New rare wild orchid seen in UK for first time in 100 years

A new lady's-slipper orchid, once believed to be extinct in the UK, has been spotted in the wild for the first time in 100 years following a decades-long conservation drive, experts said yesterday.

Over-picking by Victorian collectors, gripped by the orchid craze of the time, was thought to have made the yellow cup-shaped and purple-petalled plant extinct by the early 1900s.

But a single plant was discovered in a remote location in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England in 1930. Its location was kept secret and volunteers have since provided round-the-clock monitoring to prevent it from being stolen.

Last summer, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust -- supported by various conservation groups -- discovered the first new lady's-slipper orchid to appear in the wild since then, it said yesterday.

It is the culmination of a decades-long bid to bring back the flower, and has sparked hopes that it could one day be restored across its former range in northern England.