphyte (a plant which grows on the surface of another plant) is particularly tricky to identify, with tiny features that distinguish it from the other mosses that can be found growing alongside it.
This event, helping uncover hidden populations of Aspen Bristle-moss, gives hope for its future.
We asked people to head to their local grassland in search of bright and beautiful waxcap mushrooms. This year, more people than ever took part, tripling the number of surveys we received from last year.
These surveys provide really important data to help us find rare and important waxcaps as well as identify where fragments of ancient meadows survive.
From 11 recordings of rare Violet Corals, to 265 surveys that recorded Pink Waxcaps, this data is invaluable.
Find out more about Waxcap Watch here.
Following the publication of the new GB Red List in 2025, we were excited to be able to announce that one of the most endangered orchids in Britain, Fen Orchid, is no longer considered threatened.
This great achievement is a result of decades of painstaking conservation work. Overtime, we’ve learnt more about the plant’s ecology, how to safeguard existing plants and then how to boost its numbers.
Read the full blog here – and hear directly from Tim Pankhurst, former Conservation Manager at Plantlife who dedicated his life’s work to protecting Fen Orchids.
This year was the year people really supported the UK’s rare and incredible temperate rainforest habitat.
We teamed up with Cumbria Woodlands to host a full day of activities including trips into real rainforests to experience the wonder of these habitats first hand. We held a sold-out members talk, raised awareness through videos and social media posts that you helped to share with the world and even launched an appeal to rescue UK rainforests from extinction.
Every step of the way, our supporters have been there to speak up for these precious habitats and make sure that they will be protected for the future.
Donate today to rescue UK rainforests.
Lugg Meadows is a Lammas Floodplain Meadow in Herefordshire that boasts a wealth of biodiversity with wildflowers blooming all spring – including a spectacular displays of fritillaries.
But the meadow was put at risk when a planning application was submitted to build around 250 dwellings on land bordering the reserve, which is a legally protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
We submitted objections and more than 1,300 other organisations and individuals did too.
In October, after ongoing uncertainty, Herefordshire Council informed the developer that it could not support the application and recommended it for refusal.
Explore this incredible nature reserve here.
We know 2026 will bring a wealth of challenges for nature, but it’s also brimming with possibilities. Our teams will be on the ground supporting some of the rarest species in the world, protecting ancient habitats bursting with biodiversity and raising awareness at the highest level, campaigning for change. We hope that you will join us on this journey.
We would love to welcome you to our growing community, whether you’re interested in learning more about plants and fungi, supporting us through donations, becoming a member, or even joining the team as a citizen scientist or volunteer – every contribution matters.
Get involved
Growers, NGOs, environmentalists and the public stand together urging the government to act to stop the destruction of peatlands
Go behind the scenes with our Policy and Advocacy Intern Aimee Seager as she tells us about her role and explores the journey she took to get into conservation.
One of the UK’s rarest plants, Field Wormwood, has been given a lifeline to try and boost the numbers of this endangered plant.
After decades of brilliant conservation work, the rare and eye-catching Fen Orchid is officially no longer considered threatened in Great Britain.
One of Britain’s most endangered orchids has been brought back from the brink of extinction. The rare Fen Orchid is making a comeback and is no longer considered threatened, according to the new GB Red List.
Tim Pankhurst, former Conservation Manager at Plantlife has dedicated his life’s work to protecting Fen Orchids. For captions watch on YouTube.
There are now over 10,000 individual plants in Britain, with 7 locations in England and 3 in Wales. Fen Orchid was previously classed as Endangered, but thanks to conservation work it is now classed as ‘Near Threatened’ according to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)’s new GB Red List.
The historic downgrading in threat status of Fen Orchid is thought to mark one of only a handful of plants that have been inched off the GB Red List due to conservation action since the system was introduced in 1977.
Fen Orchids Liparis loeselii aren’t just striking, they’re also very rare – only flowering fleetingly in a precious few fens and sand dunes.
Interestingly, this wildflower is different to many others because it doesn’t usually grow in soil. Instead, Fen Orchids grow on clumps of moss or on sedge tussocks in wet areas called fens. They are dependent on the unique, open conditions of the fenland, a naturally marshy area.
It can also be a tricky wildflower to spot as it is small and inconspicuous. Its leaves wrap around the bottom of the single stem, which supports several yellowish-green flowers towards the top of the plant.
Learn more about the Fen Orchid.
The main reason that Fen Orchid numbers have declined is habitat loss – the abandonment and drainage of the fens. Orchid enthusiasts collecting plants have also played a part.
By 2010, there were just 3 locations in East Anglia and 1 dune site in Kenfig, Wales where Fen Orchids were reported growing. There were no more than 1,000 plants in total.
There were fears this plant would entirely disappear from the UK, especially as it is such a sensitive species that requires particular conditions.
Tim Pankhurst, former Conservation Manager at Plantlife said: “Playing a leading role in reducing the threat status of such a beautiful yet mercurial orchid is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a botanist and one I will always treasure. As we face the enormous challenges of climate and biodiversity loss, this provides a moment of genuine hope for the future and is testament to what dedicated partnership conservation work delivered consistently over many decades can deliver.”
Since 2008, we’ve led efforts to rescue this plant through a multi-pronged conservation strategy, alongside partners. This wouldn’t have been possible without the decades of work by the Wildlife Trusts caring for the remaining plants and restoring former sites so they could be suitable for Fen Orchids. This work made the reintroductions of Fen Orchids possible.
Image credit: Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Peter Atkinson, Plants Records Officer at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, said: “At Cambridge University Botanic Garden, we’ve been investigating the life cycle of the Fen Orchid and successfully maintaining an ex-situ collection of plants for over a decade. Over this time, our field observations have deepened our understanding of the species, directly informing improved management of existing sites and helping wild populations increase from a few hundred to several thousand.
“We’re now seeing strong, sustainable populations re-establishing in the wild – a clear sign that this kind of long-term, collaborative conservation really does work.”
The threat status of Fen Orchid has reduced, but that doesn’t mean work is complete. This achievement can only be held by continuing conservation work, including sites continuing to be managed properly and future translocations of the plant.
Funders and partners involved in the English Fen Orchid Conservation Strategy include Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Natural England, Butterfly Conservation, Broads Authority, Norfolk County Council, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew. Natural Resources Wales and Bridgend Council have spearheaded work in Wales.
Reverse the red
Join Senior Ecologist Sarah Shuttleworth for a deadwood date, as she takes a deep dive into the wood wide web.
Elfcups are red
Roundheads are blue
Fungi and plants,
Share a connection? it’s true…
Although you might associate autumn with fungi, the organisms are still there under the surface – it’s just the fruiting bodies like mushrooms and toadstools we tend to see in later months.
It’s under the surface where a large proportion of fungi are directly connected to other plants roots via the fungi’s mycelial network, root-like structure made of branching, thread like hyphae.
Virtually all plants on earth form these relationships, with only about 5-10% of plants not relying on these fungal friendships.
Mycorrhizal is the name we give the type of fungi that can tap into the root cells of plants. The fungus gets its energy requirements and carbon from the plant, and the plant gets nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc from the fungi, as well as improved access to water.
This network of fungi mycelium and plant/tree roots is often affectionately referred to as the ‘Wood Wide Web’.
The infamous, bright red toadstool Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria has mycorrhizal relationships with birch trees, pines and spruces, so they are mostly found near some of these species.
Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes can still be spotted growing on stumps and trunks of dead hardwood trees, particularly Ash, Beech and Oak. They have caramel to orange-coloured caps and grow in overlapping tiers.
Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula is another one you can spot, looking almost exactly like ears made of jelly on dead or dying wood, particularly Elder trees.
Fungi are vital to life on earth as well as providing an entire kingdom of wonder and magic. We still don’t know 90% of the fungal species estimated to be present on the planet. From the species we do know about we benefit from them in so many ways – from nutrient recycling, edibility, making food products, medicines, manufacturing, biomaterials as well as natural wonder.
We are already starting to lose known species. In fact, the latest data from the IUCN shows that out of 1,318 species (including 134 lichenised fungi) have been assessed by the IUCN, 411 of these are now recognised as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. A further 110 listed as near threatened. Globally we are risking losing species we don’t even know about yet, with all their potential uses and beauty lost forever.
Read our top 10 wild, wacky and wonderful facts about the world of fungi here.
Scarlet Elfcup Sarcoscypha austriaca is one of the most striking species being bright red and is one you can find out and about between December and April.
They’re just as interesting as they are beautiful – did you know that the name “elfcup” comes from folklore, where woodland elves were said to drink or bathe in water collecting in the cups of the fungus.
Learn more about amazing species like Scarlet Elfcup as well as the incredible fungi kingdom here.
Our annual citizen survey campaign Waxcap Watch is making a big difference to fungus conservation work.
A journey to return one of the UK’s rarest wildflowers to the wild has made a major step to success.
This incredible moment for plant conservation was decades in the making.
Some 2 years ago, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Plantlife, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, BSBI and the National Trust received a grant from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme to continue and extend the work to recover Lady’s-slipper.
This work involved protecting the habitat of the remaining wild Lady’s-slipper plant, rearing lots of new orchid seedlings and planting out orchids into former haunts.
Then last June, the team were delighted to discover an entirely new plant at one of the reintroduction sites. This means the orchids that were planted out have managed to cross pollinate and set seed,, which then successfully germinated and established in the wild.
Lady’s-slipper, like other orchids, has tiny seeds and has long proven difficult to cultivate from seed. It took many years to refine the technique for hand pollination, discover the best time for seed capsule collection, germinate the hand-collected seeds and successfully grow-on mature individuals that were strong enough to be planted out in the wild.
Over the years, Kew has led the development of propagation techniques for the orchid. The young plants were then transferred to the hands of volunteer orchid-specialists, managed by the National Trust, who nurtured the plants for several years before they were ready to be planted out.
Trials have shown that larger plants – which are more rapidly able to get their roots down into rocky ground – grow better in the wild then smaller ones. This means, many of plants which were planted out in 2024 and 2025 were over 10 years old!
Together with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, BSBI, Natural England and Kew, we identified suitable sites for planting out orchids back into the wild.
Lady’s-slipper are the crowning glory of Britain’s wildflowers – one of the rarest and most impressive. Its rescue from the brink is one of the UK’s most fascinating lost and found stories, and a hopeful symbol of what can be regained when partners work together to carefully reintroduce plants back into the wild.
The distribution of Lady’s-slipper used to once stretch from Cumbria to Derbyshire. But as a result of over-collecting and habitat loss, the plant was believed extinct in the UK by the early part of the 20th century.
During the Victorian era it fell victim to the orchid hunting craze known as ‘orchidelirium’. Explorers would be sent off by wealthy collectors with the mission of finding new species of the delicate and beautiful orchids. Sadly, this led to Lady’s-slipper’s decline.
Find out more about the Lady’s-slipper including how and where to spot it.
Despite this wonderful step to success, there is still work to be done. The project team will continue their work to help the Lady’s-slipper and it’s hoped that if funding is secured more self-sustaining populations of the plant will be created.
If you would like the chance to see Lady’s-slipper, you can visit Kilnsey Park near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales in late May and early June. More information here (www.kilnseypark.co.uk).
This year Plantlife has secured more funds from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme to monitor previous reintroductions and explore the environmental and habitat factors which correlate with various measures of success. So that future reintroductions and reinforcements can be targeted to locations that are most likely to successfully support self-sustaining populations.
Photo credits: Kevin Walker and Dr Elizabeth Cooke
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.
This marks a special moment for Scottish wild plants, fungi and the wildlife that call it home.
With the same standing as the Pyramids and the Great Barrier Reef, The Flow Country has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status – marking a magnificent moment for Scottish wildlife.
Deep within this historic landscape is our own Munsary Peatlands, which is an incredibly special place for plant life. One of the most extensive peatlands left in Europe, our Munsary Nature Reserve is key for tackling the ongoing climate crisis.
