Nowhere Else - an exploration of Britain's endemic species; the plants, animals and fungi found nowhere else on Earth other than right here!

Joined June 2022
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Over the next year I will be searching high and low to find a fascinating cross-section of Britain's endemic species - the species found nowhere else but right here! Follow me as the endemic quest unfurls... Photo is of the endemic Backs Goldilocks Buttercup
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I read a great piece on rat eradication on Scilly; removal of rats from islands has hugely positive impacts on populations of native species, such as Manx Shearwaters and Puffins on Lundy (both of which I saw whilst searching for endemic Lundy Cabbage earlier this year)... 1/5
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...Obviously, this shouldn't change anyone's opinion on Scilly Shrew conservation - just because it's not a unique, endemic taxon doesn't mean we shouldn't safeguard its future - but I would like to stop the myth from spreading (we have enough endemic myths already)... 4/5
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... So if @AlexCarlTurner, @phoeb0 or @pgreenfielduk could just correct that then I'd be delighted 😊 As there's no shrew emoji (shameful!) I'll symbolise it with:πŸ¦” 🐁 5/5
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A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be shown the endemic Menai Strait Whitebeam (or Cerddin Menai) by the amazing @fossilplants
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This blew my mind. We have a critically endangered endemic species threatened by climate change – how have I not hear this story before? How is this not the poster-species of the impact of climate change in Britain? Why are we not all shouting about it all the time!
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Fortunately there is work going on to try and safeguard the future of the Menai Strait Whitebeam. Trees are being grown in cultivation to ensure an β€˜ark’ population, and translocations to suitable wild sites are being considered. Find out more:Β fossilplants.co.uk/menai-str…

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This is so beautiful and fascinating - and as one of the parents is endemic so is the resulting hybrid. Hybrids might seem like strange one-offs or dead-ends, but many modern species have emerged from hybrid pairings and found their own niche.
27/6/22 Highland - Here's something super-rare. An intergeneric hybrid between the scarce Small White #Orchid (Pseudorchis albida) and the endemic Heath Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia borealis). Check out its intermediate features of the two! #wildflowerhour
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One thing I found really fascinating about False-toothed Lady's Mantle was how it favoured the edges of paths, seemingly liking the trampled sides (which presumably create bare ground for it to colonise?). Nice to think that there's a species that thrives off human activity!
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I had an amazing day with @AlchemillaMan yesterday where I got to meet the endemic False-toothed Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla falsadenta. It's not only a British endemic, it's a Yorkshire endemic too! The entire global population is found in just two woods in the Yorkshire Dales!
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Of course, it does make it easier having the brand new Alchemilla book to hand... as well as having @AlchemillaMan, the guy who literally described the species, standing next to you and pointing out the features. (By the way, get the book, it's fantastic!)
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False-toothed Lady's Mantle has only been recently described as a new species; it spent about a century being confused with other lady's mantles before being finally settled by @AlchemillaMan. It does make you wonder though - how much is still out there to discover?!
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