THANKS for covering the tansy planting at Rawcliffe Meadows (The Press, April 15), but there is a back story.

Friends of Rawcliffe Meadows (FoRM) manage about 44 acres of land to the north of York that includes a large area classed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

One of the reasons for the SSSI status is that is contains at least 20 per cent of the UK population of the critically endangered tansy beetle.

To assist is maintaining numbers of the tansy beetle on the site, along with other improvements, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) through the Biffa Award scheme has been funding some developments on Rawcliffe Meadows during 2015/16.

The latest one was for volunteers from the YWT to plant some of the £1,000 worth of tansy plants the Biffa Award has secured, which was being done on the day in company with local Tansy Beetle Champions from the Buglife project.

More can be found about the Tansy Beetle Champions at https://www.buglife.org.uk/tansy-beetle-hub

And about the re-flowering the floodplains — River Ouse, York project, visit http://www.ywt.org.uk/ouse-floodplain

We are grateful for their help and financial assistance, as we are for help at any time.

Dr Mick Phythian, York Natural Environment Trust, Monkton Road, York