Ghost Orchid was last seen in 2009 in Herefordshire Forest
1. Ghost Orchid
Status: Critically endangered
Best time to see: Unknown
Habitat: Beech
where? Herefordshire
This lizard was thought to be extinct until it was spotted in Herefordshire in 2009. It usually grows underground in deep leaf litter and its white flower rarely protrudes above the surface to attract pollinators.
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 on a stem up to 60 cm high and can bear up to 17 flowers of a deep shade of pink. Plantlife UK said they may have become rare due to declining numbers of pollinators and suitable habitats.
Common bluebells are found in only 37 places in the UK
3. Propagate bellflower
Status: Endangered
Best time to see: July to November
Habitat: Forests
where? The Welsh border and the West Midlands
The common bluebell is only found in 37 areas of 10 square kilometers in the UK, but in very small numbers. They are threatened by changes in forest management, such as the end of afforestation and other disturbances, and increased use of herbicides on roadsides and railway banks.
The crested wheatgrass grows in East Anglia and other parts of the United Kingdom
4. Wheat crested cow
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 dozens of other plants to attract insects.
5. Cotswold Pinecress
Status: Endangered and near threatened
Best time to see: April and May
Habitat: agricultural land
where? Cotswolds
It grows mainly in the Cotswolds, and can be seen growing from hedges, walls and banks.
Plowing, leveling of rough lands, increased use of fertilizers and herbicides, and neglect of marginal lands have all led to the gradual disappearance of the plants. It is often choked out by thicker suffocating plants.
Lady Orchid, with stunning pink flowers, grows in Kent and Oxfordshire
6. Lady Orchid
Condition: critical
Best time to see: April, May, June
Habitat: Forest edges and grasslands
where? Kent and Oxfordshire
This purple orchid produces large stems of 200 flowers up to 80 cm high. It can be seen growing on forest edges, and sometimes in open grasslands.
This meadow plant has been in decline as less land is used for grazing which means it is choked out by others
7. Meadow Clary
Status: Endangered/Near Threatened
Best time to see: Spring and summer
Habitat: Grasslands
where? Oxfordshire, the Chilterns and the North and South Downs
This plant declined before 1950 when less land was used for grazing and it was choked out by other coarse plants. It is now found in only 21 areas in southern England, where it is likely to have been reintroduced through 'wildflower seed' mixtures.
The sun-loving plant grows in open grassland and along south-facing hedge banks and southern edges of woodland.
The single-flowered winter green plant grows in moist, shady pine forests
8. Single-flowered winter plant
Status: Endangered/Near Threatened
Best time to see: May, June and July
Habitat: Pine forests
where? North East Scotland
This single-flowered plant grows in moist, shaded areas of pine forests. It can be clearly seen on dark soil and rotting pine leaves. The white flower faces down from the end of a long stem, looking a bit like an umbrella
Twinflower is a relic from the Ice Age
9. The twin
Status unknown
Best time to see: Spring and summer
Habitat: Forests
where? Scotland
An Arctic Alpine plant that is a remnant of the Ice Age, it has two pink, bell-like flowers on a slender stem and a thicker stem underneath that creeps along the ground, forming small mats. The Twinflower is one of the smallest and most delicate native flowers.
It now grows in only 50 separate sites after changes in forest management.
The white orchid has been lost from 75 percent of the countryside
10. Small orchid butterfly
Status: Endangered/Near Threatened
Best time to see: June and July
Habitat: Forests, grasslands, heathlands and wetlands
where? England, Cardiganshire in Wales, and parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland
This white orchid has been lost from 75% of the English countryside since records began. The plant grows to a height of 30 cm, and is now spreading in open areas and those with acidic soil. The best chance of seeing them is at Cae Plaine Dyffryn Nature Reserve in Wales, which hosts a population that can exceed 3,000 in good years.
The decline of orchids may be linked to the symbiotic fungi they depend on for growth, according to Plantlife UK, which are very sensitive to fertilizers and fungicides. Their use in open grasslands may have played a role in the plants' march toward extinction.
The plant prefers beech and hazel
11. Yellow bird's nest
Status unknown
Best time to see: All year round
Habitat: Beech and hazel forests
where? At the UK level
The entire plant is yellow-brown, and tends to grow in leaf litter in shaded forests. However, it began to decline after 1930, possibly due to changes in forest management, overgrazing, and habitat fragmentation.
Source: Plant Life UK
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