Saving England's most threatened species from extinction
Archive:
17th December 2018
On the 9th of December, Amanda - our Back from the Brink Community Artist for the South-East led a beautiful event for our Colour in the Margins project, set in Kent. Our Community Art project is all about informing people of the rare and threatened wildlife, right on their doorstep - through creative processes. With...
Read more8th November 2018
This September, the Colour in the Margins Team were joined by staff from Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank and a group of eager volunteers at the Cholderton Estate in Wiltshire. Our objective for the day was to collect seed from a population of Red Hemp-nettle (Galeopsis angustifolia) on the estate, which would subsequently be used towards...
Read more3rd August 2018
As part of our Colour in the Margins project, Kew Millennium Seed Bank are working in collaboration with our staff in order that we can work with the seeds of our most rare and threatened plants, with the hope that we may have a beneficial effect on the future of these species. Dr Kristian White...
Read more20th July 2018
Every seed is different, containing a unique package of genetic information to help it grow and adapt to its environment. Collecting for biodiversity conservation aims to capture as much of this information as possible – when it comes to diversity, more is definitely merrier! There are a few main points to bear in mind when...
Read more10th June 2018
At the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) we grow our seedlings in the nursery. Just like human babies, young plants need a lot of care! Spring is the busiest season in the glasshouses, where thriving seedlings quickly take over any free space. It is a treat to watch these tiny plants flourish and incredibly rewarding to...
Read more1st May 2018
It’s one thing having billions of seeds stored safely for future research and conservation. Converting these seeds into healthy seed-bearing plants for restoration is another challenge! At the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), germination testing is a key process for long-term seed quality monitoring and, importantly, it enables us to find the ideal conditions to promote...
Read more29th March 2018
Over 2 billion seeds are stored at RBG Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank (MSB). It is crucial that the collections are preserved correctly to maximise their lifespan and enable their use in research and conservation for generations to come. Some seeds can persist for a long time in the soil. We see this when plants appear...
Read more6th March 2018
An introduction to the work that Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank will be doing for Back from the Brink, within our Colour in the Margins project.
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