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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!
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A journey to return one of the UK’s rarest wildflowers to the wild has made a major step to success.
The iconic orchid, Lady’s-slipper, was believed to have been driven to extinction in the UK by the early part of the 20th century as a result of over-collecting and habitat loss.
However, in 1930 a single plant was discovered growing in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales. The location was kept secret for decades, during which time volunteers frequently checked on the plant to make sure it wasn’t dug up and stolen.
A reintroduction programme was planned with the ambition of reinstating self-sustaining populations of the orchid in the wild. Now, decades of work have finally paid off.
Last summer, the first new naturally occurring Lady’s-slipper Cypripedium calceolus plant was discovered in the wild for almost 100 years. The team who discovered the plant included Plantlife, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) and Chester Zoo.
This incredible moment for plant conservation was decades in the making.
Some 2 years ago, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Plantlife, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, BSBI and the National Trust received a grant from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme to continue and extend the work to recover Lady’s-slipper.
This work involved protecting the habitat of the remaining wild Lady’s-slipper plant, rearing lots of new orchid seedlings and planting out orchids into former haunts.
Then last June, the team were delighted to discover an entirely new plant at one of the reintroduction sites. This means the orchids that were planted out have managed to cross pollinate and set seed,, which then successfully germinated and established in the wild.
Lady’s-slipper, like other orchids, has tiny seeds and has long proven difficult to cultivate from seed. It took many years to refine the technique for hand pollination, discover the best time for seed capsule collection, germinate the hand-collected seeds and successfully grow-on mature individuals that were strong enough to be planted out in the wild.
Over the years, Kew has led the development of propagation techniques for the orchid. The young plants were then transferred to the hands of volunteer orchid-specialists, managed by the National Trust, who nurtured the plants for several years before they were ready to be planted out.
Trials have shown that larger plants – which are more rapidly able to get their roots down into rocky ground – grow better in the wild then smaller ones. This means, many of plants which were planted out in 2024 and 2025 were over 10 years old!
Together with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, BSBI, Natural England and Kew, we identified suitable sites for planting out orchids back into the wild.
Lady’s-slipper are the crowning glory of Britain’s wildflowers – one of the rarest and most impressive. Its rescue from the brink is one of the UK’s most fascinating lost and found stories, and a hopeful symbol of what can be regained when partners work together to carefully reintroduce plants back into the wild.
The distribution of Lady’s-slipper used to once stretch from Cumbria to Derbyshire. But as a result of over-collecting and habitat loss, the plant was believed extinct in the UK by the early part of the 20th century.
During the Victorian era it fell victim to the orchid hunting craze known as ‘orchidelirium’. Explorers would be sent off by wealthy collectors with the mission of finding new species of the delicate and beautiful orchids. Sadly, this led to Lady’s-slipper’s decline.
Find out more about the Lady’s-slipper including how and where to spot it.
Despite this wonderful step to success, there is still work to be done. The project team will continue their work to help the Lady’s-slipper and it’s hoped that if funding is secured more self-sustaining populations of the plant will be created.
If you would like the chance to see Lady’s-slipper, you can visit Kilnsey Park near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales in late May and early June. More information here (www.kilnseypark.co.uk).
This year Plantlife has secured more funds from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme to monitor previous reintroductions and explore the environmental and habitat factors which correlate with various measures of success. So that future reintroductions and reinforcements can be targeted to locations that are most likely to successfully support self-sustaining populations.
Photo credits: Kevin Walker and Dr Elizabeth Cooke
A journey to return one of the UK's rarest wildflowers to the wild has made a major step to success.
Sun, sand, sea and wildflowers – why not add finding flowers to your list of beach time activities this summer.
It’s not just animals that have DNA in their cells, plants and fungi do too – and understanding it can help us with hard to identify plants.
Why are rare plants rare? We target our conservation activity at the plants with the greatest need, which is generally the rare ones.
What do we mean by rare? Why do some plants get more conservation attention? And how do we work out why a plant is rare?
Join Plantlife’s Tim Pankhurst as he delves into the fascinating world of rare plants and how understanding why certain plants are rare can help us to save them.
*If you are a member you should have already received your personal email invitation directly from our team (contact us if you haven’t!). New members will receive a link in your welcome email.
Tim is an ecologist with 40+ years experience working in the conservation sector. He joined Plantlife as a plant ecologist in 2007, after 12 years specialising in wetlands and aquatics, and now works as the Regional Conservation Manager for the east of England.
