James Robertson
British Wildlife 27.3 February 2016

A study in pink

Not all plants sit easily at one end of the spectrum running from ‘native’ to ‘alien’. The author considers the case of Deptford Pink, which leads him to take a sideways look at wild-plant conservation and the urge to garden.

This is the story of a delightful little pink which has been the subject of ardent conservation efforts in Britain, because it is thought to be a rare native plant in rapid decline. It illustrates the risk of concentrating conservation efforts on what are thought to be declining, native rare plants; of putting species before habitats.

Through a naturalist’s eyes
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