Come and be part of a global voice for wild plants and fungi
This year on National Meadows Day, we are campaigning for the protection of irreplaceable meadows – and we need your help!
Our wildflower meadows are a powerful ally in the fight against climate change – but they are in trouble!
“Will you help protect and restore irreplaceable habitats?”
Our corporate partners benefit from 35 years of experience in nature restoration so they can achieve real impact.
Become a Plantlife member today and together we will rebuild a world rich in plants and fungi
Read in: EnglishCymraeg
Join us to delve into the secrets of creating a bright, blooming, buzzing lawn, from when to sow, to how to prep the land.
Spring sees gardens in bloom, bursting with colourful blossoms!
By the time we reach the later summer months, some of those wildflowers will have faded – but it’s the perfect time to start prepping for next year!
In fact, the best time of year to sow wildflower seeds in the UK, is between August and October. So here we delve into the secrets of creating a bright, blooming, buzzing lawn, from when to sow, to how to prep the land.
However, before we jump in, it’s always advisable to see what you already have growing in your lawn. You might be surprised to find that there are some wildflowers already there and it’s always exciting to see what comes up on its own.
As we mentioned above, the best time to sow wildflower seeds in the UK, is between August and October. In other areas of the world it will depend on the local climate and the needs of the native wildflowers.
The seeds of many wildflowers, including Yellow Rattle, need to be exposed to colder temperatures for a certain time period, to signal to them to get ready for germinating in the spring.
Yellow Rattle in particular, needs to be sown so it has around 4 months underground at below 5C to start this process and allow the seeds to germinate.
We always advise that people buy seeds from a supplier that provides native seeds from the country you plan on sowing them.
It’s not just the country that’s important though, local areas all have their own unique flora. So where possible, it’s always best to buy seed that is sourced locally as this will ensure that your flowers will grow happily in your area and be suitable for local wildlife.
It’s always a good idea to think about your specific space too, including the soil type, PH, whether your site is dry or damp, shady or sunny. For species to flourish it depends on whether they are suited to these conditions.
Why not read our full seed guide to find out more. Or visit our shop here to look through the seeds we have available.
There are many different mixes to choose from, and there’s a few things to consider. Firstly take in mind the local flora, and what you see naturally appearing in your area. You also should consider whether you want a tall mini meadow with flowers like Oxeye Daisy, or a lower flowering lawn with plants like Self-heal.
One wildflower we would recommend, especially if you are seeding into a lawn that only has grass, or one that has more vigorous grasses, is Yellow Rattle often referred to as ‘The Meadow Maker’. This semi-parasitic plant helps limit the growth of competing grasses, to allow more wildflowers to come through naturally. Find out more about growing Yellow Rattle here.
You could also add flowers like Poppies and Cornflowers to give some pops of different colours. These are both annual species, so will not necessarily reappear in future years.
There was a growing trend of ‘seed bombing’ which saw small balls of seeds and compost dropped onto bare ground to create mini areas of blooms.
While this can certainly work, and is how some wildflowers successfully seed themselves, there are better ways.
Read on below to find our top tips of how to prepare the ground to see the best success
The older and ‘wilder’ your lawn the better! If your lawn is like a bowling green, with fertile soil and no ‘weeds’, then you might first want to lower the nutrients in the soil. You can do this by regularly mowing your lawn and removing the cuttings for the first year or so. It could take a year or 2 to get your soil to the right nutrient level.
When you’re ready you can add wildflower seeds to your lawn to increase biodiversity. The best way to do this is to cut your lawn very short in the autumn and scarify it by going over it with a rake to create patches of bare soil to scatter your seeds on. Keep going until around 50% of the area is bare ground.
When it comes to actually sowing the seeds – less is more. You actually only need 1 or 2 teaspoons of seed per square metre.
Spread the seed across the ground evenly and pick a nice still day so the seeds don’t blow away before they land. The seeds can be mixed with sand for easier spreading. After this, gently trample the seeds in. It’s a good idea to water the ground lightly if the weather is drier, but be careful not to wash away the seeds.
There is another option to get wildflowers into your lawn, which some people do see better results with, which is to sow seeds into pots and then plant them outdoors.
To do this, sow the wildflower seeds in the autumn and leave the pots outside, to allow them to be exposed to the cold. Many wildflowers need a cold spell before they can germinate.
Once the plants have germinated and started to grow you can move the little seedlings into individual pots. The best time to do this is when the plants have 3 or 4 leaves on them. You can encourage the growth of healthy roots by cutting off any flower stems.
The following autumn, the plants can then be moved into your lawn. Once the plants are established, it’s worth keeping an eye on them for the first year or 2, to make sure they take properly and are not shaded out. You can do this by gently cutting the surrounding vegetation back to give them more space.
Yellow Rattle, is the single most important plant you need when creating a wildflower meadow. Here’s everything you need to know.
Our meadows have been part of our natural heritage for centuries and cared for by people for generations – but they are now more at risk than ever before.
It’s been a wild year in an even more wild landscape, from floods and collapsed waterways to peatland restoration and hope for the future – join us to learn more about this incredible habitat.
Peat bogs are wild, exposed places – used to withstanding harsh weather and winter storms.
Our Munsary Peatland Nature Reserve, which is part of the larger Flow Country in Scotland, is no stranger to extreme weather. However, the storms of the past year were even stronger than we’ve seen before.
Working in these conditions can be testing – we’ve seen extreme flooding, walls knocked down and waterways collapsed.
It’s not all bad news from the reserve however, as we are making exciting steps forwards to restoring the bog and protecting it for the future, despite a changing and challenging climate.
Munsary is a blanket bog, made up of peat, which in places is up to 7 metres deep. It’s one of the UK’s most unique landscapes. The blanket bog here is one of the most extensive peatlands left in Europe.
It’s part of the Flow Country which covers 187,000 hectares of Caithness in the far north of Scotland.
This incredible reserve is part of the world’s first peatland UNESCO World Heritage site, an Important Plant Area (IPA) and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Munsary was hit by a lot of storms last winter, which came just as the peatland was recovering from last year’s floods. On a recent visit, our Head of Plantlife Scotland, Alistair Whyte saw the damage this has caused.
In some areas, access tracks in the peatland had been almost completely washed away.
The relentless snow drifts and winds, didn’t just cause damage to the landscape, they knocked down fences and walls, opening up the area to unmanaged grazing. This influx of livestock freely accessing the reserve could trample sensitive peatland, leading to even more damage and undoing years of careful restoration work.
In another blow to the fragile ecosystem, a culvert on the reserve collapsed under pressure from raging torrents.
We are now looking to the future, to continue to restore and protect the peatland.
Currently, we are in the process of developing the final phase of our peatland restoration at Munsary.
This final phase of work, if funded, will bring machinery on-site next year to block the last ditches, reprofile exposed areas of peat, and pilot a new bunding technique to help retain water on the drier parts of the bog. It’s a crucial step that could ensure the long-term health of the ecosystem.
However the storm damage at Munsary, means we are currently unable to get machinery on to site. Therefore, there is even more urgency to repair the infrastructure for the restoration work to begin.
The University of Highlands and Islands has been leading new climate modelling work through our on-site science programme.
The university has been modelling climate scenarios of various degrees of intensity over the next 100 years. The research shows that, if we complete the work, Munsary Peatland could remain highly resilient, even under extreme climate conditions.
The reserve could continue to retain its ability to function as a bog and store huge amounts of carbon, even in some extreme climate scenarios
Bogs like this are vital to buffer the impacts of climate change while supporting biodiversity.
This is a hopeful reminder that nature can bounce back. Conservation work can make a huge difference to not only restore habitats, but aid their resilience and protect them for the future.
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.
Extraction of peat for gardening and horticulture continues to damage wildlife and our climate, despite government commitments to phase it out. Plantlife is calling on governments and industry to end the use of peat in gardening and horticulture to benefit nature and our climate.
Whether it’s your back garden, local park, community field or lawn, wildflower meadows are amazing spaces with so much to offer.
If you’ve been taking part in the No Mow Movement, you might have spotted some wonderful wildflowers poking through your lawn.
Most lawns will have wildflowers seeded naturally in the soil – just waiting for a chance to bloom. It can be a fascinating part of the No Mow challenge, to see what comes through.
Here we share our top ten flowers to find! If you don’t have them all in your lawn, why not head out to your local green space for a nature-based treasure hunt!
Join our Specialist Botanical Advisor Sarah Shuttleworth on a nature-based treasure hunt around her No Mow Movement lawn. Or scroll through our list below and see if you can find them all!
Whether in your lawn, on a roadside, a park or playing field – you’re likely to find the Daisy Bellis perennis popping up from March right through to September.
These beautiful little wildflowers have become such a common part of our lives, they’ve even made it into our language. You might have heard the term, ‘it’s all coming up daisies’, which means that things are going well. The flower is even featured in slang, with ‘Daisy roots’ meaning boots.
It’s certainly a fun one to find and is thought of a sure sign of spring and summer – as well as often being associated with love. The Daisy was even said to be the sacred flower of the Norse goddess of love Freya.
A common, bright yellow flower that can be found in gardens, parks and meadows – the Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens is a common sight from April through to August.
If you’ve spotted one of these sunny little wildflowers before, you might have played the common test with your friends. For generations, children have grown up using buttercups, to hold under their chins to tell if they like butter. If the flower reflects a yellow hue under your chin, you like butter! The origin of this game is believed to come from a belief that buttercups gave butter it’s golden colour.
The Dandelion Taraxacum officinale agg is one of the first flowers you might spot in your lawn and one of the last! It can be a common sight from March, right the way through until October.
While it’s certainly likely that you’ll spot one of these pretty yellow flowers this summer – it also has many lookalikes that might trick you into thinking you’ve found one (we actually have one further down this list to keep a lookout for!).
There are a huge number of Dandelion microspecies, in the UK, we have around 250. It’s believed that more than 40 of these are endemic species, and the majority are native.
The Dandelion is truly a beautiful and often overlooked wildflower and while once revered as a ‘cure all’ medicinal herb, can now be thought of as a weed.
Read our blog here, where we weed out the myths behind the word ‘weed’.
Ribwort Plantain, Plantago lanceolata is a common sight and can be found year-round in grasslands including lawns, meadows and arable fields.
Sometimes thought of as a weed, it’s seed heads help to provide food for birds throughout much of the winter when other food sources are more scarce. The rest of the plant is also beneficial to lots of other wildlife. Ribwort Plantain provides both food and habitat for insects and pollinators including various species of moths and butterflies.
A unique-looking, violet blue wildflower, the Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys can be spotted in grassy areas between March and July.
This beautiful little flower has a varied habitat and can be found in meadows, pastures, verges and lawns, as well as in woods, hedgerows and waste ground.
While not only a fun flower to find, it’s also thought to be a lucky one for travellers. In fact, people believed that wearing it, or other speedwells, in your buttonhole would ‘speed you well’ on any journey.
A tiny little yellow wildflower, Spotted Medick Medicago arabica is a common find in the south of the UK. It can be found from May until September in grasslands including lawns and roadsides.
This wildflower has very interesting seed pods (which can be seen properly in our video above), which are covered in little hooked hairs. These help the seed pods cling on to passing animals and encourage better distribution of the plant.
A fun little find, look out for other medicks and trefoils in your lawn including Bird’s-foot-trefoil, Lotus corniculatus, which is also known as ‘eggs and bacon’ because of the yellow and orange hue of the pea-like flowers.
More of a pink colour than red as the name suggests, Red Clover Trifolium pratense can be found in gardens, meadows, parks and fields from May until October.
This pretty little plant is a great one to find in your lawn for many reasons – one is that it’s a bit of a favourite with pollinators! The flowers of Red Clover are nectar and pollen rich, and attract many pollinators, in particular, bees.
The Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris is a common sight in grasslands including fields, meadows and gardens and can be spotted from April right through until October.
Another one from the buttercup family, the Meadow Buttercup is a taller variety than the Creeping Buttercup above, growing up to 1m in height.
Watch our video to find out more about them both the two and see if you can tell them apart.
The Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare can be found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, gardens, dunes, coastal cliffs, verges and waste ground.
Seeing these big, bold and beautiful flowers is said to be a sure sign that summer has arrived as they are usually in bloom around the summer solstice.
Similar to the common Daisy (of which it is part of the same family), the Oxeye Daisy is much, much bigger, reaching as tall as 70cm.
Cat’s-Ear Hypochaeris radicata, is a common sight in lawns, fields, parks and roadsides from June until September.
The bright yellow flowers can look very similar to the Dandelion above, but there are some key differences. One difference is that the Cat’s-Ear, has hairy leaves while Dandelions do not. Also, Cat’s-Ear, can have multiple flowerheads and branching stems, while Dandelions instead have one flowerhead per stem.
Watch the video above to learn more about the Cat’s-Ear, and how you can tell it apart from the Dandelion.
Did you manage to find them all?
We would love to see what flowers you have been finding right through the No Mow Movement, so be sure to tag us on social media to show us the pretty blooms you’ve found.
A journey to return one of the UK's rarest wildflowers to the wild has made a major step to success.
Did you know that dreaming of Harebells is said to be a sign of true love, or that Daffodils are used to celebrate a couple’s first decade of marriage?
Our beautiful wildflowers have long been associated with love. It’s not just the countless songs, poems, plays and novels that draws the connection – wildflowers have a deep-rooted connection to love that spans millennia. There’s symbolism from ancient cultures, stories from gods and goddesses and fabulous floral folklore.
When thinking of romance, roses tend to be the first flower to cross our minds, but there’s many wonderful wildflowers that might be overlooked.
From Daisies to Cornflowers, and symbols of everlasting love to games that tell you if someone feels the same way – love and flowers definitely go together.
Read on to find some of our favourite folklore connecting flowers to love.
The bright blue Cornflower Centaurea cyanus might not be the first flower that you think of when it comes to love, but it has a historic connection. More specifically, the Cornflower is seen as a symbol of devotion and the hope of love.
In folklore these beautiful blue flowers were once known as ‘Bachelor’s Buttons’. Young men used to wear the flowers in their buttonholes, to show that they were in love. If the Cornflower drooped and died quickly, it was a sign that their love was not meant to be. But if it held throughout the day, there was hope.
The name Primrose Primula vulgaris comes from the Latin ‘prima rosa’, which means ‘first rose’. This could be one of the factors that led to the connection of Primroses being associated with our first loves. And in fact, Primroses were often sent during the Victorian period as a symbol of young love.
Primroses are also considered one of the sacred flowers of the Norse goddess of love, Freya.
Sweet Violet Viola odorata is a low, creeping plant with fragrant flowers, which has a long and rather romantic history in folklore. For instance, one tale says that medieval French troubadours used Sweet Violets to represent faithfulness in their tales of chivalrous love.
If you look closely at the beautiful blue flower, you’ll notice that it has hairy, heart-shaped leaves, which gives it another connection.
But of course, more widely, the most famous violet connection is the iconic poem, ‘Roses are red, Violets are blue’, which can be traced back as far as 1590, by Sir Edmund Spense.
In the Language of Flowers, the Daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus ssp pseudonarcissus, which blooms between March and April, represents unrequited love. It’s believed that the connection could come from the flowers short blooming season, as a nod to how fleeting love can be.
On a more positive love note however, Daffodils have also become known as a symbol of long-lasting love. The bright flowers, which symbolise hope and happiness, are often given as a celebration to signify couples reaching their first decade of marriage.
Read about Wild Daffodils here.
These beautiful little flowers, which can be seen blooming between July and September have fantastic folklore connections from fairies to witches. But moving away from the magical, Harebells Campanula rotundifolia have long been known as a symbol of love.
Their pretty, delicate appearance has a certain romance about it – and dreaming about the flower is said to symbolise true love.
Daisies are said to represent true love and more specifically, soul mates. This is perhaps because the Daisy is a composite flower, with the white petals each being their own flower and the yellow centre made up of hundreds of tiny flowers also. The flowers are meant to be together, just like soul mates.
Even their Latin name, Bellis perennis, shares a connection with ‘Bellis’ meaning beautiful and ‘perennis’ meaning everlasting.
Daisies have also been used in songs and poems about love for centuries. They have made their way into our language and even into our games. Take the historic ‘Daisy Oracle’ game for instance. People pluck petals from Daisies while reciting ‘they love me, they love me not’, until the last petal revealed whether your love felt the same way.
An iconic and much-loved wildflower, Bluebell’s have our hearts. But they also have a long-standing symbolism when it comes to love. Even its name has a connection. Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta wasn’t commonly used for the flower until the 19th century when Romantic poets started to write about it. It became a muse of many and was featured in work by celebrated poets and authors including Anne and Emily Brontë, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Oscar Wilde.
In the Language of Flowers, it is the Bluebell that represents everlasting love. And in folklore there is a story that says if you turn a Bluebell flower inside out without breaking it, you will win the heart of the person you love.
It might not be surprising, given the name, but this flower is connected to holding memories of those you love. In the Language of Flowers, Forget-me-nots Myosotis arvensis stand for true love and memories.
They have been given as a gift for centuries, to those who are going on travels, as a sign that they will not be forgotten by their love. Victorians also used the small flowers to remember their loved ones who had passed away, and would often include Forget-me-nots in jewellery worn as a memorial.
As we all know, love is everlasting, and the Fritillary Fritillaria meleagris is the perfect example of this. It is a well-known symbol of love beyond death. People used to wear Fritillary flowers to show their devotion to those who had passed on.
Due to the look of the flower, with it’s drooping head, it also gained the nickname Weeping Widow.
Join Senior Ecologist Sarah Shuttleworth for a deadwood date, as she takes a deep dive into the wood wide web.
It's been a wild year in an even more wild landscape, from floods and collapsed waterways to peatland restoration and hope for the future – join us to learn more about this incredible habitat.
Though we typically associate wildflowers with spring and summer, some species thrive in the colder months. Here’s our list of our favourite native and naturalised wildflowers to watch out for on your winter adventures.
Although the days are getting longer, we are still in the depths of winter.
Some might assume that with bare branches and muddy footpaths, there’s not much to see in nature during winter, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even in its more restful state, nature is full of surprises, and there’s so much to discover!
While the season can seem uninviting, it’s well worth venturing out if you can. Frost dusts hardy winter plants in sparkling ice, and delicate wildflowers brave the freezing temperatures to bloom under the winter sun.
Though we typically associate wildflowers with spring and summer, some species thrive in the colder months.
Here’s our list of our favourite native and naturalised winter wildflowers to watch for on your winter adventures.
Mistletoe, Viscum album, had to top our list because it has become synonymous with the winter season. Look out for its white berries throughout the winter and flowers between February and April.
You’ll have to keep your eyes up to spot this parasitic plant as it grows hanging from broadleaf trees, orchard trees and others, especially lime and poplar.
Mistletoe colonies are vital for 6 species of insect that live nowhere else.
For more information head to our Mistletoe species page here.
Winter Aconite, Eranthis hyemalis is a bright and glossy yellow perennial, which blooms between January and March.
While it’s not native to the UK, having been introduced in the 16th century, it is now naturalised and a common sight in our parks and woodlands.
It’s an easy one to spot due to it’s vibrant flowers. Keep your eyes on the ground as it’s a small plant, that grows up to 15cm.
Read more on our Winter Aconite species page here.
Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, although not native to the UK, have become synonymous with our woodlands. They were introduced possibly as early as the 16th century, from mainland Europe.
The pretty white blooms can usually been seen from January to March, though they have been known to flower as early as October!
You’ll find them in areas with damp soil, such as moist woodland and riverbanks.
The species has long been associated with our cold winter months – the Latin name, Galanthus nivalis, translates as ‘milk flower of the snow.’
For more about this stunning species, visit our Snowdrop species page here – scroll down to watch our video uncovering the hidden secrets of Snowdrops, or head to our YouTube page here.
The pretty yellow Primrose, Primula vulgaris, is a favourite, and common sight all over the UK.
It’s name comes from the Latin, prima rosa, which means ‘first rose’ of the year. While Primroses are not part of the rose family, the name is still apt, as they are early bloomers.
You can see these pale yellow, green-veined flowers from December until May, the flowers are 3cm across, on single stalks.
Keep a look out for these wildflowers in woodland clearings, hedgebanks, waysides, railway banks and open grasslands.
Read more on our Primrose species page here.
Lesser Celandine, Ficaria verna, is an easy winter spot with bright yellow, star-shaped flower that can often blanket the ground.
They can be spotted between February and May. In fact February is so synonymous with the wildflower that the 21 February has been known as Celandine Day since 1795. It’s said that this was the day when the renowned naturalist Gilbert White noted that the first celandines usually appeared in his Hampshire village of Selborne.
Look out for these bright blooms in woodlands, hedge banks, damp meadows and stream-sides.
Read more about the Lesser Celandine on our species page here.
