Urgent warning to British gardeners as stowaway snakes and spiders are discovered hiding in pot plants

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Posted on 01/18/2025 3:25:09 AM PST by Libloather

From curious hedgehogs to beautiful butterflies, gardens across the UK are regularly frequented by animals.

But scientists have issued an urgent warning to gardeners, amid an influx of secret stowaways.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge say that invasive species including snakes and lizards are slipping unnoticed into Britain in shipments of cut flowers and potted plants.

Continental European snakes, geckos and Italian wall lizards are among the animals making their way over in potted olive trees destined for gardens and green spaces, according to the study.

Worryingly, these creatures can cause extensive damage to food crops and the native environment.

And reptiles are 'just the tip of the iceberg', the researchers warn.

Insects, fungi, spiders and agricultural pests are also being imported into the UK and northern Europe in cut flowers and other ornamental plants.

Despite regulations and border checks, the volume of fast-moving plant shipments makes it difficult to detect species.

It comes as the multimillion-pound global market is rapidly growing with an increasing geographic reach.

The researchers said climate change could see disease-carrying insects like mosquitos, which previously would have died from the cold in northern Europe, increasingly likely to survive.

Rising temperatures could also lead to some ornamental plants being imported from warmer climates flourishing in the wild as invasive species in countries like the UK.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...

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I did not write the headline.

1 posted on 01/18/2025 3:25:09 AM PST by Libloather

To: Libloather

2 posted on 01/18/2025 3:32:30 AM PST by Paul R. (Bin Laden wanted Obama killed so the incompetent VP, Biden, would become President!)

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