Volunteers to help rare wildflower by home growing

"Citizen Zoo Volunteers across London are being enlisted to grow a threatened wildflower vital for bees, butterflies and rare moths, in an effort to stop one of the capital's rarest plants from disappearing. Conservation group Citizen Zoo launched the project to restore tower mustard, which is thought to survive at only two sites in the capital and about 30 in England. Volunteers will cultivate the herb at home before it is replanted at locations across Greater London."

"Elliot Newton, director of rewilding at Citizen Zoo, said: "The mission to rewild our city isn't something we can achieve alone." He said the project needed "collaboration between conservation organisations, local authorities and local communities". "By putting tower mustard in the spotlight and working together at scale, we can demonstrate how to bring a rare London species back from the brink," added Newton. Citizen Zoo said volunteers would learn to grow the plant at home using seeds sourced from London's remaining population strongholds."

Citizen Zoo and partner Habitats & Heritage will recruit volunteers across Greater London to cultivate tower mustard at home and replant it at historic sites to restore populations and support pollinators. Tower mustard survives at only two London sites and around 30 sites nationally and is classed as near threatened on the national red list after sharp declines linked to habitat destruction and land-management practices. Volunteers will receive training using seeds sourced from London's remaining strongholds, attend a session in Twickenham on 14 March, and join planting days in autumn to establish new plants at five locations.

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