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Plantlife’s No Mow May Movement is back for 2026 – help nature and let your lawn grow this May and beyond!
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We know that No Mow May benefits biodiversity including our pollinators – but did you know that not mowing can also be a huge benefit to amphibians like frogs?
Here, Froglife joins us to give their top No Mow May top tips and insights, including how not mowing can help, what species to spot and where you might find them.
No Mow May encourages people to let grass grow and wildflowers bloom during May and beyond.
While best known for helping pollinators, it also creates important habitats for amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts, as well as reptiles like slow worms and grass snakes.
Amphibians depend on damp environments because their skin dries out easily. Short, regularly mown lawns can become hot and dry, making them unsuitable. Allowing grass to grow helps retain moisture and creates cooler, shaded conditions.
Longer grass also provides:
This makes gardens and green spaces safer places for reptiles and amphibians to feed, rest and move through.
Common species that benefit include:
You may even be lucky enough to see great crested newts!
Reptiles such as slow worms and grass snakes may also use longer grass for cover, hunting and temperature regulation.
Amphibians often breed in ponds, but, like reptiles, they spend much of their lives on land. Both species can be found in:
People without gardens can still support wildlife by encouraging less mowing in shared spaces or supporting local initiatives.
No Mow May and the wider Movement benefits whole ecosystems. Longer grass and wildflowers increase insect numbers, providing food for reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife.
Healthier habitats also support pollinators, improve soil quality and create more balanced food webs. Reptiles and amphibians are good indicators of environmental health, so supporting them benefits a wide range of species.
Extending No Mow May into summer and beyond brings even greater benefits.
Different stages of amphibian and reptile life cycles depend on longer vegetation:
Maintaining a mix of habitats, long grass, shorter paths, and features like log piles, supports more wildlife than a neatly mown lawn.
No Mow May is a simple way to make gardens and shared spaces more wildlife-friendly. Continuing these practices beyond May helps create connected habitats across urban and rural areas.
Even small changes can make a difference, helping frogs, toads, newts snakes and lizards survive and thrive alongside people.
Plantlife’s No Mow Movement is here – let’s let it grow for nature! Pledge to take part today and get a FREE No Mow May guide.
It’s one of the easiest ways to connect with wildlife and the perfect way to start supporting nature in your garden (in May and beyond!).
We’re know that No Mow May benefits biodiversity and our pollinators – but did you know that not mowing can also be a huge benefit to amphibians like frogs?
It’s not just wildflowers which benefit from not mowing our lawns this May. Pollinators and other wildlife bring our gardens to life!
There are so many benefits to taking part in the No Mow Movement. From helping wildflowers and grasses to grow freely, providing food for pollinators, habitat for wildlife and helping to tackle the changing climate.
We're not the only ones who love all the benefits of No Mow May! Here, the Butterfly Conservation joins us to give their top 5 species to look out for in your No Mow Movement area.
As well as bringing back the bloom to our lawns, there are many ways you can get involved with No Mow May, even if you don’t have a garden.
Join us for a deep dive into your spring lawn and learn everything you need to know about how to prep for the best No Mo May!
This exciting new project will create more possibilities to save Twinflower populations.
We have teamed up with partners including the RSPB to build a brand new plant nursery in the Cairngorms in the hope of saving a rare and iconic little plant, Twinflower Linnaea borealis.
Once found all over the Highlands, Twinflower is now considered ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
In fact it is thought there are fewer than 800 individual plants left in the UK, with most clinging on to fragmented patches of Scots Pinewood in the Cairngorms.
Sadly, clearance of these native woodlands, in particular in the early 1900s, resulted in severe losses of the species. And continued habitat loss and changes in woodland management have left the remaining Twinflower patches isolated and declining.
Plantlife has been leading a community of partners in pioneering restoration. We have been working on Twinflower over the past few years, advising on the management of its home, the pinewoods of Scotland, and performing careful translocations to support cross-pollination.
Remaining patches of Twinflower survive in fragmented habitats, which means that the plants are unable to cross-pollinate. One way to help with this issue is through translocations, a process used in conservation which involves moving an organism to a new location, where it will hopefully survive and thrive.
Through our Cairngorms Rare Plants Project, more than 1,000 Twinflower cuttings were moved or reinforced across 10 new sites to boost reproduction and help the species recover.
