Wildlife groups and police want to ensure the future of a rare plant that is more than 100 years old. The Lady’s Slipper orchid is the rarest species of British wild flower, is protected by law, and grows at Silverdale Golf Course. The plant has been mutilated twice in six years.
Vandals are being warned they face arrest. The plant may be monitored by covert CCTV cameras.
PC Tony Marsh, community beat manager for Silverdale, said: “The Lady Slipper orchid is an incredibly important plant, having survived for over a hundred years when all other plants were thought extinct. It is iconic to many people who enjoy wildlife in Britain. People travel from all ends of the country on what is almost a pilgrimage to view the plant in bloom.”
PC Duncan Thomas, wildlife officer for Lancashire Police, added: “We have been monitoring this amazing plant for a number of years and you can’t help being impressed by not only its rarity but the incredible display when flowering. Sadly there are persons who will seek to steal it and as such we are working with Natural England staff to ensure its continued success.”
Anyone with concerns about the Lady’s Slipper is asked to contact police.
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