A passionate advocate for nature recovery, Meg is Plantlife’s Species Recovery Conservation Officer. She advocates for species to be brought into nature recovery plans across the country, and champions for better taxonomic inclusivity to make sure none of our tiny wonders get left behind.
This is an in-person training event for over 18s only, the course will involve walking on steep and uneven ground.
This is an person training course for over 18s only, the course will involve walking on steep and uneven ground.
Over the course of one day, our aim is to give you the tools and confidence to be able to identify a range of bryophyte species commonly found in temperate rainforest habitat. The course will include both theory and practical elements to fully support your learning.
What is a bryophyte? The basics of bryophytes: mosses vs liverworts, growth forms, reproductive processes. Key identification features of mosses and liverworts. How to use a key to identify species in the field. The relationship between bryophytes and temperate rainforest.
The Rainforest Restoration Project is being led by the Woodland Trust in partnership with Plantlife. This project is funded by the Government’s Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm’s-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
From our work deep in the forests of the Caledonian Pine woods to the wild north coast – species recovery is at the very heart of what we do.
Here you will find all of the information on the incredible wild plants we are working with in Scotland, the reasons we need to protect them and the projects that are leading the way.
The plants and fungi we are working with in Scotland are all at risk of extinction without intervention. From the rare Tufted Saxifrage to the tiny Aspen Bristle-moss which was believed to be extinct, until a lucky find in 2003.
Protecting our amazing wild plants from extinction and helping rare species to recover, is a crucial part of tackling the biodiversity crisis we are facing.
Not only are these species a vital and often unseen part of the ecosystem, they also add to the richness of the natural world around us. They’re part of the heritage and the habitats of Scotland.
We have pioneered the preservation of Tufted Saxifrage Saxifraga cespitosa in Wales through the Natur am Byth! partnership project – and now we are beginning the work in Scotland too.
In Scotland, we are at the start of our journey to protect this delicate arctic alpine plant. Even though species like the Tufted Saxifrage are seriously at risk because of the climate crisis, we must still consider their preservation. These plants might not need cold temperatures or high altitudes, but rather a specific habitat. Since only tiny fragments of their populations are left, they can’t move to new areas. That’s where work including research and translocations come in.
We are working on the species through our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World Project. Working with our project partners, Nature Scot and the Cairngorms National Park, we’ll explore the state of Scotland’s remaining populations of Tufted Saxifrage. We’ll also look for ways to protect it and help it to recover.
The Aspen Bristle-moss Nyholmiella gymnostoma, as the name suggests, is a small moss which is only known to grow on Aspen Populus tremula bark. It was believed to be extinct in the UK in 2000, but thankfully in 2003, 3 new sites were found.
The greatest densities of Aspen woodlands are now found in and around the Cairngorms, and this is where the last few patches of Aspen Bristle-moss reside.
Photo taken by Gus Routledge
Similar to Tufted Saxifrage, we are in the early phases of learning to protect Aspen Bristle-moss and other species of rare aspen mosses. Through our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World project, we’re currently surveying sites and assessing how under-recorded it may be. In time, we may look into assisted colonisation of other healthy Aspen stands missing these mosses.
One-flowered Wintergreen Moneses uniflora is an unusual and complex pine woodland specialist which appears to have heavily declined in Scotland in recent years. We’re still learning what is causing this decline, but we know that changes in how pine woodlands are managed have played a role. It’s also likely a decline in the health of the fungal community in the soil could be part of the cause.
Since the Cairngorms Project we have been studying One-flowered Wintergreen. Part of the project saw us carry out a trial translocation with the RSPB and Forestry Land Scotland. We worked in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to investigate fungal host partnerships. We also surveyed all remaining Scottish populations.
We’ll be continuing our work on this plant through our new Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World Project. We are working with our project partners Nature Scot and the Cairngorms National Park, on a full genetic assessment of the state of Scottish One-flowered Wintergreen populations.
This will tell us how at-risk different populations are and help us plan if and how we should consider moving plants around.
Using this assessment, along with fungi research and innovative land management advice, we’ll create a plan of action. The goal is to restore both the One-flowered Wintergreen and the wider pinewood soil fungus community.
Despite its charismatic nature, and widespread interest, Twinflower Linnaea borealis has seriously declined in Scotland over the last few centuries. The main threat is habitat fragmentation, which leaves remaining patches of Twinflower isolated and unable to cross-pollinate.
Thankfully, many different conservation organisations, professionals, and landowners have a keen interest in protecting Twinflower. There’s a hope to see it return to recovering native Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris woodlands across Scotland.
Building on our work as part of the Cairngorms Rare Plants and Wild Connections Project, we are now looking to strategise and lead on a Twinflower conservation programme. This will guide practitioners towards long term and sustainable Twinflower recovery.
We are continuing our work with this amazing species, as part of our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World Project. Along with our partners Nature Scot and the Cairngorms National Park we are working to collect cuttings from Twinflower patches and move them between sites across Scotland, as well as restoring pine woodland for Twinflower.
Without intervention, the delicate pink blooms of the rare Twinflower could disappear from Scotland.
Through our Cairngorms…. we will be investigating the state of remaining Scottish populations and assessing what may be done to preserve them and aid their recovery.
The effort Greena Moor Nature Reserve management team put in place to save the Three-lobed Water Crowfoot.
Discover 4 new walk ideas and Scottish spring adventure inspiration from Plantlife Scotland’s Communications and Policy Officer, Erin Shott.
Air pollution often poses the biggest danger to internationally rare habitats and nitrogen gases have the potential to destroy our temperate rainforests.
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.
Recent studies have revealed that there’s so much fungi out there that we don’t know about.
But how do we know this? Plantlife’s Rachel Inhester, from our science team, tells us why.
This incredible fact from the Kew report, ‘State of the World’s Plants and Fungi 2023’, highlights just how much there is to learn when it comes to fungi. That was certainly my first thought when I read this statement. It’s exciting to think of all the discoveries we have yet to make, and it gives an indication as to the huge amount of work ahead of us, to find and classify such a large number of unknown species. The report goes on to estimate that there are between 2-3 million species of fungi in the world, and as of yet, only 155,000 of those species have been formally named!
Fungi can be difficult to detect for a number of reasons:
As I was contemplating just how little we know about these extraordinary organisms; another thought came to mind. How can we estimate that 90% of fungal species are unknown to science? How did we come up with that number? In other words, how can we know what we don’t know?
Well, it turns out, that to arrive at such an estimate, you first need a team of fungal specialists, known as mycologists, and then you need the time and capacity to critically evaluate all the current knowledge on the topic so far. It was certainly no simple undertaking!
Past methods of calculating the number of fungal species, were not without issue, so the team of experts definitely had their work cut out for them. Previous estimates couldn’t be completely relied upon on their own. Sampling techniques varied and some fungal groups were not considered in certain studies. Some reports were simply outdated due to the discoveries that have been made since they were first published.
It’s important that we try to speed up this process so that we can understand the fascinating world of fungi around us. Fungi are interconnected with nearly all life on earth. They can improve nutrient uptake of plants, improve the immunity of their plant hosts against pathogens, they are biomass decomposers, and some species are used to make medicines [1].
The team of specialists decided to focus on 4 key academic areas to better estimate the number of expected species. These research areas were scaling laws, fungus to plant ratios, actual vs previously known species and DNA based studies.
Organisms are classified into 8 main levels or ‘taxa’. From highest to lowest, these taxa are: Domain – Kingdom – Phylum – Class – Order – Family – Genus – Species. This is a way of organising organisms into groups which become more inclusive with every level. Let’s use the Fly Agaric fungi as an example. At species level we simply have Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). The Fly Agaric is an individual species, but individual species can belong to a larger group, or genus, in this case the genus Amanita. A genus is a grouping of similar species which all share a common ancestor. The groupings, or taxa, get progressively larger as you move up each level until you reach the levels of Kingdom and Domain. The Fly Agaric is part of the Fungi Kingdom which includes all other fungal species.
Scaling law studies aim to predict species diversity by looking at patterns in the numbers of ‘higher taxa’ and the number of known species in each.
In this case, information from the level of phylum (the third taxa) to genus (the seventh taxa) was used. Patterns in the numbers of these ‘higher taxa’ were compiled to predict fungal species diversity. Previous studies were assessed by the fungal experts, who adjusted the estimates to include recent discoveries and accurate numbers of known species.
Fungus to plant ratios have been estimated in multiple studies over the years and for a variety of habitats. Therefore, if we know the number of plant species, we can make a pretty good estimate as to the number of fungal species.
However, the fungal experts were still faced with challenges when examining previous research. Studies varied in how they calculated the ratios to begin with. Some only considered fungi with a known association to plants and other studies were much broader. Coupled with the fact that lots of fungi can be difficult to detect and may have no association with plants whatsoever, a lot of the predictions were considered an underestimate. On evaluating earlier research, the specialists felt that a ratio of 5:1, of fungi to plant species, in temperate areas and 4:1 in tropical locations, was more accurate than previous estimates.