Now, we have teamed up with the RSPB Scotland to take the next step by creating a Twinflower nursery.
This exciting new nursery is being built on the site of a former tennis court at RSPB Abernethy Forest and volunteers have played a vital role.
Work started in late 2025, with volunteers helping to build nursery beds and prepare the site. And this spring, their hard work paid off, with the first young Twinflowers planted in April 2026.
This haven will see young plants reared in a safe setting before being moved out into suitable habitats in the wild.
There’s currently a total of 26 nursery beds that are full of growing Twinflower – but the aim is to have all 98 beds completed and filled in a few years time. This will help with the longer-term goal of being able to complete 150 translocations by 2040.
“We’re passionate about saving Scotland’s rare and endangered species and this exciting project, in partnership with Plantlife Scotland, will provide the opportunity to strengthen the abundance of this much-loved plant at Abernethy Forest and support its restoration in other forests so that it can thrive once again. We are grateful to Net Zero Scotland’s #NatureRestorationFund, managed by NatureScot for supporting their work.”
The beautiful Twinflower has two pink bell-like flowers on a slender stem, and a thicker stem below which creeps along the ground, forming small mats of the plant.
An aerial view looking down at the Twinflower Nursery site.
Volunteers worked hard building large plant nursery beds from wooden sleepers.
Volunteers also prepared the site of the new Twinflower nursery.
We have led what is considered to be the very first translocation of an epiphytic moss in Scotland to help save the species.
Join us as we take a look back at what went right for nature in 2025.
Thanks to Training to ID a rare moss species, numbers at one site where it is found in Scotland, tripled in just one afternoon!
The peat-rich Flow Country, which our Munsary Peatlands are part of, has been given the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
Discover the activities and work that our volunteers in the Cairngorms do with Sam Jones of the Rare Plants and Wild Connections Project.
There are so many benefits to taking part in the No Mow Movement.
From helping wildflowers and grasses to grow freely, providing food for pollinators, habitat for wildlife and helping to tackle the changing climate. Read on to find out how your wilder patch is helping.
The No Mow May campaign started, primarily because of the significant loss of species-rich grassland across the UK in the last century. With more than 23 million gardens in the UK, we saw an opportunity. If lawns and green spaces could be left to grow they could recreate pockets of mini meadows.
We’ve seen wildlife thriving in No Mow areas – from bees feeding on pollen, amphibians sheltering in the longer grass, mammals thriving in the new habitat and stunning wildflowers being allowed to bloom freely.
Also, it’s super easy to take part – sign up, stop mowing, sit back and let it grow!
Did you know a No Mow patch where the wildflowers and grasses have been allowed to grow in May and beyond can help combat climate change? Not to mention, these spaces can provide vital refuge for wildlife during our changing climate.
By mowing less, the number of grass and wildflower species gradually increase over time. This creates a more varied soil structure and more biomass in and above the soil. This helps to lock away more carbon than a plain grass lawn, that might only have a few species in total.
Many studies have also shown that an increase in plant diversity may greatly increase the amount of carbon that can be stored and the rate at which this happens. [1]
In fact, species-rich grasslands are very important carbon sinks. It’s not just peat bogs and woodlands that need protection for their role in tackling climate change.
It’s also important to remember that by simply mowing yes, you are also helping to do your bit for the environment. Now that you’re caring for your garden with nature in mind, you might only need to mow paths or play areas on a regular basis – rather than your whole garden.
This also saves time, so you can sit and admire the gently swaying grass and hear the hum of busy insects instead!
At the end of the summer, you can continue to mow your lawn as normal. However, you might find that the grass grows less vigorously year on year, requiring less time mowing in the long run too.
Leaving longer grass in your garden or green space can also help to cool larger urban areas. Grassy areas left to grow are crucial in an urban environment – not only for our wellbeing, but also for regulating local environmental temperatures.
Urban green spaces can help to cool cities and are also able to influence the surrounding area. This phenomenon is called the urban green space cooling effect [2]
If grasslands within green spaces (lawns, parks, playing fields etc) can also be managed to have more vegetation and a mix of grass lengths, these benefits can be increased.
A study in 2021 showed that increasing plant structural complexity and/or diversity (meadow areas, hedges etc) increases heat mitigation and habitat for invertebrate biodiversity compared with regularly mown lawns management. [3]
So, whilst you sit and relax amid your No Mow area, take a moment to think about the increased resilience your lawn now has when faced with our increasingly dry and hot summers.
