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Appendix II
Collecting Wild Flowers

The Wildlife Countryside Act (1981) made it a criminal offence for anyone to uproot a wild plant without the express permission of the owner or the occupier of the land on which it grows.

Many people when they find wild flowers like to collect them, either for the pleasure of picking them, or to press them, or to identify later on. However, it should be remembered that flowers produce seeds, and from these seeds come future plants. In order to keep the supply of plants going a great many seeds need to be produced, if flowers are picked then there will be no seeds at all for next year.

If conservation is to be effective it is important to follow a code of conduct, or a set of simple but good rules.

  1. Never pick except for a good purpose.
  2. If there are only one or two flowers do not pick them on any account. If there are three pick one if you really need it. Always leave behind two or three flowers for every one you pick.
  3. If you find a rare flower do not trample around it as this may: damage unnoticed younger plants not yet in flower; prevent future seedlings from becoming established.
Site © Sedbergh Office Services, 2005. Photographs © Sam Rusling, 2005. Original Book © Nicholas H. Brown, 1997.