101 Rare Plants of Wales

Lauren studied Ecology at Cardiff University alongside working in scientific engagement at Amgueddfa Cymru. She now works as a Biology teacher in Gloucestershire, where she continues to enjoy walking in the countryside and appreciating British flora and fauna. Dr Tim Rich trained as an ecologist at Lancaster University and specialised in botany. He ran the Welsh National Herbarium for 17 years and is a national expert with particular interest in whitebeams and hawkweeds. He is currently working in applied ecology.

Wild flowers are some of our most important national treasures, giving free enjoyment to everyone. Who cannot admire the sheets of bluebells or foxgloves in the woods and hills, or yellow fields of cowslips? But many of our rare plants could slip away unnoticed.The pressures on our environment are well known: climate change and associated weather extremes, overgrazing, habitat fragmentation, soil erosion, air pollution and fertiliser drift, mineral extraction, urban development and tourism.With at least 50 species now critically endangered, such as Beacons hawkweed with two remaining plants and Snowdonia hawkweed with three remaining plants recorded in the latest survey, it is essential that our flowers are given the space and conditions to thrive alongside us.The aim of this book is to celebrate 101 of our rarer wild plants in Wales, report what is currently known about them and to raise their profile and the importance of their conservation in the national consciousness before they are lost.Published in conjunction with Amgueddfa Cymru / National Museum Wales.