The summer of 2025 was extremely hot and dry for most parts of the UK, particularly the east of England. Many lawns turned yellow-brown early in the season and were slow to recover.
However, anyone doing No Mow May into June and July would have found their grass was much healthier and still green at the base. These areas were noticeably cooler too, providing much needed shelter from the sun for many creatures, pets and humans alike!
To help tackle climate change from your garden or green space, pledge to take part in the No Mow Movement.
[1] G.B.De Deyn et al, 2010
[2] F. Aram et al, 2019
[3] X. W. Francoeur et al, 2021
We’re not the only ones who love all the benefits of No Mow May!
Here, the Butterfly Conservation joins us to give their top 5 species to look out for in your No Mow Movement area.
May has arrived and with it, sunshine, blooms and busy butterflies looking to complete their lifecycles.
Butterfly Conservation research shows that allowing patches of grass to grow long can boost butterfly numbers by up to 93%, so taking part in No Mow May, as well as things like planting sources of nectar and avoiding pesticides, can all help create a welcoming space for butterflies to thrive.
But which butterflies might you spot in your garden and local green spaces this month?
This beautifully patterned brown and cream butterfly flies from April to October and likes to bask in sunny spots.
It’s a fan of gardens and, if you’ve got a long lawn, you might also spot its vivid green caterpillars, which like to munch on grass.
The Orange-tip only flies for a short time between April and June, so May is an ideal time to get out and spot one. Look out for a flash of orange on the tip of the wings of the males (lending it its name) or a black tip for the females.
Orange-tips also have a beautiful speckled green pattern on their underwings which help to tell them apart from other white butterflies which fly at this time of year.
The Red Admiral is a familiar garden favourite that can be seen in almost any month of the year – even December!
It has striking, orange-red wings and a powerful flight which make it hard to miss but sometimes difficult to get a proper look at.
One of the UK’s most distinctive butterflies, the Peacock has bright and colourful wings with bold ‘eye-spots’ on them which it uses to ward off predators.
However, despite its showy upperwings, with its wings closed, it looks like a dead leaf – you’ll have to keep a careful eye out to spot it.
The Holly Blue is a small, powdery blue butterfly with a delicate flight.
In May, you might spot it flying high around bushes and trees, particularly Holly bushes, which it lays its eggs on in spring.
We think blossom is one of the best things about spring – so join us on a deep dive to discover the different types and how to identify them.
Spring has sprung, and with it, pretty petals of blossom are turning our trees into clouds of pink and white.
But what is it, where can you spot it and how can you tell which is which?
Join us as we take a deep dive to discover Britain’s beautiful blossoms!
Essentially blossoms are flowers, but the difference botanically is that blossoms refer specifically to the flowers of fruiting trees.
These trees include species like Cherry and Apple which you might have in your garden or spot at a local community orchard. It also includes trees such as Rowan, Hawthorn and Blackthorn which you can spot in hedgerows, scrubland and woodlands across the UK.
These flowers are the beginning of the tree’s reproduction. The more blossoms that are pollinated in the spring, the more fruit the tree will produce.
The good news is that many blossom trees are quite common.
One of the best places to visit is orchards where can you spot lots of fruit trees together –you could even volunteer at your local community orchard to give back to nature and your neighbours. Local parks are also great, places like Greenwich Park in London or the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland typically have great displays.
But it’s also worth keeping your eyes out on walks or when you’re in the car. Native trees can pop up along roadsides, in hedgerows and woodlands, so you can spot some of the most beautiful blossoms in the most unexpected places.
It depends on which blossom you’re looking for, but generically speaking these stunning floral shows can be enjoyed from late February right the way through until early June.
The exact bloom times depend on the season, weather and temperature, but Blackthorn can usually be seen from February to March. Hawthorn and Crab Apples can be spotted from April to May, and Rowan from May to June.
Here we’re going to take a closer look at a few of our most beautiful native blossoms which can look quite similar – Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Cherry Plum.
Firstly looking at Cherry Plum, the bark of an adult plant is dark grey and new growth is green and hairless. The sepals of the flowers bend backwards away from the petals – this is known as being ‘reflexed’. The flowers are also around 20mm wide, whereas the Blackthorn and Hawthorn are both smaller at around 10 – 12mm.
