Quirky Suffolk: Westhorpe's rarities
PUBLISHED: 16:13 23 June 2010 | UPDATED: 17:24 20 February 2013
Quirky Suffolk: Westhorpe's rarities
Suffolk is home to the rare barberry
Westhorpes Rarities
Not only is Westhorpe home to some rare barberry plants, but it will also, it is hoped, be the habitat of the rare barberry carpet moth that feeds exclusively off them. According to the Suffolk Rare Plant Register, there are less than 40 records of the wild barberry (Berberis vulgartis) across the country. It is native to the dry, chalky soils of West Suffolk but planting in mediaeval times confuses distribution.
