Hanging on rather than flourishing … a rare flower

New Forest Clustered around two trees, and shaded by them, is a narrow-leaved lungwort, unreported in the area for nearly 20 years

We head into the forest in search of a scarce plant. Nine years ago almost to the day, I chanced upon a single stem of narrow-leaved lungwort (Pulmonaria longifolia), and I want to find out if it is still there. Then, it had been growing in the shelter of a young bramble, with primroses alongside.

Before setting out, I check with Martin Rand, the botanical recorder for south Hampshire. When he tells me that he hasn't had a report of its presence in this area since the turn of the millennium, I regret not having given him a note of my find before.