Hawthorn and Blackthorn both have similarities too. Their trees produce pale creamy flowers in the spring, which each have 5 petals. Though Hawthorn blossom petals are more rounded than Blackthorn.
One great way to tell the blossoms apart is that Blackthorn starts flowering before its leaves appear and Hawthorn flowers after.
Looking at the two trees, Hawthorn is a common tree that is found in woodlands, hedgerows and scrub. Like the name suggests, its branches are thorned, but they’re much smaller than the thorns found on Blackthorn. Hawthorn’s bark is a grey to brown colour. It flowers from April until May, which is slightly later than Blackthorn, though they can overlap.
Blackthorn on the other hand, which can be found in the same habitats, has darker bark and larger sharp thorns. It flowers from February to March, which is slightly earlier, though as mentioned above, they can overlap.
The Blossoms of our native trees are great for pollinators. Blackthorn for example, with its earlier flowering time is a great food source for early spring butterflies such as Small Tortoiseshell.
We’re sure you’ll agree that blossom is one of the best things about spring. So keep an eye out and feel free to share your beautiful photos with us by tagging us on social media.
Join us on a journey to discover the Daisy – from fun facts to folklore!
Join us to delve into the secrets of creating a bright, blooming, buzzing lawn, from when to sow, to how to prep the land.
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.
As I look back on what I have done in my internship to date one key moment stands out to me: walking through Edinburgh towards one specific building. Which building? The Scottish Parliament Building to talk to Members of Scottish Parliament about a nature-related Bill I had coordinated Plantlife’s response for. It was my first time in Edinburgh, my first time in parliament and my first time talking to a member of parliament. I went through the airport-style security equal parts nervous and excited. I sat down with my colleagues in the parliament café with my hand-written notes in front of me ready to plan and was struck with the realisation that I was about to do some real advocacy. This is what I had wanted to do for so long. I just remember thinking ‘how did I end up here?
A lot of conservation jobs are focused on the ecological and practical aspects of this sector. Whilst I am no stranger to getting knee deep in the hands-on side of things, I knew that I wanted to try out taking my career down a different avenue. As many people will know who are in the conservation sector, that is a lot easier said than done.
I knew that I wanted to get into the policy and advocacy space. In a previous role I had been exposed to what policy work could look like and although it was not part of my job then, it made me realise that I wanted to have a go. How could being directly involved in action for nature not sound appealing? However, for someone just beginning their career, it seemed like quite an elusive and somewhat unreachable option.
My early-career journey before joining Plantlife was neither plant-based or policy related. A good start, I know. Upon finishing my Masters in Conservation Biology I landed my first internship assessing the impact of an international trade-related project. I learnt a huge amount about commodity trade, assessing project impact and working in a project environment. Following this, my next role was a short-term contract as a Research Assistant at a Spanish Research Institute. So, for the next few months I lived in Seville and went all-in on the impacts of linear infrastructure (i.e. roads, railways) on biodiversity.
Like (almost) every early-career starter in conservation, I used volunteering to boost my skills and experience. Neither of my prior two roles are directly related to policy or advocacy, despite me knowing this is something I wanted to try out. Instead, I looked for a part-time volunteer role to try and fill this curiosity gap of mine. It must have been fate or something similar because the first time I looked online for roles after this decision, I saw a volunteer role at Plantlife. I applied, was successful, and started volunteering with Plantlife as a Political Advocacy Volunteer. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Roughly six months into my volunteering, and towards the end of my time in Spain, the Policy and Advocacy Intern role was posted. I applied, interviewed twice, completed a task and was ultimately successful.
What does policy and advocacy work look like for a conservation charity? Is it more than just talking to politicians and criticising government policies for harming nature? These are questions I asked myself as I tried to work out what my internship might entail over the Christmas before I started.
What I have come to learn is that the policy and advocacy space is quite multifaceted. Working as part of the Policy and Advocacy Team to support, plan and deliver on our work across Plantlife’s focus areas has led me to work in a variety of areas. My role is a fun mixture of everything from building relationships, event organisation, communications, research, project planning, campaign action and policy consultations and advocating to politicians. I have been lucky enough to attend a mass lobby in Westminster to talk to my MP about the importance of nature, specifically the need for a Grasslands Action Plan and legislation to ban peat sales. I also got to visit Scottish Parliament to talk to MSPs (Members of Scottish Parliament) about the Natural Environment Bill going through the Scottish Parliament at the moment.
If you’re interested in finding out more about a career at Plantlife, keep an eye on our Careers page for the latest opportunities.
I have really enjoyed seeing my work contributing to the political advocacy space for nature conservation. Despite my previous jobs not being directly related to policy, advocacy or plants and fungi, I still found them useful in working in this space. Working for the conservation and protection of nature, especially plants and fungi which are often overlooked, has been incredibly insightful.
I have found internships to be a great way to get into the conservation field and try out different aspects of it. They give me the opportunity to develop both in my career, and personally. I am the third person to fill this year-long internship role, and I feel lucky to work at an organisation like Plantlife that cares and caters to my development and the development of others in their early career. I’m also grateful to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for funding these internships, as being able to get experience in the policy and advocacy space in my early career has been so eye opening. I feel much more confident in my work, and I am sure this opportunity will be useful in what I do next.
Growers, NGOs, environmentalists and the public stand together urging the government to act to stop the destruction of peatlands
From citizen science, to volunteering and from making space for nature to forging a deeper connection with it – conservation is for everyone.
From citizen science and volunteering, to making space for nature and forging a deeper connection with it – conservation is for everyone.
Nature needs our help. The UK’s plant species are in decline, and 1 in 6 wildlife species are at risk of extinction.
But, there is so much hope. We have been involved in a number of projects that have brought species back from extinction, helped protect species on the edge and encouraged thousands to let their lawns grow wild for nature. And the good news is, everyone can help.
Whether you’re a landowner or someone without a garden – there are ways for everyone to get involved.
Within the world of conservation there are many ways to volunteer your time, and we have opportunities out in the field, or even from home. We currently have a team of dedicated volunteers that support us with conservation work, botanical surveys, through photography and on our website – there’s something for everyone.
Hear from our volunteer Jane in the video below, and find out more about volunteering with us here.
And of course you don’t have to volunteer through us, there are many other charities in the conservation sector you could opt for.
We have a number of opportunities for citizen scientists. Our annual Waxcap Watch for example is a great way to get involved. The campaign encourages everyone from mycologists and fungi enthusiast to beginners, to get out in search of bright beautiful waxcap fungi. Waxcaps are an indicator of rare, species-rich grassland. Knowing where waxcaps and other grassland fungi are thriving helps us pinpoint where fragments of ancient meadows survive, so we can protect them for the future.
Then there is also the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, a partnership between Plantlife and BSBI, UKCEH, and the JNCC, which encourages people to conduct surveys twice a year to provide data that helps us study the abundance and diversity of plants over time.
You don’t need a botanical background to get started. as there are different levels to choose from, with beginners asked to record just 10 to 15 common and easily identifiable species at each plot.Find out more on our website here.
There’s so many ways you can implement care for nature into your day to day life – here’s some of our favourite ways to get started:
Whether it’s by spending a virtual minute in a meadow with our video below, or heading to your local nature reserve – connecting with nature is so important.
The health of nature and our own health and wellbeing are intrinsically linked. There are countless studies that show the benefits time in nature can have – from lower stress levels, to improved mood and mental health.
For more ideas, visit our Explore the Outdoors page here and discover more of the magical world of wild plants and fungi.
Every day, our wild plants and fungi are put at risk from planning decisions, chemical sprays and more. But hope is not lost. If you see nature in danger, there are a number of things that you can do to help protect the plants and fungi in your community.
From being aware of the species in your area and helping to record them, to raising any concerns with your local planning authority or elected councillors – you can help stand up for wildlife.
Read our guide here to stand up for nature.
We know that nature can help boost our wellbeing, but it can also improve connection to our communities.
One way to share the love of nature is to start a community meadow. Not only will you encourage more plant and animal wildlife to your local area, but you can enjoy time outdoors, make new friends and share the importance of nature.
Community meadows can help pollinators, store carbon, provide green spaces for everyone to enjoy and tackle biodiversity loss.
Read our guide on how to start a community meadow here.
Agricultural grasslands dominate Wales’ rural landscape. Finding ways to restore species-rich habitats to farms is a priority for Plantlife Cymru.
