Flies
43 species of fly have become extinct in England in the last 200 years, 10 of which are shown below
Species: Belida angelicae
Extinct: 1936
Species: Clitellaria ephippium
Extinct: 1850
© John Reinecke
© Hectonichus
GREEN HOUND'S TONGUE
Cynoglossum germanicum
A close relative to the commonly widespread Hound's Tongue Cynoglossum officinale, found on woodland edges and hedgebanks.
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Rarity: occurring at several fragmented sites across the south and south-west of England only.
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Cause of decline: Lack of woodland management minimising opportunities for disturbed ground to open up, scrubbing up of woodland edges and a risk of development.
Background
Green Hound's Tongue is a member of the borage Boraginaceae family and is a biennial herbaceous species. The plant can grow up to 75cm and between May and Autumn produces dark red flowers.
Green Hound's Tongue is considered to be extinct in Scotland, but there are populations within the south of England, although it is rare within Great Britain and has a global conservation status of 'Critically Endangered'.
The species is native to Europe but suffered a decline in the 1930's. The reasons for this remain unknown. However following the Great Storm of 1987, there was a resurgence in populations, which took advantage of openings in woodlands and on woodland edges from tree losses.
There are strongholds for the species in Surrey and also Hampshire, although these populations are fragmented. There are smaller populations within Oxfordshire, East Gloucestershire and North Wiltshire, some of which have been bolstered through reintroduction work already.
Ecology and Conservation
Green Hound's Tongue is closely related to Hound's Tongue, but unlike it's more common counterpart, is less hairy with fresh green leaves, that are almost hairless above.
Similar to Hound's Tongue, Green Hound's Tongue is found on woodland edges and along hedgebanks, particularly on calcareous soils. Green Hound's Tongue prefer areas that are disturbed by mammals such as rabbit or badger as this assists in the distribution of their seeds.
These seeds are barbed 'nutlets' which can hook on to passing mammals, including humans and domestic pets, to be dispersed elsewhere. Current populations are often found along linear routes such as footpaths along woodland edges or canal paths, demonstrating that this type of seed dispersal works well for this species.​
The main threats to Green Hound's Tongue relate to lack of management of woodland areas that become to dense, particularly on woodland edges where scrub can shade out this species. Development is also having an impact and populations have been lost as a result.
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Our Work
Our work on this species currently focuses of identifying populations at risk and areas for suitable introductions. These may include extinct sites that may be suitable for a new population to be established or considering how to increase the spread of existing populations.
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Over the next couple of years, we will be looking to survey existing populations and areas where there are historic records of this species before assessing how we can assist with management and/or potential introduction projects.