The native wildflower Stinking Hellebore, Helleborus foetidus, is one to look out for in the colder months. It has unique dropping cup-shaped pale green or yellowish flowers that stand out against dark green leaves.
The name Stinking Hellebore suggests that it’s one you might smell before you spot, but the scent is actually only released if the leaves are crushed.
Keep an eye out for Stinking Hellebore between February and April. It can be found in woodlands, on walls and roadside verges and is particularly fond of limestone-based soils.
While this plant is a beautiful one to watch out for, it is also one to be cautious around as every part of the plant is poisonous.
Read more about the Stinking Hellebore here.
While Daisies, Bellis perennis, might not really be a winter wildflower – National Daisy Day is actually on January 28, so we think they deserve to make the cut!
Daisies are a common sight in short grasslands and meadows, blooming between March and September. With spring officially starting on March 20, you can start to spot the first Daisies just as winter ends.
These pretty white and yellow flowers are not just one flower. They’re composite flowers, so each bloom is made up of over 100 flowers! Each petal is actually a flower and the yellow centre is hundreds of tiny little flowers too.
Read more about this unassuming but amazing wildflower here.
Winter Heliotrope, Petasites fragrans, is a winter wildflower you might have spotted before, but did you know its invasive?
It was originally introduced as a garden plant in 1806, for it’s pretty pink spikes of vanilla-scented flowers and large heart-shaped leaves. However the plant spreads underground and can spread quickly into carpet across the ground.
While it is an invasive plant, it does have some benefit as it provides both nectar and pollen to pollinators when not many other plants are yet in bloom.
It can be seen from December until March alongside streams, in verges, hedge banks and on waste land.
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.
Ever wondered how biodiverse meadows are made? Plantlife volunteers Andrew and Helen tell us about their own meadow story in Carmarthenshire.
Plantlife staff tested 10 plant identifying apps out on the field and picked 3 of the best for you to take out on your next wildflower hunt.
For a full dose of positivity take a look through our 2024 highlights. Let’s revisit the amazing ways we have helped protect nature for the future this year.
It’s the end of 2024, and we have been overloaded with news all year long. With so much going on in the world it can be overwhelming to try to look back and remember the positives. So, we’ve done the hard work for you! Here are some of our favourite nature news stories of positivity from the last 12 months.
The every day contributions that you make, all add up – and they make big changes for nature! Let’s look back and celebrate our shared achievements and look to how we can all take action to protect nature in 2025.
After not being seen in the wild in Wales since 1962, we led a trial reintroduction to bring back Rosy Saxifrage Saxifraga rosacea.
The trial marked a special moment for nature recovery. We used plants that had direct lineage to the 1962 specimens that once grew on the cliff edges of Eryri (Snowdonia). Maintained in cultivation for more than 60 years the plants are now flowering close to where they were last recorded decades ago.
We were so excited when it was announced that the Flow Country had been granted UNESCO World Heritage status. Deep within the peat-rich Flow Country lies our own Munsary Peatlands Nature Reserve.
This historic moment for nature in Scotland, is also a world first, as the Flow Country became the first ever peatland World Heritage Site.
The Flow Country now has the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
Back in June, we joined thousands of you, as well as fellow nature and climate charities in the peaceful Restore Nature Now march in London. The march called on all governments across the UK to take immediate action to protect and restore our wonderful wildlife.
With more than half of UK plant species in decline and 1 in 6 wildlife species at risk of extinction, our wildlife needs emergency action.
While there is still work to be done, the march highlighted how important nature is to people all over the UK. It helped to raise awareness of the plight of nature and push it to the forefront of our governments attention.
It gave us hope to see so many people passionate about this cause.
Watch our highlights video below to feel inspired!
We took to the streets of London to call for urgent action for nature.
You helped us create space for nature all over the UK! Thousands of you joined our annual No Mow May campaign.
From community spaces to big front lawns and mini meadows in window boxes every wild space counts. By managing our gardens and green spaces for nature through May and beyond, we can create enormous gains for nature, communities and the climate.
We’ve lost approximately 97%of flower-rich meadows since the 1930’s. This is why Plantlife calls for people to get involved with #NoMowMay every year, and let wild plants get a head start on the summer.
This year we helped to form the Alliance for Wales Rainforest. Made up of environmental charities and organisations, the Alliance is dedicated to protecting these rare habitats.
These magical forests host over 400 rare species of mosses, lichens, and wildlife, acting as biodiversity hotspots and natural carbon sinks.
One of the first pieces of work we completed together, was to publish the State of Wales Rainforest report. This report aims to draw attention to the temperate rainforest habitat, the threats that is facing and what can be done to protect it for the future.
Did you know that back in 2022, the UK’s horticultural industry got through 950,000 m³ of peat? Did you also know that peat takes a very long time to form? It grows at a rate of just 1mm per year! That’s almost one million years of peat used in just one.
Not only are peatlands an important habitat but they store huge amounts of carbon, which is released when peat is dug up.
That’s why we joined the call for the government and the horticultural industry to ban the use of peat in gardening and horticulture.
The Peat-free Partnership, a coalition of horticultural organisations and environment NGOs – including Plantlife, has sent a letter to Keir Starmer. This letter had more than 100 signatories including Chris Packham, B&Q, Co-op, Evergreen and many of our fellow eNGOs.