Alistair Whyte, Head of Plantlife Scotland said: “The Flow Country may be less well-known than the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Pyramids but it is cause for great celebration that it today has achieved the same standing as those rightly revered places on Earth. Recognition of the special significance of this wet and wild habitat in northern Scotland, where ancient peat can be as deep as a double-decker bus, demonstrates a growing recognition of the importance of peatlands to plants, people and planet.”
This historical moment also means the Flow Country has become the world’s first peatland World Heritage Site.
After years of hard work, we are thrilled that The Flow Country, in northern Scotland, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a special moment for Scottish wild plants, fungi and the wealth of the wildlife they support.
UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of natural and cultural heritage around the globe considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. What makes the concept of World Heritage so special is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all people, irrespective of where they are located.
The list of World Heritage Sites is as varied as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to the Pyramids of Egypt – and now that list includes the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, located near Lybster in Scotland (among just over 30 sites currently in the UK).
Munsary, a vast and undulating plain of blanket bog, is home to a huge variety of wildlife including some rare and threatened species.
This historic landscape is the most intact and extensive blanket bog system in the world. As well as being very important for biodiversity, it is also classed as an Important Plant Area (IPA). IPAs are key sites for exceptional botanical richness and identified as the best places for wild plants and their habitats.
So far, 147 species of vascular plants have been recorded at Munsary including the nationally-scarce Small Cranberry and a patch of Marsh Saxifrage, discovered in 2002, which is one of the largest colonies in Britain. The reserve in Caithness is also home to a Bog Orchid, a tiny yellow-green orchid which is so slight as to be almost invisible in the few bogs where it grows.
But, healthy peatlands – like Munsary – are more than just wildlife havens; they also have a vitally important role as we tackle the climate emergency. In fact, the vast expanse of pristine peat formed over many millennia at Munsary locks up a staggering two million tonnes of carbon.
Some species to look out for inlcude:
A special feature at Munsary is an unusual-looking area of dark-watered pools, high on a dome of peat, called dubh lochans. This area is particularly diverse, with pools of different shapes, sizes and depths, vegetated pools, and open water, ridges, and hummocks.
Even a visitor who has never studied mosses can spot differences between those forming the peat. Some form neat, rounded mounds, others are brownish or reddish tufts, while others make a deceptive green lawn, floating over water of an uncertain depth.
The drier areas of bog moss are home to many characteristic bog plants: Bog Asphodel, with spikes of yellow flowers, Common Cottongrass, with many white cottony heads in summer, and hare’s-tail cottongrass with just a single, fluffier head. Three species of heather grow here and plenty of sedges too, including such hard-to-find species as few-flowered sedge, flea sedge and bog-sedge.
Insect-eating plants lurk beside streams and wet pools: butterwort, with a basal rosette of broad, yellow-green leaves on which small insects stick, and round leaved and great sundew, with long red hairs on their leaves curving over to entrap their prey.
Peatlands are home to some of the UK’s most distinctive plant communities – they have evolved in response to the low-nutrient conditions. This has led to some remarkable adaptations such as the insect-eating sundews and butterworts, and the spongy blankets of colourful spagnum mosses.
They are also one of our most important terrestrial carbon sinks. But when bogs are drained or the peat is exploited, the peat gets exposed to the air and begins to break down, releasing carbon dioxide. This turns a huge carbon store into a vast emitter, contributing to climate change. Read more here.
It’s not just humans and animals that have DNA in their cells, plants and fungi do too.
In fact, DNA barcoding can be used to identify plants, detect invasive species and help conservation work, as our Senior Ecological Advisor Sarah Shuttleworth explains.
Like all living organisms, plants and fungi have DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in their cells. DNA is the genetic code, which is the blueprint for genes, which gives an organism its specific characteristics. Different species will have a different DNA blueprint (with small variations within that as well) and these can help us tell species apart and see which ones are closely related.
I was recently offered a place on an exciting course to learn all about DNA barcoding and how it can help my work as a botanist.
Put simply, we can compare different DNA blueprints by comparing just a small section of the DNA sequence. This small section is referred to as the DNA barcode. There is a reference library which contains information about many species with their corresponding barcode.