Chris Jones, the Warden of Kenfig National Nature Reserve, recently found the very rare fungus, during a routine survey.
Plantlife and WWF study on grassland demonstrate how wild plants and fungi are at the heart of climate crisis. Calling world governments to recognise sites for wild plants and fungi
At Plantlife, we are leading the way in temperate rainforest research, restoration and celebration.
Dripping with lichens, spongey mosses cushioning the frequent sound of rain and trees towering up from a forest floor covered in ferns – the temperate rainforest is a magnificent place.
Did you know the temperate rainforest is one of the rarest habitats on Earth? We’ve already lost nearly all of our rainforests. Now it’s up to all of us to secure their future, before they’re gone forever.
Read on to find out how we are protecting these incredible habitats, as well as the vast array of species that call them home.
We’ve joined up in partnership with landowners, environmental charities and organisations to bring our skills and knowledge together and protect these incredible forests for the future.
We work in partnership in all of our rainforest projects – but we’re proud to have major roles in alliances in Scotland and Wales.
We are part of the Alliance for Wales’ Rainforest. Here we work in collaboration to highlight how important the rainforests of Wales are, as well as helping work towards the forests being positively managed.
Almost a year ago, in December 2024, our findings were a major contributor to the State of Wales’ Rainforest report, which was launched in the Senedd. This helped to raise awareness at the highest level.
These findings are now helping to formulate the work that is currently being undertaken in Wales’ rainforests.
We have been part of the Alliance for Scotlands’ Rainforest since it formed in 2017. Over the past 8 years, the Alliance has done great work, much of it led by Plantlife.
By 2023, we had collectively created 7 rainforest projects, launched guidance on public engagement and community involvement and raised awareness of these incredible habitats.
The Alliance has only grown in strength and numbers since it’s launch, and includes 25 partner organisations. There is now a total of 11 Focus Projects covering more than 300,000 hectares, which is about 15% of the entire rainforest zone.
The goal moving forwards is ambitious – to restore all of Scotland’s rainforest, and double it’s size by 2045.
We’re working from the tip of Cornwall to the top of Cumbria raising awareness, providing rainforest management training, addressing threats and protecting our precious species.
Funded by Natural England’s Species Recovery Capital Grant Scheme, we are working across Devon and Cornwall to protect temperate rainforests and help some of the very rare and threatened species that call them home.
The work includes halo thinning, glade creation and Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) control to create and improve habitat conditions and help different species.
We are also working in partnership on the Rainforest Restoration Project, which aims to increase the quality and resilience of temperate rainforests across the northwest and southwest of England.
Through this project, our aim is to inspire people to love and care for the rainforest – through outreach, training events and sharing practical advice on woodland management.
Find out more about the temperate rainforest here.
The UK’s precious, prehistoric rainforests are dangerously close to extinction due to invasive species, pollution and disease. But we cannot afford to lose them.
Will you join the national movement of people saving our magnificent rainforests? Please donate to rescue UK rainforests from extinction.
The UK is a rainforest nation and there are communities within these rainforests, but they are becoming less sustainable for the people that live there due to a lack of jobs and affordable housing. And rainforest projects to restore and expand the habitat, can’t be done without people.
Through our work in Scotland, we are a partner organisation of the Our Rainforest Futures Project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Through the project we are working to help bring new jobs, skills and knowledge-sharing to rainforest communities.
Through a process called translocation, we have been involved in saving rare species, including those found in our temperate rainforests.
Translocation is a process where a plant, or in this case a lichen, is taken, either from an inhospitable environment, a nursery where it has been propagated or a thriving population, and moved to a suitable location for them to thrive.
Deep in the heart of the rainforest in the Lake District, we discovered 2 locally rare lichen species at risk, as they were growing on an Ash tree infected with Ash Dieback.
Our experts translocated some of the lichen from the infected Ash tree to a nearby Hazel tree. Read the full story here.
There are a number of threats to this rare habitat – and one, you might recognise.
Rhododendron, Rhododendron ponticum, which is a popular woody plant for gardens, famed for its bright, large flowers, is an invasive non-native species, and its spread through our woodlands and temperate rainforests is causing untold damage.
Rhododendron produces lots of flowers, and each one of them can produce up to 7,000 seeds! These seeds spread from gardens and into habitats such as the temperate rainforest. And it’s not the only way Rhododendron can spread – it also roots from its branches allowing it to take more space. This hardy evergreen outcompetes much of the native flora we would find in our ancient woodlands. It reduces light, crowds out other plants and trees and reduces biodiversity.