We led the first ever conservation attempt for One-flowered Wintergreen, Moneses uniflora, and it was a success!
The rare white flower has been in sharp decline. It is estimated that half of the UK population has been lost over the last 50 years. There’s only two known remaining patches in the Cairngorms National Park and as few as just seven populations in the whole country.
Along with our partners through our Cairngorms Rare Plants project we set out on a pioneering plan to boost it’s numbers. After surveying the site nine months after the translocation, we saw a 70% success rate– Project success lays the groundwork for a bright future for Scotland’s rare plant species
We are continuing our work with the species through our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World project. Follow our journey here.
This autumn we ran our annual Waxcap Watch campaign and our Forgotten Fungi Appeal. While both different, they both contributed to protecting the future of fungi – and so did you.
Through Waxcap Watch, you helped us to survey grassland fungi sites. Waxcaps are an indicator of rare, species-rich grasslands. So surveys that show us where these fragments of ancient meadows survive, help us to make sure they are protected for the future.
And thanks to your generous donations through our Forgotten Fungi Appeal, you’ve helped us to amplify the voices of the fungi kingdom.
Thanks to your generous support of our appeal, and a substantial grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we raised enough funds to extend our Ryewater Nature Reserve.
Your donations helped us to purchase an extra 4.45 acres of grassland which borders our nature reserve. The new land parcel needs major restoration work. We hope to start work in the summer as over the winter months the land is too wet and inaccessible. In the future this land will be managed in the same way as the rest of the site, to benefit wild plants, fungi and other species.
The existing Ryewater Farm reserve is made up of meadows, pasture and a beautiful strip of ancient woodland that runs steeply down to a stream. During the spring and into the summer, it’s awash with Common Spotted-orchid, Pignut and Yellow Rattle. The site is also rich in fungi and home to dormice and several protected bat species.
Far too often, the world’s wild plants have been forgotten and we’ve been calling to bring them to the forefront of global conservation efforts.
The adoption of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (and its 21 complementary plant conservation actions) in Cali, Colombia is a big step forward. It means a commitment to align plant conservation efforts with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which is an international agreement made up of ambitious goals and targets to combat biodiversity decline.
A Fungi Pledge was also put forward, and in a truly historic decision, COP 16 delegates agreed to create a special advisory board for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
Read more from our time at COP here.
Every day, our wild plants and fungi are put at risk from planning decisions, chemical sprays and more. Find out what you can do to help protect nature.
Far too often, the world’s wild plants have been relegated to the green background for more charismatic wildlife…but no more.We’re thrilled that the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation was adopted at COP16. Just returned from Cali, Colombia – our Global Advocacy Officer Claire Rumsey tells us more.
As the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) came to a close in the early hours on Sunday morning, we were thrilled to hear the news that the new Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was officially adopted.
The adoption of the GSPC (and its 21 complementary plant conservation actions) in Cali, Colombia is a big step forward. It means a commitment to align plant conservation efforts with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which is an international agreement made up of ambitious goals and targets to combat biodiversity decline. This includes updating the GSPC with specific indicators and a standardized reporting template, ensuring that progress in plant conservation is measurable and consistent with global biodiversity targets.
A Fungi Pledge was also put forward, which we were absolutely thrilled about. The pledge, lunched at a side event by the UK and Chilean Governments proposed that the CBD introduce a ‘fungal conservation pledge’ to better prioritise fungi in global conservation strategies.
This is great news for fungi. We are starting to see much more profile and attention given to the fungus kingdom and we will be seeking opportunities to work with the fungus community to build on this momentum.
In a truly historic decision, COP 16 delegates agreed to create a special advisory board for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
This means that the voices and knowledge of IPLCs will be an integral part of the future of biodiversity and nature conservation decision-making.
Pre-COP there was general acknowledgement that this COP must strengthen the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who are “the world’s great guardians of biodiversity, luminaries of sustainable use”. And this decision, has done just that!
This COP had big shoes to fill, being the first one since the landmark KMGBF was adopted in Montreal in December 2022, hailed the Paris Agreement for Biodiversity.
There was more interest than has ever been seen in a Biodiversity COP; we were among a whopping 23,000 other registered delegates, the High-level Segment was attended by six Heads of State, more than 130 Ministers and Vice Ministers, and over 70 leaders of international organisations.
And, staying true to its title of ‘the people’s COP’, for the first time ever in a CBD COP there was a Green Zone (differing from the Blue Zone where the negotiations take place), located in the centre of Cali, constituting an open fair for biodiversity, and attracting around 40,000 people daily. This felt like the true COP, vibrant, full of energy and lots of public engagement with the stalls and activities. Check out our video here.
Our week was (as you’d expect) lots of non-stop talking about plants, fungi and biodiversity. At the conference itself, we shared a booth with Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI) creating a hub for discussions of all things plants (and fungi).
We were there, to quite literally wave our (pink!) flags for plants and fungi, and the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC). It was very busy and incredibly worthwhile.
Another common thread of the COP was the implementation of a ‘whole of society’ approach to conservation, which we at Plantlife have been encouraging for years. This, for us specifically meant emphasis that it is not the sole responsibility of botanists and botanic gardens to speak up for plants (in the form of these new actions), but all different sectors – the farmers, the foresters, the businesses, IPLCs, national and global NGOs.
