Rare plant makes tracks on Wolds

The discovery of tassel stonewort, which is descended from some of the earliest life- forms, provoked a flurry of conservation activity when it was found in a pool formed where a lorry had driven across a road verge.

Ecologist Martin Hammond spied the unfamiliar plant last year in one the Wolds’ many Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

The Million Ponds Project stepped into the breach, offering advice, support and a grant funded by Biffaward.

A number of ponds have been dug near the colony - whose whereabouts are a secret - and these will be grazed to maintain the open conditions the plant needs. The colony is believed to be the most northerly in Britain and it is still not known how it came to be there.

Million Ponds Project Officer Becca Cleaver said: “The support we’ve received from everyone involved has been fantastic and it shows just what can be achieved for wildlife when we work together.”