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This autumn, help us find Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps.
Fungi are crucial to nearly all life on Earth, but they are not given the recognition and investment they deserve. Will you join our mission to change that?
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Become a Plantlife member today and together we will rebuild a world rich in plants and fungi
Arable farmland has the power to create a positive impact for biodiversity, as well as food production.Many wildflowers thrive in areas of soil that are regularly disturbed by farmers growing crops. Careful and regular management is required to ensure these crucial areas of nature can thrive.
More than 120 species of threatened, rare and scarce wildflowers grow in arable habitats and together they are the fastest declining suite of plants in the UK.
Beloved arable plants – such as Cornflower, Corn Marigold and Corncockle – were once a familiar part of arable landscapes. Not only do they add colour and beauty to our countryside, they are also essential for a huge range of other farmland wildlife. Providing sources of pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies, seeds that can feed huge populations of small mammals and farmland birds, as well as supporting beneficial predatory insects that control crop pests.
However, the populations of these arable plants have drastically declined since the agricultural intensification that began in the 1940s and 50s, so that they no longer colour our farmland.
In fact, arable plants are still declining today and face threats from:
We are working with farmers and landowners to enable arable plants to thrive. Our work includes protecting threatened species, advising farmers and land managers and sharing our expertise in arable plant management.
Our Ranscombe Farm Reserve is an Important Plant Area for arable plants and believed to be the last remaining natural site in the UK for Corncockle. It is home to the largest UK population of Broad-leaved Cudweed Filago pyramidata and the first records of Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis and Marsh Mallow Althaea officinalis in the country were here.
Our Colour in the Margins project, part of Back from the Brink programme, worked to save and restore some of our most threatened arable species.
A snapshot of our achievements:
Read more here.
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