We had fruitful and fascinating conversations with new and old friends including New York Botanic Garden, IUCN’s Reverse the Red, Key Biodiversity Areas, the Crop Trust and the IUCN’s Global Species Action Plan. And we connected with people from Mexico, Nepal, California, Switzerland, and Ruth Davies popped in to say hello as the new UK Nature Envoy (a former Plantlife employee and still a big Plantlife fan!).
Our Director of Conservation, Nicola spoke at the GSPC side event about how these new plant conservation actions will contribute not only to the implementation of the KMGBF, but also multiple other UN frameworks and global policies. It was clear this is a moment for plants!
Now that we’re back and the GSPC has been formally adopted, we can follow-up on the numerous connections we made, continuing to strengthen and grow our global network.
We will continue to advocate for the GSPC, particularly beyond the botanical garden world, so that we widen the understanding of the value and relevance of the plant actions and push for a broader societal to apply the actions within their own programmes and activities. Our aim is to make information more accessible and useful and to help bridge the gap from the science to conservation action on the ground.
Currently, a list of threatened and range-restricted plant species is being refined in New Guinea as part of the Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPA's) project (2022-2024).
In Mozambique 57 IPA's have been identified, which is being used as focus for the Tropical Important Plant Areas team.
Here we delve into this mind-boggling realm to discover ten of weirdest, wackiest and most wonderful facts from the world of fungi!
There at least five kingdoms in our living world, including; animals, plants, fungi, protists, and the prokaryotes (which includes bacteria). While the animal and plant kingdoms are well known, fungi are often overlooked – but the world of fungi is fascinating! And they’re all around us. A network of fungi runs through the earth in every continent and can even be found in our seas.
Here we explore more of this incredible kingdom to share our passion for all things fungi. From a distant ancestral connection to how some fungi can survive on radioactive sites – read on for 10 wild, wacky and wonderful facts about the world of fungi!
Known as the Humungous Fungus, a single Armillaria organism, found in Oregon, is approximately 931 square hectares!
The fungus is measured including its network of mycelium that run underground, so much of the mass cannot be seen. While it’s unlikely you’ll come across anything of quite that size, there are some pretty big fungi you might find on your doorstep.
For instance, another fungus species, the Giant Puffball Calvatia gigantea (shown in the illustration below) produces large, round fruiting bodies that can be seen above ground. They’re certainly hard to miss, as they can grow up to 80cms in diameter (outside of the UK, they have been known to grow as big as 1.5m). They can grow to such a size that on occasion, people have mistaken them for sheep in a field!
Fungi is a kingdom all of its own, so we don’t want to mistake it for being a plant or animal. That said, while you might expect that these interesting organisms are more closely related to plants – the opposite is true. Fungi share a common ancestor with the animal kingdom, which includes humans, dating back around 1 billion years. [1]
While that may seem an incomprehensible length of time, it might not be in the world of fungi. We don’t have conclusive evidence of how old fungi can be. Research suggests that some of the fungi on our planet today, have been alive for thousands of years.
The ‘Humungous Fungus’ is estimated to be between 1,900 and 8,650 years old! [2] Which means there could be living fungi that were present when the Vikings landed in the UK, when the Romans ruled and even when Stonehenge was erected.
Fungi might be a common feature on your breakfast plate, or in a bowl of pasta – but there are many other foods that contain fungi, which might surprise you.
Did you know that bread, beer, wine and some cheeses all include types of fungi? Yeast-forming fungi are an essential ingredient in the processes to make them and there are many different species, the most common of which is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used in brewing and making bread.
As far as we know today there are more than 2,000 species of edible fungi in the world. [3] These range from the popular Button and Chestnut Mushrooms Agaricus bisporus to the mycoprotein that makes up the meat substitute Quorn. And they are becoming even more popular with Lion’s Mane Hericium erinaceus being added to some coffees and fungi being used to help ferment cacao beans to make chocolate!
That’s right, fungi aren’t just contained to your kitchen, you can probably find them all around house from your wardrobe to your medicine cabinet and even your beauty bag.
One common example of fungi used in medicine is Penicillin, the first antibiotic, which was derived from Penicillium mould. Other fungi produce compounds that are used to treat diseases like cancer, high cholesterol and even organ transplant rejection.
In the beauty industry mushrooms are becoming a common feature of skincare products as many have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They have even been trialled as a renewable replacement for dyes in cosmetics.
Fungal enzymes are also used in the processing and production of a variety of products including paper, leather, cotton and biofuels – and generally they replace harsher chemicals in these processes.
Fungi are essential for the nutrient cycles of the planet by acting as natural decomposers for organic matter. This means that as plants die, fungi help to break them down. In fact fungi are the only group of organisms that can break down plant cell walls.
But research suggests that fungi could also break down other substances, in a process which could be used to clean our planet. Mycoremediation, is a process that uses fungi to break down substances that cause pollution.
This process can be seen in action in places like the Amazon rainforest where local landowners are using these techniques to rid the ground of crude oil contamination.
Currently researchers are also using fungi to create filters to clean water. They’ve even found a species called Aspergillus tubingensis, which can break down plastics! [4]
And five years after the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, the fungi Cryptococcus neoformans, was found feeding on radiation. [5] Scientists are now exploring the possibilities of this incredible fungus, looking at whether its abilities could help protect astronauts from radiation in space.
