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Ecosystem Engineers — Mosses, Ants & Sphagnum

UK-native, translocatable ecosystem engineers: cushion and feather mosses, UK-native ant colonies and — as a dedicated premium line — sphagnum moss for peatland restoration. These species drive the physical, chemical and biological structure of whole habitats; translocating them responsibly is one of the fastest ways to accelerate ecosystem recovery on degraded sites.

Native species only. Every line on this page is UK-native. We do not stock Sphagnum palustre cultivars of non-UK provenance, and we do not stock non-native ants, red imported fire ants, or any species that would ecologically displace a UK-native. Suppliers are vetted for the same policy.

Transparent pricing. Mosses and ants sit at a 50% mark-up on the bulk price from trusted ethical suppliers. Sphagnum for peatland restoration sits at a premium 75% mark-up on NGO prices — this reflects the cold-chain handling, species-level sorting (S. capillifolium, S. papillosum, S. fallax, S. magellanicum), and the fact that we buy from restoration-focused NGO nurseries whose stock is audited for peat-bog provenance.

Mosses · UK-native · translocatable

Feather and cushion mosses are true ecosystem engineers — they build soil, buffer pH, retain moisture and create microhabitat for invertebrates and amphibians. Supplied as viable plugs with ecologist notes on substrate, light and humidity.

How to order native mosses

All moss orders are handled by email so we can match species, provenance and delivery to your receptor site before sending a pay-by-email invoice.

Feather moss plug tray — Hypnum cupressiforme, Pleurozium schreberi — 20 plugs£36 Cushion moss plug tray — Leucobryum glaucum, Polytrichum commune — 20 plugs£38 Woodland bryophyte mix — 40 mixed native moss plugs£68 Walltop / rockery moss mix — 20 plugs£34 Bulk moss translocation — quoted per m²Quoted

Email evolutionaryecology@outlook.com with:

Your full name and organisation (if any)
Option(s) and quantity from the list above
Delivery postcode / full address and preferred delivery date
Receptor-site notes — substrate, light, humidity, target outcome
Billing contact and, if a company, VAT / company number

We reply within 2 working days with a secure pay-by-email invoice — card, bank transfer or PayPal.

Email your order Back to shop

Ants · UK-native · translocation kits

UK-native ant colonies — wood ants (Formica rufa group), black garden ants (Lasius niger), yellow meadow ants (Lasius flavus) — are powerful ecosystem engineers: they turn soil, disperse seeds, aerate sward and create grassland microtopography (yellow-meadow-ant mounds are a BNG-grade habitat feature in their own right). Supplied only for genuine translocation / restoration contexts and only into areas where the colony can establish without displacing an existing population.

How to order native ants & translocation

Every ant translocation needs site context and welfare review, so orders are handled by email. We confirm suitability before issuing a pay-by-email invoice.

Yellow meadow ant translocation kit — Lasius flavus — single colony£180 Black garden ant starter colony — Lasius niger — with brood and workers£110 Red wood ant translocation pack — Formica rufa — UK BAP species, ecologist-supported£220 Site-scale ant translocation survey + relocation — quotedQuoted

Email evolutionaryecology@outlook.com with:

Your full name and organisation (if any)
Option from the list above
Site postcode
Project type (BNG enhancement, grassland restoration, woodland restoration, ecology research, other)
Why translocation is needed — donor / receptor context (we only supply where translocation genuinely benefits the species and the receptor site)
Billing contact and, if a company, VAT / company number

We review, reply within 2 working days, and if suitable send a secure pay-by-email invoice.

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Sphagnum · peatland restoration · UK-native · 75% mark-up

Sphagnum is the peat-forming moss: it builds peatland, sequesters carbon, and sets the hydrology of entire uplands. We supply it as a premium restoration line — UK-native provenance only, species-sorted, cold-chain handled, and bought from peatland-restoration NGO nurseries. This line exists to serve real restoration work, not ornamental or aquarium use.

How to order sphagnum for peatland restoration

Sphagnum is supplied cold-chain and provenance-audited, so every order is scoped by email before we issue a pay-by-email invoice.

Sphagnum capillifolium — 50 plugs (hummock builder)£175 Sphagnum papillosum — 50 plugs (lawn builder)£175 Sphagnum fallax — 50 plugs (fast colonist)£160 Mixed peatland species pack — S. capillifolium / papillosum / fallax — 100 plugs£320 Bulk peatland restoration sphagnum — 1 m³ (1,000+ plugs)From £1,400 Landscape-scale peatland restoration — quoted per haPOA

Email evolutionaryecology@outlook.com with:

Your full name and organisation (if any)
Option(s) and quantity from the list above
Site postcode and preferred delivery window
Site type — active raised bog restoration, blanket bog, cutover / degraded peatland, BNG peatland enhancement, research / trial, other
Peatland project notes — site area, peat depth, current hydrology, target sphagnum cover, restoration partners
Billing contact and, if a company, VAT / company number

We reply within 2 working days with availability, provenance notes and a secure pay-by-email invoice.

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Who we buy from, and why the mark-ups differ

Mosses and ants (50% mark-up). We buy from specialist native-species suppliers vetted to avoid non-natives — bryophyte nurseries that propagate from UK stock, and ant suppliers that trade in UK-native species only. The 50% mark-up covers species verification, welfare-checked handling, packing, carriage and ecologist support on receptor-site selection.

Sphagnum (75% mark-up). Sphagnum is deliberately priced higher — it is bought from peatland-restoration NGO nurseries whose stock is sorted to species level and audited for peat-bog provenance; it travels cold, needs to arrive viable, and in quantities big enough for landscape restoration. The extra mark-up is not margin — it is the cost of sourcing restoration-grade sphagnum from NGO-price lists, storing it correctly and ecologist-advising the receptor-site so the restoration actually works.

We never trade in non-native Sphagnum cultivars or commercial aquarium-grade sphagnum re-labelled for restoration. Every supplier on our list sells UK-native only.

Pair with our ecology services

Ecosystem engineers translocate well only into a properly prepared receptor site. Our ecosystem engineers consultancy scopes donor-site licensing, receptor-site preparation, post-translocation monitoring and BNG-metric uplift claims. Sphagnum supply can be wrapped into the peatland restoration charity arm for landowners wanting a charitable partnership.