Some species of fungi can be difficult to differentiate. This can cause an underestimation of species numbers as multiple species are occasionally classified as one and the same. The fungal experts examined a study which had investigated this in detail where they concluded that there were 11 times as many actual species compared with previously known species. Varying definitions of exactly what a species is, creates difficulty with this method of estimation.
DNA based methods have been an incredibly powerful tool in documenting fungal diversity around the world. A single sample can allow scientists to sequence the DNA of whole communities of fungi. These samples can come from a variety of places, including soil and deadwood. The samples are then analysed and any DNA within the sample is extracted and sequenced.
This DNA gives us a list of all the fungal species found in a sample, including species which we can’t even see, providing us with a more accurate representation of fungal species numbers.
For Kew’s report, it provided the final piece of the puzzle in answering the question of ‘how many species of fungi do we think there are globally?’.
Using all the information and research available to them, the fungal experts refined their predictions and came up with an estimate of 2.5 million species of fungi worldwide! [2]
So there really was a lot of work that went into this seemingly impossible estimation. As it stands, this estimate reveals how many species we have yet to discover.
At this time, around 2,500 new species of fungi are identified and described each year. And if the above estimate is accurate, that would mean waiting 750-1000 years for us to find and describe the rest. [2]
As we discover more species, we shall hopefully uncover more benefits of the fungi around us, as well as conserving as many species as possible before we potentially lose them forever.
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.
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.
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?
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside – and as it turns out so do a variety of beautiful wild plants.
When we head to the coast, we often think of building sandcastles or rockpooling – delving into the shallow waters to see what ocean wonders have been deposited by the tide. It’s a favourite past time. But there are many other treasures to spot by the sea this summer, if we just turn our gaze up from the water.
The salty sea air and sandy soil might prove a problem for some plants, but others thrive in these conditions.
That being said, nature as a whole, in the UK is in decline. Since the 1970s, a total of 54% of flowering plants have been lost from areas where they used to thrive. This means beautiful plants such as Heather and Chamomile, both of which you can find on our coastlines, are becoming harder to find.
So, when you next head out with your bucket and spade, why not see if you can spot some of the stunning species that adore the seaside as much as we do! Lets take time to appreciate the wild plants that call the coast home and help to protect their future.
Keep on the lookout before you arrive at the beach as there are plenty of species to spot on the walk down to the sand. From coastal paths and cliffs to streams that lead to the sea and maritime heaths, there are multiple habitats for plants to call home.
Here are some of our favourites:
Gorse is a spiny plant with yellow flowers that smell of coconut
Thrfits have pretty spherical blooms which are usually pink, but can also be purple or white
Kidney Vetch usually has clusters of yellow fluffy looking flowers
Common Reeds are a tall perennial growing up to 3m
Biting Stonecrop with it’s pretty star shaped yellow flowers
Sheep’s-bit has rounded flower heads that are bright blue in colour and grow up to 35mm
Once you get down to the beach itself, a whole new habitat opens up. While the landscape might seem arid, there a number of interesting plants you can find living in the sand.
Sea Mayweed has flowers that look like large daisies with a mass of leaves that are quite thick and succulent
Rock Samphire has lots of branches with succulent type leaves that are rounded
Sea-holly is easy to spot with it’s spiny leaves and blue flowers
Sea Sandwort is a long creeping perennial that has fleshy succulent leaves
Common Restharrow has small pink flowers, similar to those of a pea
Sea Campions have five white petals with splits down the middle, which can make it look as though the flowers have ten petals each
The best thing about species spotting, is that you really don’t need any equipment that you wouldn’t already have, just appropriate clothing and footwear for exploring the coast.
If you did want to bring anything along, you could take a plant guide, so that you can name any species you find that we haven’t included. You could also bring a hand lens with a x10 or x20 magnification to get a close up look at the petals and leaves and a camera to capture memories from your adventure.
To help you ID some of the species you find, why not read our blog here, on three apps to help you identify wildflowers with your phone.
Remember to stay safe when you are by the sea. Stay well away from cliff edges and bases, pay attention to any warning signs such as those in areas where there may be rock falls and always make yourself aware of the tide times before heading to the beach.
Spring is an exciting time to be on our nature reserves. This is the season when the meadows really burst into life, with lush growth and seasonal flowers.
The peat-rich Flow Country, which our Munsary Peatlands are part of, has been given the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
This marks a special moment for Scottish wild plants, fungi and the wildlife that call it home.
With the same standing as the Pyramids and the Great Barrier Reef, The Flow Country has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status – marking a magnificent moment for Scottish wildlife.
Deep within this historic landscape is our own Munsary Peatlands, which is an incredibly special place for plant life. One of the most extensive peatlands left in Europe, our Munsary Nature Reserve is key for tackling the ongoing climate crisis.
Alistair Whyte, Head of Plantlife Scotland said: “The Flow Country may be less well-known than the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Pyramids but it is cause for great celebration that it today has achieved the same standing as those rightly revered places on Earth. Recognition of the special significance of this wet and wild habitat in northern Scotland, where ancient peat can be as deep as a double-decker bus, demonstrates a growing recognition of the importance of peatlands to plants, people and planet.”
This historical moment also means the Flow Country has become the world’s first peatland World Heritage Site.
After years of hard work, we are thrilled that The Flow Country, in northern Scotland, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a special moment for Scottish wild plants, fungi and the wealth of the wildlife they support.
UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of natural and cultural heritage around the globe considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. What makes the concept of World Heritage so special is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all people, irrespective of where they are located.
The list of World Heritage Sites is as varied as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to the Pyramids of Egypt – and now that list includes the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland, located near Lybster in Scotland (among just over 30 sites currently in the UK).
Munsary, a vast and undulating plain of blanket bog, is home to a huge variety of wildlife including some rare and threatened species.
This historic landscape is the most intact and extensive blanket bog system in the world. As well as being very important for biodiversity, it is also classed as an Important Plant Area (IPA). IPAs are key sites for exceptional botanical richness and identified as the best places for wild plants and their habitats.
So far, 147 species of vascular plants have been recorded at Munsary including the nationally-scarce Small Cranberry and a patch of Marsh Saxifrage, discovered in 2002, which is one of the largest colonies in Britain. The reserve in Caithness is also home to a Bog Orchid, a tiny yellow-green orchid which is so slight as to be almost invisible in the few bogs where it grows.
But, healthy peatlands – like Munsary – are more than just wildlife havens; they also have a vitally important role as we tackle the climate emergency. In fact, the vast expanse of pristine peat formed over many millennia at Munsary locks up a staggering two million tonnes of carbon.
Some species to look out for inlcude:
A special feature at Munsary is an unusual-looking area of dark-watered pools, high on a dome of peat, called dubh lochans. This area is particularly diverse, with pools of different shapes, sizes and depths, vegetated pools, and open water, ridges, and hummocks.
Even a visitor who has never studied mosses can spot differences between those forming the peat. Some form neat, rounded mounds, others are brownish or reddish tufts, while others make a deceptive green lawn, floating over water of an uncertain depth.
The drier areas of bog moss are home to many characteristic bog plants: Bog Asphodel, with spikes of yellow flowers, Common Cottongrass, with many white cottony heads in summer, and hare’s-tail cottongrass with just a single, fluffier head. Three species of heather grow here and plenty of sedges too, including such hard-to-find species as few-flowered sedge, flea sedge and bog-sedge.
Insect-eating plants lurk beside streams and wet pools: butterwort, with a basal rosette of broad, yellow-green leaves on which small insects stick, and round leaved and great sundew, with long red hairs on their leaves curving over to entrap their prey.
Peatlands are home to some of the UK’s most distinctive plant communities – they have evolved in response to the low-nutrient conditions. This has led to some remarkable adaptations such as the insect-eating sundews and butterworts, and the spongy blankets of colourful spagnum mosses.
They are also one of our most important terrestrial carbon sinks. But when bogs are drained or the peat is exploited, the peat gets exposed to the air and begins to break down, releasing carbon dioxide. This turns a huge carbon store into a vast emitter, contributing to climate change. Read more here.
It’s not just humans and animals that have DNA in their cells, plants and fungi do too.
In fact, DNA barcoding can be used to identify plants, detect invasive species and help conservation work, as our Senior Ecological Advisor Sarah Shuttleworth explains.
Like all living organisms, plants and fungi have DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in their cells. DNA is the genetic code, which is the blueprint for genes, which gives an organism its specific characteristics. Different species will have a different DNA blueprint (with small variations within that as well) and these can help us tell species apart and see which ones are closely related.
I was recently offered a place on an exciting course to learn all about DNA barcoding and how it can help my work as a botanist.
Put simply, we can compare different DNA blueprints by comparing just a small section of the DNA sequence. This small section is referred to as the DNA barcode. There is a reference library which contains information about many species with their corresponding barcode.
In order to compare DNA barcodes of different species, the shortened sequence (region) needs to be the same region of the comparison species. However, which region you select to shorten and use for comparison is different depending on which type of organism you have. For example, all organisms within the animal kingdom are identified using the same specific DNA region, whilst all plants are identified using a different region.
The DNA region used for barcoding differs between kingdoms:
DNA barcoding relies on a region of DNA that varies significantly between different species to allow the different species to be identified.
First, we need to collect a tiny bit of plant and/or fungi samples for our study. We don’t need much, just a small amount to get the DNA. To get the DNA out, we cut really tiny pieces from the samples. Then, we put these pieces in a tube with a special liquid solution and smush them with a small tool to break the cells apart and release the DNA.
Next, we need to make lots of copies of the DNA which we do by using a special mix of certain chemicals (there are different special mixes for plants and fungi).
To check if we’ve done it right, we use a method called gel electrophoresis. This method is used to separate mixtures of DNA, RNA, or proteins to molecular size (you will see a nice clear line in the gel if it has been successful.) This helps us see if the DNA we extracted is good and whether we can send it to the lab. The lab will then send us the DNA sequence so it can be compared it to other sequences in a big database.
Using these DNA barcoding skills can help us in many ways, including identifying single species or a community of species.
It is quite a technical process but as local groups (mainly fungi recording organisations) are starting to invest in the kit, more people should be able to get involved in DNA barcoding.
I hadn’t had a chance to do anything like this since my first year at university and I was surprised about how much came flooding back to me. The course was a great opportunity to learn and refresh my skills, as well as meet other people with an interest in species identification and conservation.
After more practicing, we hope to use these skills to add to the genomic database and assist our own species recording accuracy.
In the future, perhaps Plantlife can utilise these skill sets for looking at species assemblages on our reserves or places we are hoping to maximise conservation efforts.
Volunteer biological recording group RoAM (Recorders of the Avalon Marshes) at Somerset Wetlands NNR (National Nature Reserve) organised the DNA barcoding course with funding from Natural England through the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme. I was offered a spot on this exciting course due to my work and contacts in a voluntary capacity with the North Somerset and Bristol Fungi Group.
Natural England: EDNA (Environmental DNA) approaches to environmental monitoring are incredibly valuable to Natural England’s work, but recognise their limitations, not least that some groups of fungi, lichen and invertebrates are poorly represented in genomic databases. By helping to train our highly skilled taxonomic recorders with DNA barcoding means better records and more effective eDNA outputs.
The beautiful mountain plant, Rosy Saxifrage, has returned to the wild in Wales after becoming extinct in 1962.
This beautiful mountain plant, that once clung to the cliff edges in Eryri (Snowdonia) has successfully returned to the wild in Wales after becoming extinct in 1962.
The trial reintroduction of Rosy Saxifrage Saxifraga rosacea, led by us, marks a special moment for nature recovery. The plants, which have been maintained in cultivation, have direct lineage to the 1962 specimens.
It is now flowering at a location close to where it was last recorded in the wild – and there are plans in place to boost its numbers now the first trial has taken place.
The species was first recorded in Wales in 1796 by J.W.Griffith (Clark, 1900) and there are up to five records from the 19th century. In the 20th century, there are three records, all in Eryri.
But, it is thought that Rosy Saxifrage slipped into extinction in Wales, primarily as a result of plant enthusiasts over collecting the species, particularly in the Victorian era. Atmospheric pollution is also considered to have played a role. Rosy Saxifrage is not a great competitor with stronger growing plants, so it was impacted by the nutrient enrichment of its favoured mountain habitat.
Each and every native wild plant contributes to the diversity and health of ecosystems and putting Rosy saxifrage back where it belongs restores a lost balance.
The successful reintroduction has been led by our botanist Robbie Blackhall-Miles, Project Officer for the Tlysau Mynydd Eryri (Mountain Jewels of Eryri) conservation partnership project that aims to secure the futures of some of our rarest alpine plants and invertebrates in Wales.
The outplanting took place on land cared for by the National Trust and in future months botanists will conduct surveys to establish places where it will be best to reintroduce the species fully to the wild.
Read more about Rosy Saxifrage here.
Photographs by: Llyr Hughes
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