Killarney fern It grows on constantly shaded, humid rock faces and was always a rare species in the UK, but it has become extinct at a number of sites due to collecting.

Readers will discover that a well-stocked 1730s garden contained oranges and lemons, meet a beautiful woman who swapped parasol covers for funkias (also called hostas), and visit the botanical garden in Burma that was created by a gardener who described herself as "an ignorant small woman with a job six times too big for her." The author also describes plants that have an Irish connection, such as the Killarney fern, the "last rose of summer," and the carnivorous tippitiwitchet.

Other creatures on the EU's list include dormice and great crested newts, plus Killarney fern and Lady's slipper.