Protecting an exotic beauty
The lady’s slipper orchid, Cypripedium calceolus, looks as though it would be more at home in a tropical rainforest, but it is one of Britain’s most striking and rare wild flowers. Its has a bulging yellow pouch surrounded by twisted maroon petals, reminiscent of a handlebar moustache, held above attractive ribbed green leaves. The orchid was gathered with such voracity by plant collectors in the 19th century that, by 1917, it was declared extinct. Then, in 1930, a single plant was discovered on private land in Yorkshire and has been closely guarded ever since. In 1983, a donation from the Sainsbury family meant that the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew could set up a wild orchid breeding programme. Thousands of seedlings were raised and reintroduced to suitable locations across the north of England. At Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve in Lancashire, it is possible to follow a waymarked route to a viewing point to see the lady’s slipper in June. More information is at www.arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk