Saving England's most threatened species from extinction
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Platanthera bifolia
26th September 2018
A delicate, beautiful and sweetly-scented plant, with a single spike of pale flowers. It grows in a wide range of places, from bogs to grassland, and even into woodland. It’s widespread, but has declined drastically – disappearing from more than half of its former range in just 50 years, especially in the east of England....
Read moreA very attractive plant with deep red cup-shaped flowers that resemble an anemone. The petals have a dark basal spot with black anthers. Plants can grow up to 50 cm tall and are often branched. Although records are widespread throughout southern Britain with isolated sites as far north as central Scotland, it has never been...
Read moreThe Adder is one of our three native species of snake and our most widespread, being found from the south of England to the north of Scotland. However, populations in central Britain are in decline. The Adder is easily recognised by a dark, continuous 'zig-zag' stripe along its back. The background colour varies from grey-white...
Read moreThe flowers closely resemble little flies, attracting insects to pollinate them. They are not easy to spot as their rather drab colouring blends with the surrounding vegetation, but they often form colonies of ten or more plants. The species declined dramatically before 1930, especially in East Anglia. The losses have continued since, but at a...
Read moreThis unusual plant was first discovered in 1963 and was only recognised as a separate species in 1976. It’s currently only found at two sites in Cornwall and these are the only known sites in the world. Surveys have revealed that the combined area covered by this moss is only 0.16msq – about the area...
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