Help needed to protect native plants from garden escapees

4 August 2023

The North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have opened nominations for a prestigious award for nature-friendly farmers and land managers in Upper Teesdale and Upper Swaledale.

The North Pennines AONB Partnership is seeking help to tackle invasive plants that have escaped from gardens and threaten the valuable native flora of Upper Teesdale.

A significant site of invasive garden Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla mollis) has been found in an area around an Upper Teesdale beck and the AONB Partnership is working with partners and volunteers to remove it, in order to protect native species.

Volunteers are invited to join the team on 17, 24 and 25 August for a practical day to help dig up and remove the invasive plants. In July the team removed 60 metres of material from a site, working with volunteer members of the public and conservation partners.
This area of Upper Teesdale in the North Pennines AONB is especially important for the population of rare native plants that are found there. If the garden Lady’s-mantle is left to set seed, it poses a risk of spreading to further sites and possibly out competing and replacing the important native plant communities. It forms very dense clumps and will shade out the slower growing, less competitive plants.

Among the team hoping to tackle the spread of this aggressive plant is Will Bowman, Farming and Nature Trainee working on the Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected programme with the AONB Partnership. Will said: “The work to remove Alchemilla mollis is especially important for the preservation of special habitats in the Upper Teesdale area. As beautiful as garden Lady’s mantle might be for a garden border or bouquet of flowers, it does pose a serious risk to the structure of native habitats. If left, it quickly spreads via seed and establishes large numbers of plants that rapidly out-compete native plants. In several locations in Upper Teesdale it has spread the entire length of a beck in only a few years. We are hoping that with a combined effort from the North Pennines AONB team, Teesdale Special Flora group, Natural England, Moor House – Upper Teesdale Nature Reserve and individuals who are willing to volunteer their time, we will be able to considerably reduce the spread of Alchemilla mollis in Upper Teesdale.”

The AONB Partnership is also advising people with Alchemilla mollis in the garden to be vigilant of plants self-seeding and establishing themselves outside of their garden borders. Where this has happened, plants should be removed by the roots. Flower heads can also be dead-headed before they are able to set seed, and disposed of in a way that does not pose a further risk of seed spreading.

Dr Margaret Bradshaw’s Special Flora Trust is calling for people to report any sightings of Alchemilla mollis in the wild, recording the location using National Grid Reference or What3Words, and a photograph if possible. These can be submitted .

Media enquiries

For further information and alternative images, contact the communications team at the North Pennines AONB Partnership, email: communications@northpenninesaonb.org.uk or call 01388 528801.

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The North Pennines is one of England’s most special places – a peaceful, unspoilt landscape with a rich history and vibrant natural beauty. It was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988. The purpose of this nationally recognised designation is the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty of the area. At almost 2,000 sq. kilometres the North Pennines is the second largest of the 46 AONBs (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and is one of the most peaceful and unspoilt places in England. Visit www.landscapesforlife.org.uk for information about the AONB family.

The North Pennines AONB Partnership is an alliance of 24 public, statutory and voluntary sector bodies with an interest in the future of the AONB. The work of the Partnership is carried out by its Staff Unit which takes action to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, to raise awareness of its special qualities and to improve the quality of life for local people.

UNESCO Global Geopark.  As well as being an AONB the North Pennines is a UNESCO Global Geopark. This puts the area’s Geopark status in the same UNESCO family as World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO Global Geoparks are places with outstanding geology where special effort is made to make the most of geological heritage to support community and economy. Locally this includes producing geo-trails, developing projects with school and community groups, producing displays for visitor attractions and holding geology festivals and events.

Tees-Swale: naturally connected.  The North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are working with partner organisations to deliver a major natural heritage programme that focuses on the landscape and communities of Upper Teesdale and Swaledale, covering 829 square kilometres of Teesdale in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Inspired by the report ‘Making Space for Nature’, the programme aims to restore, expand and connect habitats across the uplands of Teesdale and Swaledale, showcasing how public funds can enhance wildlife and deliver multiple public benefits. The ethos of the programme is to work closely and in partnership with farmers, landowners and conservation agencies from the outset. In so doing, we will build the relationships and establish the skills required to sustain our High Nature Value farming systems.
High Nature Value farming is a term used to describe low intensity farming systems that are particularly valuable for wildlife, the environment and people. The concept of knowledge exchange will be a core principle of the programme, with farmers encouraged to share their land management skills and experience in order to target habitat improvement and restoration, in a way that allows the whole farm to work as a system.