A recent poll commissioned by Plantlife – the largest charity in Europe dedicated to protecting wildflowers – showed that 70% of British people want to know more about wildflowers.
The survey revealed that 49% of 16-24-year-olds were able to correctly name the bluebell – one of Britain’s favourite wildflowers – compared to 83% of those aged over 55. Just 4% of 16-24-year-olds could identify the red clover, while only 11% felt that they could confidently and correctly name a range of wildflowers.
Of the 2,132 adults involved in the sample, 70 % expressed a desire to be able to identify more wildflowers.
“People have told us they want to know more about the ‘extraordinary ordinary’ pop of colour in a normal day," says Plantlife Botanical Specialist Dr Trevor Dines.
“Lots of us love wildflowers but can feel unconfident around them and want to know more,” adds Chief Executive of Plantlife Marian Spain.
In response to the poll, Plantlife have launched the Great British Wild Flower Hunt, an interactive guide aimed at boosting user’s knowledge of plants while encouraging fun at the same time.
The Hunt, as the guide is also known, allows users to search for wildflowers by location with the aid of a spotter sheet that can be either printed or accessed on a mobile device. The website allows users to submit their results and add species to the map, allowing other participants to see what wildflowers can be found in their area.
“It’s all about people reconnecting with wildflowers,” says Spain. “It is part of our Forget-me-not campaign, which Plantlife developed in response to the Oxford Junior Dictionary dropping plant names like bluebell and blackberry from its latest edition – for many children today they are not as relevant.”
Learn more about Plantlife and join The Great British Wild Flower Hunt #WildFlowerHunt
Images: Plantlife