Website Launched To Help Conserve Rare Flower

Tue, 23 Jun 2009

A new website has been launched to help preserve the increasingly rare lesser butterfly orchid .

The site - snh.org.uk/orchid2009 - run by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) records locations of where the rare orchid is found by members of the public.

Lesser butterfly orchids appear from early June through to mid-July on the edges of moorland or in damp grassland, often along the edge of ditches or even on roadside verges.

Government agency the SNH, which created the site, said the west of Scotland was considered a stronghold for the slender white flower but added that its numbers have "declined significantly" across the UK.

Robin Payne, SNH's plant specialist, commented: "We're grateful to all those who have taken part in the survey and submitted records on the website so far."

"Now that we know so much more about the lesser butterfly orchid we can take real, well informed action that will protect and conserve this species."

Plantlife Scotland, the Botanical Society of the British Isles and Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh are helping to gather information about the orchid's ecology and distribution.
add to favouritesnewsletterlink to this pagesend to friendpost comments

Link to this page

Copy and Paste the following HTML into your page.