Alpine Forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Myosotis alpestris |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | F.W.Schmidt |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Mysosotis alpestris was assessed as VU (D2) in England due to its restriction to three sites all in Upper Teesdale (Mickle Fell, Little Fell, Great Dun Fell). Recent populations estimates for these populations are c.12,000, c.100,000 and c.3,000 respectively. In the past all three populations suffered from overgrazing by sheep and rabbits but these have both declined since 2001 due to Foot and Mouth Disease and severe winters so much so that under-grazing is now the major threat to English populations. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Careful control of grazing levels on unenclosed mountain pastures is needed to ensure that English populations survive. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Natural England staff monitor all three populations periodically as part of a long term study. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Implement adequate grazing levels by sheep to allow Alpine Forget-me-not, as well as other Teesdale assemblage species, to flower and set seed. This should include the grazing exclosure on Mickle Fell.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Mickle Fell, Little Fell, Great Dun Fell
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.