CARNIVOROUS PLANTS – NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS
While sales of the Venus Fly Trap rocketed to an all-time high thanks to a certain John Lewis Christmas ad, it’s reassuring to see that two carnivorous outdoor plants, previously believed to be extinct, have made a comeback too and reappeared in England. The two insect-loving species in question – the greater sundew and oblong-leaved sundew – are being reintroduced to Winmarleigh Moss, a lowland raised bog in Lancashire, as part of a £30,000 restoration project by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. For many years, the Moss was artificially drained for peat and used as farmland.
According to the trust, it would have dried out completely if left alone, losing all the rare native plants and animals. Alongside the two sundews, more than 17,500 plants are being introduced to aid local flora and fauna – like the common lizard and the large heath butterfly, whose population had previously waned. “It is exciting to see bog asphodel, white beak sedge, greater sundew and oblong-leaved sundew back on Winmarleigh Moss, as they have been absent for 100 years,” Helen Earnshaw, Lancashire Wildlife Trust Peatlands Programme project officer, said.
“These plants are only found on peatlands, and it is important that we do all we can to ensure that they establish and thrive here to add to the biodiversity of the site.”