Return of rare flower to the Cotswolds
An unusual collaboration between Plantlife, a conservation charity, and Huntsmans Quarries in Gloucestershire has resulted in the welcome return of Cotswold pennycress, one of the UK’s rarest wild flowers.
The flower, which as its name suggests is a speciality of the Cotswolds, thrives on the limestone that runs across the region and was once commonly found growing on the sides of quarries, particularly those that produced the Stonesfield slate used for roof tiles. During the building boom of the 16th and 17th centuries, when the industry flourished and Cotswold stone was used in the building of Blenheim Palace and the colleges of Oxford, the tiny pennycress populations were secure.
However, since traditional quarrying practices have declined or ceased altogether, populations of the flower have plummeted by 70%. Today, with only a handful of sites left, Cotswold pennycress is a priority species under the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
The main site of family-run Huntsmans Quarries, near Naunton in Gloucestershire, is home to the largest population of Cotswold pennycress in the UK and Plantlife were delighted when the company agreed to work with them to conserve this rare plant. After a series of meetings, it was agreed that an excavator would scrape a specially chosen slope where conservationists hoped the seed bank would still be viable; it is thought that seed from the heart-shaped pods can survive for up to 20 years. Huntsmans also sifted through an area where pennycress had been recorded in the past. After the stone had been removed, they spread the remaining soil on to an area of the quarry with a more favourable aspect.
After six months, members of Plantlife’s conservation team audited the entire quarry and discovered around 1,000 plants. An additional bonus of the work was the reappearance of fine-leaved Sandwort, another very rare species in Gloucestershire.
Plantlife International, 14 Rollestone Street, Salisbury, Wilts SP1 1DX; tel: (01722) 342730; fax: (01722) 329035.
The flower, which as its name suggests is a speciality of the Cotswolds, thrives on the limestone that runs across the region and was once commonly found growing on the sides of quarries, particularly those that produced the Stonesfield slate used for roof tiles. During the building boom of the 16th and 17th centuries, when the industry flourished and Cotswold stone was used in the building of Blenheim Palace and the colleges of Oxford, the tiny pennycress populations were secure.
However, since traditional quarrying practices have declined or ceased altogether, populations of the flower have plummeted by 70%. Today, with only a handful of sites left, Cotswold pennycress is a priority species under the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
The main site of family-run Huntsmans Quarries, near Naunton in Gloucestershire, is home to the largest population of Cotswold pennycress in the UK and Plantlife were delighted when the company agreed to work with them to conserve this rare plant. After a series of meetings, it was agreed that an excavator would scrape a specially chosen slope where conservationists hoped the seed bank would still be viable; it is thought that seed from the heart-shaped pods can survive for up to 20 years. Huntsmans also sifted through an area where pennycress had been recorded in the past. After the stone had been removed, they spread the remaining soil on to an area of the quarry with a more favourable aspect.
After six months, members of Plantlife’s conservation team audited the entire quarry and discovered around 1,000 plants. An additional bonus of the work was the reappearance of fine-leaved Sandwort, another very rare species in Gloucestershire.
Plantlife International, 14 Rollestone Street, Salisbury, Wilts SP1 1DX; tel: (01722) 342730; fax: (01722) 329035.