Bioluminescence is a phenomenon where a living organism is able to produce and emit light. You might have seen this trait in fireflies in the sky or algae in the water, but more than 70 types of fungi can also glow in the dark. [6]
Some of these fascinating fungi that can be found around the world include Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare (pictured on the right, in the daytime), Jack-O’Lantern Mushroom Omphalotus olearius, and Little Ping-Pong Bats Panellus pusillus.
You can even find some of these luminescent fungi in the UK – though they are rarer and weaker here than in other parts of the world.
While plants have long been heralded for their ability to store carbon, they are not the only organisms capable of doing so.
Fungi help break down organic material, using the carbon recycled by plants, and store this carbon as mycelium underground. This process helps lock atmospheric carbon in the soil, as well as releasing other nutrients into the soil which can help plants grow.
Scientists estimate that fungi could be storing up to 13.12 billion metric tons of carbon annually! [7]
We might still be finding new and exciting ways to benefit from fungi today, but our ancestors paved the way.
Most notably, a number of harvested fungi were found in the bag of Otzi ‘The Iceman’. Otzi’s mummified remains were discovered on the Italian-Austrian border in 1991. He had different species of fungi with him, though the intended uses of these cannot be known. Otzi is estimated to have been alive between 3350 and 3105 BC, meaning humans have been connected to fungi for at least 5,000 years!
While we tend to think of fungi in that stereotypical umbrella form, they can come in a variety of different sizes and shapes – including some pretty impressive lookalikes!
Take the Jelly Ear Fungus Auricularia auricula – a common fungus that you can often find on decaying or dead Elder. This odd fungus gets its name because it looks and feels, almost completely like a human ear!
Then there’s Dead Man’s Fingers Xylaria polymorpha! Just about as creepy visually as it sounds. The fruiting bodies are long and club shaped, and could easily be mistaken for a hand poking up out of the soil.
Finally, a much less scary lookalike, is the Bird’s Nest Fungus Crucibulum laeve – named because it’s fruiting body almost perfectly resembles a tiny bird’s nest filled with eggs! When it rains, drops splash into the nest shape and knock out one of the little discs, which contain the spores, helping them to spread.
OK, it’s all relative – you’re not going to find a mushroom that brings out the blue skies or creates a thunderstorm over your town. But there is research to suggest that some species, including Shitake Lentinula edodes and Oyster Mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus could create their own mini weather systems. [8]
The science behind this phenomenon is evaporative cooling. Mushrooms release water, which evaporates in the warm air, turning into water vapour. The water vapour then cools the air, which sinks and the warm air in turn rises. As the air moves it creates a small breeze, probably not one that we would notice – but it’s enough for the fungi.
Even a whisper of a breeze can help to disperse the tiny spores and spread them over a larger distance. This trick is especially helpful on hot days where there isn’t any wind to assist.
Fungi underpin the health of our environment and are key to resolving the climate, ecological and societal challenges we face. Your donation could help increase understanding of fungi and get them the support they need.
Chris Jones, the Warden of Kenfig National Nature Reserve, recently found the very rare fungus, during a routine survey.
Fungi are one of our most fascinating creations, and best of all, they are right under our noses – perfect for children to spot.
Britain’s waxcap grasslands are considered to be the best in Europe. Discover the pressures these colourful fungi and their habitats face…
Horticultural businesses, major retailers and NGOs have come together to call on the government to legislate to end peat sales.
We are calling on the government and the horticultural industry to end the use of peat in gardening and horticulture.
Peatlands continue to be devastated by the commercial extraction of peat, which has knock-on effects on wildlife, carbon stores, flood risk and water quality.
The Peat-free Partnership, a coalition of horticultural organisations and environment NGOs – including Plantlife, has sent a letter to Keir Starmer calling for an end to peat sales.
The letter has more than 100 signatories including Chris Packham, B&Q, Co-op, Evergreen and many of our fellow eNGOs.
Visit the Peat-free Partnership
Peatlands are home to some of the UK’s most distinctive plant communities. Diverse organisms have evolved in response to the low-nutrient conditions which has led to some remarkable adaptations, like the insect-eating sundews and butterworts, and the spongy blankets of colourful sphagnum mosses.
Peatlands are also one of our most important terrestrial carbon sinks. But, when bogs are drained or the peat is exploited, the peat is 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.
Other plants to find in peatlands, such as Plantlife’s Munsary reserve in Scotland, include cotton grasses, bog asphodel, rare sedges, cuckooflower, marsh violet, marsh cinquefoil and marsh willowherb. These support a range of butterflies, dragonflies and birds, including snipe and curlews, merlins and skylarks.
Read more here.
Nicola Hutchinson, Director of Conservation, Plantlife, the host organisation for the Peat-free Partnership, said: “There is overwhelming support for the ban on the sale of peat – with major retailers, the horticultural industry, MPs, conservation charities and 95% of the public backing a fully peat-free, sustainable UK horticultural industry.
“We’ve been talking about this for too long. We’re calling on the government to act now. Let’s legislate and keep peat in the ground and out of our gardens.”
There are many ways you can support this campaign at home in your garden or online:
Agricultural grasslands dominate Wales’ rural landscape. Finding ways to restore species-rich habitats to farms is a priority for Plantlife Cymru.
We will keep you updated by email about our work, news, campaigning, appeals and ways to get involved. We will never share your details and you can opt out at any time. Read our Privacy Notice.
