Skullcap found on dairy farm in the south
A rare wildflower, last seen on the Isle of Man 142 years ago, has been rediscovered on a dairy farm in the south of the Island.
David Bellamy, an officer for the Manx Wildlife Trust, spotted the Skullcap flower back in July, and it's since been confirmed as the species once thought to be extinct here.
The finding was confirmed by MWT Botanist Andree Dubbeldam, who visited the farm after seeing David's photograph.
"I sent a photo back to my colleagues and one of them fell off a chair!"
Mr Bellamy says he spotted it on a 'wet area of marshy, grassland':
David says the discovery is testament to the responsible farming practices on the site:
The Skullcap has blue flowers which are 1.5-2cm long and grows to around knee-height.
The species was first recorded on the Island 190 years ago, in 1832 near Scarlett by Professor Edward Forbes, a world- famous Manx naturalist.
It was not recorded again for another half century by Manx historian PMC Kermode on 6 July 1880, also at Scarlett.
Andree Dubbeldam, who confirmed the finding, said: "This plant is clearly native to site where it is abundant over about 100m2 of very wet, cattle-grazed marsh.
'Our recent review of Manx wildflowers has found that 45 species of native plant have gone extinct since botanical recording began, with almost half of these extinctions having occurred since the passage of the Wildlife Act in 1990, so this exciting rediscovery is very welcome news.'
Shortly, Manx Wildlife Trust will be publishing it's 'Plants of Conservation Concern in the Isle of Man 2022', looking at the conservation status of all wild plants found on the Island. Of the 500 found here, the organisation has found that 41% are of concern.
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