More and more people are growing up without ever having the chance to see the wildflowers which older generations once took for granted. In fact, most of the British wild plants that have become locally extinct have done so in the last 40 years, well within living memory. There are many reasons - changes in the way we farm, the disappearance of 'waste' ground, woodland, hedgerows and roadside verges, even changes in the way we garden.
Threats to wildflowers
One of the major threats to wildflowers is the change in the way we farm. The demand for low cost food means that farmers are under pressure to farm as cost-effectively as possible. This means intensive use of the land, with bigger fields, fewer hedges, less 'wild' places, and more effective control of weeds - which in fact are of often wildflowers.
In the past, an important part of the yearly farming cycle was the use of hay meadows. Fields of grasses and other plants were left to grow throughout the summer, and then cut and dried late in the season as winter food for livestock. Today, the use of artificial feedstuffs has meant less use of hay and fewer meadows .We lose up to 10% of our hay meadows every year.
Nowadays, even the gardens of our homes are used differently. Cottage gardens were once crammed with plants chosen not just for decoration, but for their ability to provide medicines, food, dyes or nectar for honey.
Now we depend much less on our gardens for useful plants, and people tend to grow imported flowers and shrubs which often have little value for native wildlife.
Loss of wild plants affects the insects and other creatures that depend on them. As our wildflowers vanish, vital links in the food chain are broken.
Seeing native species
What, where and how many wildflowers you see depends on where you look, because like all plants, wildflowers adapt to different growing conditions. Some like the shade of woodlands, others grow well in open sunny conditions, others cling to cliffs, or nestle in marshes. So to see different types of wildflowers, you need to look in the right places. Your local wildlife trust will have specialist knowledge of the type of wildflowers to be seen in your area, and will usually have reserves to visit where there may be some very rare varieties.
When spotting wildflowers, remember that the main way to protect them is to conserve the conditions where they grow. Disturb the surroundings as little as possible. Watch your step, because treading compacts the soil, making it difficult for seedlings to grow, and young shoots can easily be broken off underfoot. If you want to identify a flower, take notes, make a sketch, or take a photo - but if you kneel to take a close-up, make sure you're not damaging other plants!
The wildflower code
Remember that wildflowers are best seen in their natural setting, and should not be picked, however tempting it is to take some home to admire. Seeing scented drifts of bluebells in a leafy wood is a far more memorable experience than watching them wilt in a cut glass vase on a coffee table. No plants should ever be taken from any nature reserve or nature trail and it is illegal for anyone, without permission of the owner or occupier of the land, to uproot any wild plant. A number of very rare plants in danger of extinction, or likely to become so, are specially protected by law, and removal or sale of any part of these plants is an offence. A person found guilty of breaking these laws may be fined up to £1,000, and if more than one plant is involved, this fine may be imposed for each of them. The Botanical Society of the British Isles lists species protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.
Wildflower gardening
The good news is that everyone can help conserve our wildflowers - not only by protecting them in their natural surroundings, but by growing them. In this country today, there are approximately 15 million private gardens covering one million acres - but even a windowbox can be a wildflower haven.
Your local wildlife trust will have information on how best to go about creating a wildflower garden, but basically, it's best to look at existing features - type of soil, walls, hedges, trees, damp or shady spots, hillocks or hollows, and choose flowers which grow naturally in similar conditions.
Mini-meadows look attractive and reduce grass cutting. There are two types of garden meadow management - summer meadows are cut after seed has shed in autumn and spring meadows are cut in June and October allowing shorter flowers to grow.
A note to remember in planting. It is illegal to introduce into the wild some species of plants not native to this country and in all cases, nothing should be planted in ground outside your own garden or land without the knowledge and agreement of your local wildlife trust. Plants like Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed which have been thoughtlessly introduced into wild places or have 'escaped' from gardens, can cause real problems, taking over from our own native species.
Sources of wildflower seeds and plants:
Emorsgate Seeds,
Terrington St. Clement,
Kings Lynn,
Norfolk PE34 4NT
Further reading
Wild Flowers of Britain & Europe, W. Lippert and D. Podlech, Collins Nature Guides, Price £6.99
Eyewitness Handbook of Wildflowers of Britain and Northwest Europe. Price £14.99
Wildlife Gardening - Ideas to Get You Started. Price 30p from The Wildlife Trusts.
Wildflower Plants and Seeds, Send SAE to Botanical Society of the British Isles, Greenacre, Wood Lane, Oundle, Peterborough PE8 5TP
If you don't know where to contact your local wildlife trust, then ask The Wildlife Trusts, The Green, Witham Park, Waterside South, Lincoln LN5 7JR Tel: 01522 544400