In order to compare DNA barcodes of different species, the shortened sequence (region) needs to be the same region of the comparison species. However, which region you select to shorten and use for comparison is different depending on which type of organism you have. For example, all organisms within the animal kingdom are identified using the same specific DNA region, whilst all plants are identified using a different region.
The DNA region used for barcoding differs between kingdoms:
DNA barcoding relies on a region of DNA that varies significantly between different species to allow the different species to be identified.
First, we need to collect a tiny bit of plant and/or fungi samples for our study. We don’t need much, just a small amount to get the DNA. To get the DNA out, we cut really tiny pieces from the samples. Then, we put these pieces in a tube with a special liquid solution and smush them with a small tool to break the cells apart and release the DNA.
Next, we need to make lots of copies of the DNA which we do by using a special mix of certain chemicals (there are different special mixes for plants and fungi).
To check if we’ve done it right, we use a method called gel electrophoresis. This method is used to separate mixtures of DNA, RNA, or proteins to molecular size (you will see a nice clear line in the gel if it has been successful.) This helps us see if the DNA we extracted is good and whether we can send it to the lab. The lab will then send us the DNA sequence so it can be compared it to other sequences in a big database.
Using these DNA barcoding skills can help us in many ways, including identifying single species or a community of species.
It is quite a technical process but as local groups (mainly fungi recording organisations) are starting to invest in the kit, more people should be able to get involved in DNA barcoding.
I hadn’t had a chance to do anything like this since my first year at university and I was surprised about how much came flooding back to me. The course was a great opportunity to learn and refresh my skills, as well as meet other people with an interest in species identification and conservation.
After more practicing, we hope to use these skills to add to the genomic database and assist our own species recording accuracy.
In the future, perhaps Plantlife can utilise these skill sets for looking at species assemblages on our reserves or places we are hoping to maximise conservation efforts.
Volunteer biological recording group RoAM (Recorders of the Avalon Marshes) at Somerset Wetlands NNR (National Nature Reserve) organised the DNA barcoding course with funding from Natural England through the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme. I was offered a spot on this exciting course due to my work and contacts in a voluntary capacity with the North Somerset and Bristol Fungi Group.
Natural England: EDNA (Environmental DNA) approaches to environmental monitoring are incredibly valuable to Natural England’s work, but recognise their limitations, not least that some groups of fungi, lichen and invertebrates are poorly represented in genomic databases. By helping to train our highly skilled taxonomic recorders with DNA barcoding means better records and more effective eDNA outputs.
The beautiful mountain plant, Rosy Saxifrage, has returned to the wild in Wales after becoming extinct in 1962.
This beautiful mountain plant, that once clung to the cliff edges in Eryri (Snowdonia) has successfully returned to the wild in Wales after becoming extinct in 1962.
The trial reintroduction of Rosy Saxifrage Saxifraga rosacea, led by us, marks a special moment for nature recovery. The plants, which have been maintained in cultivation, have direct lineage to the 1962 specimens.
It is now flowering at a location close to where it was last recorded in the wild – and there are plans in place to boost its numbers now the first trial has taken place.
The species was first recorded in Wales in 1796 by J.W.Griffith (Clark, 1900) and there are up to five records from the 19th century. In the 20th century, there are three records, all in Eryri.
But, it is thought that Rosy Saxifrage slipped into extinction in Wales, primarily as a result of plant enthusiasts over collecting the species, particularly in the Victorian era. Atmospheric pollution is also considered to have played a role. Rosy Saxifrage is not a great competitor with stronger growing plants, so it was impacted by the nutrient enrichment of its favoured mountain habitat.
Each and every native wild plant contributes to the diversity and health of ecosystems and putting Rosy saxifrage back where it belongs restores a lost balance.
The successful reintroduction has been led by our botanist Robbie Blackhall-Miles, Project Officer for the Tlysau Mynydd Eryri (Mountain Jewels of Eryri) conservation partnership project that aims to secure the futures of some of our rarest alpine plants and invertebrates in Wales.
The outplanting took place on land cared for by the National Trust and in future months botanists will conduct surveys to establish places where it will be best to reintroduce the species fully to the wild.
Read more about Rosy Saxifrage here.
Photographs by: Llyr Hughes
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