Rhododendron now presents the single largest threat to our temperate rainforest ecosystems.
Our rainforest team has been working hard at sites across the UK, along with other environmental charities and landowners, to remove Rhododendron, along with other invasive species, to give our forests space to thrive.
Find out more about invasive species here.
In some areas, where it is appropriate, we have been working in partnership to create new rainforest habitat.
To do this, we have planted new trees, extending the rainforest at certain sites.
We’ve also created new wood pasture sites.
We recruited some 4-legged friends (cows) to help us manage rainforests.
We brought in livestock and used Nofence collar technology, to help manage grazing for conservation, in a much more natural way.
The cows were used to graze areas of thick Bracken and Bramble in woodlands and have proved successful in helping control competitive plants.
The introduction of grazing in habitats such as the temperate rainforest can also help increase biodiversity by creating disturbance to the ground.
There’s even studies that suggest grazing cattle could help to boost natural tree regeneration.
Read more about Nofence collars here.
Read how 2 lichens were saved, from a tree infected with ash dieback, in a translocation rescue mission in the temperate rainforest.
Did you know that the rainforest can glow in the dark? Or that it’s home to plants which were on the Earth before the dinosaurs?
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 it’s future.
Read on below as Sam explains more about the day and this special species.
We’ve recently started working on a new species in the Cairngorms. Aspen Bristle-moss Nyholmiella gymnostoma, is the first non-vascular plant I’ve worked on.
The Cairngorms is special for supporting some of the UK’s only remaining Aspen Populus tremula woodland. Aspen Bristle-moss is an epiphyte (a plant which grows on the surface of another plant), which as the name suggests, specialises on Aspen. Therefore the only 3 remaining populations of the moss in the UK, are all in or near the Cairngorms National Park.
On 6 November last year, we had our first day looking at Aspen Bristle-moss in Deeside. A total of 12 of us — moss experts, local land managers, and keen volunteers — spent around 4 hours staring very closes through hand lenses at Aspen bark.
Our experts taught us exactly which tiny features to use to distinguish these mosses from all the others we might see on Aspen bark. We learned about the importance of wetting the mosses before trying to identify them.
Then we walked all over the site which is a very rare dense exclusively Aspen woodland covering around 5 hectares. About 20 of these trees were known to support Aspen Bristle Moss, nearly half of the total known UK population. On our sweep we increased the population on site to 49, nearly doubling the total known population in 1 afternoon alone.
This incredible little moss grows exclusively on Aspen trees, and is only known to exist at three sites in the UK – all in the Cairngorms area of Scotland.
It seemed a logical choice to focus on such an understudied local specialist species. While working to protect this moss, we are also hunting for and protecting other rare Aspen epiphytes, such as Blunt-leaved Bristle-moss Nyholmiella obtusifolia, Showy Bristle-moss Lewinskya speciosa, and Bark Sulphur Fire-dot Lichen Caloplaca flavorubescens.
We are early in our journey towards protecting these species. Alongside preserving and enhancing Aspen woodland, work led by the Cairngorms National Park and Trees for Life, we are focused on learning the status of these species, and what we can do to protect them.
The first step for Aspen Bristle-moss (and all these under-studied epiphytes) is to update our records.
In 2000 it was thought to be extinct in the UK but has since been rediscovered at 3 sites. It takes quite the specialism to record it, and so there is a good chance some populations remain undiscovered. So, our first objective is to re-survey the 3 known populations, and to get people out and looking for it across Aspen woods more widely.
This year we’ll be surveying the other 2 populations, getting more people trained up to look for and appreciate these rare species, and developing a better idea for how it is doing. We’ll also be encouraging trained volunteers to check Aspen trees whenever they can, as it is very possible many sites remain undiscovered.
As our understanding of these species expands, we may start to look at what can be done to protect these tiny remnant populations. Obviously, we must continue to promote and protect Aspen woodlands. We also may look into transplanting mosses between trees or assisting their colonisation into new sites.
We will have to see what develops as we work to protect and promote these often-overlooked tiny green gems.
We conducted these surveys on NatureScot sites, and would like to thank them for supporting this project.
Photos taken by Gus Routledge.
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