Plantlife’s Code of Conduct for picking wild flowers

Plantlife, the charity which looks out for wild flowers, says it’s OK to pick a few common, widespread and pretty flowers.  Here are eight things to remember when picking any of the 12 wild flowers on the Plantlife list.

1. Make sure you’re not trespassing on any private land.
2. Never pick flowers from nature reserves or any other protected sites (such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest) without prior permission from the landowner.
3. Only pick from large patches of abundant flowers, leaving plenty of flowers for others to enjoy, to set seed, and to provide other wildlife with pollen, nectar, seed or shelter.
4. Follow the one-in-twenty rule, picking one flower out of every twenty you find. You should never diminish the display.
5. Only pick a small handful of flowers for personal use, you must never pick for commercial gain.
6. Don’t trample other flowers or vegetation.
7. Never uproot any plant unless you have the landowner’s permission, and be aware that some plants (listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act) cannot be picked without a licence
8. If in doubt, don’t pick. If you don’t know the identity of a plant, leave it where it is. Take a photograph instead and try and identify it at home first.

 

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