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The Ghost Orchid was last seen in 2009 in a forest in Herefordshire
1. Ghost orchid
Status: critically endangered
Best time to see: Unknown
Habitat: beech wood
Where? Herefordshire
This orchid was thought to be extinct until it was spotted in Herefordshire in 2009. It usually grows underground in deep leaf litter and rarely pops its white flower above the surface to attract pollinators.
The Red Helleborine grows in southern England and is best seen in May, June and July
2. Red Hellebore
Status: critically endangered
Best time to see: May, June and July
Habitat: dark forest
Where? southern England
This orchid grows a stem up to 60 cm high that can bear up to 17 flowers that have a deep pink hue. Plantlife UK said it may have become rare due to a decline in the population of its pollinators and the right habitat for them.
Spreading Bellflowers can only be found in 37 places in the UK
3. Spread Bellflower
Status: endangered
Best time to see: July to November
Residential area: forest
Where? Borders of Wales and West Midlands
The Spreading Bellflower can only be found in 37 areas of 10 square kilometers in the UK, but in very small numbers. It is threatened by changes in forest management, such as the end of coppice and other disturbances, and increased herbicide use in roadsides and rail banks.
The Crested Cow wheat grows in East Anglia and other parts of the UK
4. Crested Cow Wheat
Status: endangered
Best time to see: July and August
Habitat: Rocky Hillside meadows and roadsides
Where? East Anglia and other areas
The plant grows to a height of 15 to 40 cm and produces pink flowers with yellow lips. It grows in meadows and competes with numerous other plants to attract insects.
5. Cotswold Pennycress
Status: vulnerable and near threatened
Best time to see: April and May
Habitat: farmland
Where? Cotswolds
It mainly germinates in the Cotswolds and grows from hedges, walls and banks.
Plowing, leveling rough land, increased use of fertilizers and herbicides, and the neglect of marginal land have all led to the gradual demise of the plants. It is often smothered by thicker smothering plants.
The Lady Orchid, with beautiful pink flowers, grows in Kent and Oxfordshire
6. Lady Orchid
Status: Critical
Best time to see: April, May, June
Habitat: Edges of forest and grassland
Where? Kent and Oxfordshire
This purple-colored orchid produces large stems of 200 flowers that can grow up to 80 cm in height. It grows on the edges of forests and sometimes in open grassland.
This pasture plant has fallen into decline as less land was used for grazing, meaning it was smothered by others
7. Meadow Clary
Status: vulnerable/near threatened
Best time to see: spring and summer
Habitat: Grassland
Where? Oxfordshire, Chilterns and North and South Downs
This plant declined before 1950 when less land was used for grazing and was choked by other coarser plants. It is now found in just 21 areas in the south of England, where it was probably reintroduced through mixtures of ‘wild flower seeds’.
The sun-loving plant grows in open grassland, along south-facing hedgerows and on southern woodland edges.
The Single-Flowered Wintergreen grows in moist, shady pine forests
8. Single-flowered evergreen
Status: vulnerable/near threatened
Best time to see: May, June and July
Habitat: Pine forests
Where? Northeast Scotland
This single-flowered plant grows in moist, shady areas of pine forests. It is clearly visible against the dark ground and rotting pine leaves. The white flower faces down from the end of a tall stem and looks a bit like an umbrella
The Twinflower is a relic of the Ice Age
9. Twin Flower
Status unknown
Best time to see: spring and summer
Residential area: forest
Where? Scotland
An arctic-alpine plant that is a relic of the Ice Age. It has two pink bell-like flowers on a slender stem and a thicker stem below that creeps across the ground and forms small mats. The Twinflower is considered one of our smallest and most delicate native flowers.
It now grows in only 50 unrelated locations following forest management changes.
The white-flowered orchid has been lost on 75 percent of the countryside
10. Small Butterfly Orchid
Status: vulnerable/near threatened
Best time to see: June and July
Habitat: Forest, grassland, heath and wetland
Where? England, Cardiganshire in Wales and parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland
This white-flowered orchid has been lost to 75 percent of England’s countryside since records began. The plant has a stem 30 cm high and is now spread over open areas and areas with acidic soil. The best chance to see it is in Cae Blaen Dyffryn Nature Reserve, Wales, which is home to more than 3,000 people in good years.
The decline of orchids may be linked to a symbiotic fungus it depends on to grow, according to Plantlife UK, which is very sensitive to fertilizers and fungicides. Its use on open grassland may have played a role in the march of plants towards extinction.
The plant prefers beech and hazel wood
11. Yellow Bird’s Nest
Status unknown
Best time to see: all year round
Habitat: Beech and hazel forest
Where? UK wide
The entire plant is yellow-brown in color and usually grows in leaf litter in shady woodlands. However, after 1930 it began to decline, possibly due to changes in forest management, overgrazing and habitat fragmentation.
Source: Plantlife UK