A white Ford van sped along Oxfordshire's narrow country lanes at the head of a small convoy - its mission was to save a little part of England that is slowly dying.

A Land Rover and a car behind carried a group of experts, all sworn to keep their destination an absolute secret.

As they reached their chosen location, an isolated chalk Downland hill close to the Oxfordshire-Berkshire border, the doors of the van were opened.

Carefully, the team from BBONT lifted out their precious cargo before starting the digging and putting it into the ground under metal covering.

To most people the secrecy surrounding the planting of 72 little Pasqueflowers might sound a touch excessive.

But when the plant concerned is on the brink of extinction and this is the one great chance of reintroducing it, nothing can be left to chance. The site has had to be kept secret in the face of the growing menace from rare plant thieves, who in recent years have been putting rare orchids at serious risk of extinction. Then there is also the threat posed by the over-determined enthusiasts, who can end up trampling on what they have travelled miles to see.

The purple Pasqueflower, once abundant throughout central and southern Britain, now survives in just a small handful of sites because of ploughing and excessive grazing by rabbits.

Christine Bailey, the project leader with the local wildlife trust BBONT, said: "This is the first time an introduction has been tried. The site has been selected because it is a south facing chalk grassland, where fortunately there is not too big a problem with rabbits.

"It is also a site where Pasqueflowers have been recorded in the past. Therefore conditions should be suitable as long as the plants are protected and long-term and correct management of the site is carried out." BBONT stepped in last year when it collected seeds from Barton Hills in Bedfordshire, one of the plant's remaining strongholds. They were taken to Oxford Botanic Garden for germination for a full year.

Fences were put around the newly planted Pasqueflowers on Wednesday, along with wire hats, to deter birds and rabbits. They will be under constant watch throughout the winter. The survival of the species is viewed as being important because it was a key element in the balanced eco-system of chalk grasslands.

But BBONT will have to wait until May when it will be seen if the plant, which flowers in the spring, has taken root successfully. Plants in peril *There are 321 types of British wild flowers under threat

*Development and farming are most to blame, along with use of pesticides and fertilizers

*The Pasqueflower is now much more commonly seen in garden centres than in the wild. It is easily recognised by its large, soft purple flowers with bright yellow anthers

*In the 1950s the Downs near Moulsford were purple with flowers, until large numbers of pigs and then ploughs destroyed the ancient grassland, along with nearly all the Pasqueflowers

*Monkey Orchids and Military Orchids (so called because they have flowers resembling monkeys and soldiers) are rare plants also being re-introduced in Oxfordshire

*During the summer BBONT wardens keep the county's rarest orchids, also found in the Downs, under 24-hour guard

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