Tag Archives: endemics

35 years on, ebony hero Charlie gets his name on the map

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Simon Pipe

A strong wind blew over the party that had gathered above St Helena’s wildest cliffs to honour Charlie Benjamin as an island hero. And nearly 5,000 miles away in London, a heavy drizzle blattered against the windows of the elegant … Continue reading →

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Bride Wendy has her flower on her cake – and eats it

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Simon Pipe

The St Helena ebony, rescued from extinction by Charlie Benjamin, has found a place in UK national ceremonial – and on his daughter’s wedding cake. Simon Pipe of St Helena Online was honoured to give a speech telling Charlie’s story. Wendy Benjamin … Continue reading →

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More tea plants, anyone? ‘Lost’ endemics found near airport site

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Simon Pipe

A forgotten strand of St Helena’s unique tea plant has been rediscovered below Longwood, it has been reported. The bushes found in Fisher’s Valley are much larger than any other known specimens on the island, some reaching 1.5 metres in height. It … Continue reading →

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£180,000 raised in battle to save rare species

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Simon Pipe

An appeal for money to save threatened species in UK overseas territories – including St Helena’s spiky yellow woodlouse – has raised three quarters of its £240,000 target. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds urges would-be donors to … Continue reading →

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Marine teacher Beverley brings an expert in her wake

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Simon Pipe

Teacher Beverley Tyson will be bringing an added extra when she turns up on St Helena: a husband who’s got the bug for museums. Beverly is arriving in August to start work as an education officer, setting up a marine … Continue reading →

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Ascension’s fake forest is a challenge to science, says writer

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Simon Pipe

When the Royal Navy first “invaded” Ascension Island, it did so not with weapons of war, but with plants – creating what is said to be the only man-made tropical forest in the world. The result is either a beacon … Continue reading →

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Flowers come out as ‘rarest tree’ beats extinction

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Simon Pipe

Desperate efforts to save St Helena’s bastard gumwood tree are bearing fruit – or rather, flowers. Dr Phil Lambdon and his team had to delicately pick up pollen grains with brushes and “paint” them on to blossom of the only … Continue reading →

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Lost leaf hopper pops up for the first time in 137 years

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Simon Pipe

Bug experts have been astonished by the rediscovery of one of St Helena’s smallest creatures. Conservation officer Lourens Malan was lucky to spot the missing leaf hopper on his day off: it’s only three millimetres long.  by St Helena Government writer … Continue reading →

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Project aims to bring island bugs back from the brink

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Simon Pipe

The rediscovery of a lost St Helena leaf-hopper, not seen since 1875, came only weeks after the launch of the Bugs on the Brink project on the island. As the UK charity Buglife reports on its website, it’s almost come … Continue reading →

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Island’s large bellflower ‘could be lost’ to genetic mix-up

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Simon Pipe

St Helena’s endemic large bellflower could become extinct within a few years – even though it is raising new plants. The fear for conservationists is that the few remaining wild plants are getting mixed up with another endemic species, the … Continue reading →

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