Rare plant could return to Epping Forest

The Bell Heather, a pink plant with bell-shaped flowers, is being returned to Epping Forest for the first time in 50 years. Due to it’s delicate nature, the plant only grows in Tiptree within Essex, and is believed to have disappeared from Epping Forest in the 1960s.

However, it’s tendency to bloom early makes it a vital pollinating plant for insects, and the Essex Wildlife Trust want to utilise that quality. The trust’s botanical expert, Paul Fletcher, has found a way to take cuttings without damaging the plants at Tiptree, before growing them in Epping.

Picture credit: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION.