Britains Rarest Wild Flower Given Police Protection

Tue, 11 May 2010

The police have been called in to protect Britain's rarest wild flower from being stolen when it blooms later this month in Lancashire.

The single Lady's Slipper orchid is expected to flower on the Silverdale Golf Course in Carnforth where it is visited by hundreds of flower enthusiasts each year.

The orchid, which is the last remaining flowering plant of its kind in the wild in Britain, is protected by law. Anyone caught interfering with it faces a fine of £5,000 and six months in jail.

However, this has not stopped people in the past from stealing parts of the plant . Cuttings from a Lady’s Slipper can fetch up to £5,000 from obsessive orchid collectors.

To prevent further damage, police are setting up extra patrols and are considering installing hidden CCTV cameras, which will allow officers to monitor it around the clock. They may also tag the plant with a specialist marker fluid normally used to deter burglars.

Lancashire Police wildlife officer Pc Duncan Thomas said: "We have been monitoring this amazing plant for a number of years and you can't help being impressed by not only its rarity but the incredible display when flowering."

"Sadly there are persons who will seek to steal it and as such we are working with Natural England staff to ensure its continued success."

Lady's Slipper orchid is believed to have been planted on the Lancashire golf course in the 1800s, and is thought to originate from central Europe . The flower was once widespread across northern England but was picked to extinction by 1917.

Horticulturalists have tried to re-introduce the distinctive yellow and purple bloom in other areas of the country but none of them have flowered.

Pc Tony Marsh, of Lancashire police, said: "The Lady's Slipper orchid is an incredibly important plant, having survived for over 100 years when all other plants were thought extinct.

"It is iconic to many people who enjoy wildlife in Britain. People travel from all ends of the country on what is almost a pilgrimage to view the plant in bloom and are often overcome with emotion at the sight."
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