Wildflowers A to Z - Bright Wild Flowers

Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria)

Found in : Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

The erect posture of this perennial is emphasised in June, July and August by attention-grabbing spikes of apricot-scented, yellow flowers that reach between one and two feet (30-60cm). A denizen of roadside and hedgerow, wasteland, pasture and clearing alike, each of agrimony's star-shaped flowers is followed by a burred fruit. The fruit's hooked bristles are perfect for hitching rides with unsuspecting passersby. The spicy flowers are a magnet for bees, flies, and the Grizzled Skipper butterfly whose caterpillars snack on agrimony leaves. Once the fruit have formed, expect the finches to go mad for the seed.

Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Bumblebee Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

Don't underestimate the birdsfoot trefoil because of its minute size (rumour has it it is the child of Tom Thumb and the Queen of the Faeries): it can cover ground, and tolerates trampling, grazing and mowing that would be the undoing of other plants. Yellow and orange pea-shaped flowers cover the plants from last to first frost, and are followed by inch-long (2.5cm) pea pods. A common plant of open woodland, grassland and meadows, birdsfoot trefoil can reach towering heights of two foot (50cm) if supported, but is equally at home in mown patches. A favourite food of more than 15 butterfly and moth caterpillars including: Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Dingy Skipper, Green Hair Streak, Marbled White, Silver Spotted Skipper.

Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata)

Found in: Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

At home in scrub, open woodland, cliffs, downs, and grasslands wherever the soil is chalky, this vivid violet bellflower is a showstopper. These compact plants do best where the grasses and taller perennials are cut regularly, flowering from June to October.

Common Bent (Agrostis capillaris)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

In high summer, this grass can be found flowering across the British Isles. The flowering head or panicle is somewhere between brown and purple (the source of another of this common names, browntop), opening into a feathery flower.

Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

The appearance of the lush, purple, thistle-shaped flowerheads of common knapweed in June are a sure sign of summertime. Covered in hoverflies, bumblebees, butterflies and moths, the flowers buzz with insect life in meadows, verges, scrub, and pasture. Inconspicuous hairy, grey-green lances of soft leaves establish a firm footing for the popular swaying blossoms above. Even the seedheads have a firm following of goldfinches and other seed-feeders.

Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

If you like the juicy stems and leaves of this British native in salads and soups, be prepared to fight the caterpillars for them! The arrow-shaped leaves have a flavour somewhere between a sour wild strawberry and a kiwi. Dioecious, sorrel has both male and female plants. The female plants produce a branched spike of burgundy red flowers followed by papery seeds.

Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Cornfield Annual Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

A cornfield annual, the feathery leaves of corn chamomile were once a common sight in fields of grain. Today, in common with other agricultural weeds of corn, this chamomile is on the decline. The small daisy-like flowers bloom from June to September where the soil has been disturbed. The crushed leaves have the pleasant, appley scent of all chamomiles. The seed will remain dormant in the soil for years waiting for the disturbance of soil that gives it opportunity to grow.

Corn Marigold (Chrysanthemum segetum, syn. Glebonis segetum)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Cornfield Annual Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

This cheerful flower has a long association with arable farming dating back to the Iron Age, although intensive modern agriculture has made it increasingly scarce. Like the other members of the daisy family, the corn marigold is a magnet for insect life. The perennial bright yellow flowers, which sit above bluey-grey leaves, appear in June and carry on until the first hard frosts of autumn.

Corncockle (Agrostemma githago)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Cornfield Annual Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

A century ago, the large pink trumpets of the corncockle would have waved in fields of cereals across Europe. As seed-cleaning techniques have advanced, the fortunes of this weed have declined in its native Europe: today it is virtually extinct in the wild. Each dark-streaked, bright pink trumpet is held on a single stem above clusters of long, tapered, narrow leaves.

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Cornfield Annual Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

Another victim of modern intensive farming techniques, the intense blue rays of the cornflower were once a common weed of the corn fields of the British isles (rye, oats, wheat and barley). A century of intensive farming has led to its decline, and the branched stems of this blue-flowered are now an unusual sight in the wild. In fact, the cornflower is endangered in Britain (although not in Europe as a whole).

Crested Dog's Tail (Cynosurus cristatus)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

The long leaf blades of this tufted perennial grass are a favourite among caterpillars in the Brown and Skipper families. The seedhead is flat on one side, making each flower look a bit like it has bedhead. Common across the British isles, this grass is found in species-rich grasslands.

Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum)

Found in: Bright's Bumblebee Meadow

Lot of small pea blossoms make up each striking crimson or scarlet flame-shaped flower head of this clover. The bees go wild for this annual, queuing like thirsty punters at a bar. While it dies with the first frosts of autumn, wherever the seed finds bare soil, it will be back with a vengance in the spring.

Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Cornfield Annual Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

As cornfield annuals go, the field or common poppy has achieved universal stardom: the four scarlet petals and blotched black centre are unmistakable. In a meadow, these poppies are some of the first to arrive, and to disappear: field poppies are frequently used in meadow mixes as nurse plants for other slower-germinating wildflower. Annuals, they require disturbed soil for their long-lived seeds to germinate. Insects, especially bumblebees, are big pollinators of poppies.

Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)

Found in: Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

Pincushions of delicate blue-lavender, field scabious blossoms dance in the wind on the ends of wiry, branched stems. The nectar these flowers produce make them a veritable drive-through for everything from bees and hoverflies to several species of butterfly and moth. Common denizens of meadows and rough pastures, the field scabious can also be found in hedgerows, along verges and in waste ground.

Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)

Found in: Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

Kidney vetch is a plant of variable habit. That's not to say it is picky: this vetch is found everywhere from sand dunes and rocky outcrops near the sea to grassland. It does mean its appearance can vary widely: it can lie flat on the ground, or be very erect and proper; it produces yellow pea flowers...and on the odd occasion crimson flowers; some times it has 5 pairs of leaflets, or 6, or 7. What is certain is that the insects are mad for it. The sole plant of the Small Blue's caterpillars, the plants also provide food for beetles and moth caterpillars. The flowers provide nectar for bees, moths and butterflies. The kidney vetch can be dominant in the early years of a meadow, but tends to be largely short-lived, and will become less dominant as a meadow reaches maturity.

Lady's Bedstraw (Gallium verum)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

The dense clusters of yellow flowers that appear from June to Sebtember set lady's bedstraw apart from the rest of Britain's bedstraws. The square, sprawling stems root wherever they touch the ground. Shiny, dark green whorls of 8 to 12 leaves are arranged at intervals along the stem. The new-mown hay scent of the dried plant, and its ability to kill fleas made it a popular mattress filling for centuries.

Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

The upright stems and hairless leaves of the meadow foxtail are hardly memorable. It is only when the sausage-shaped panicles of flowers appear in late spring that this grass comes into its own. The grass-head ranges in colour from brown through purple, and looks like a fat fox's tail. Widely grown for pasture and hay, the caterpillars of several butterflies rely on it for lunch.

Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Cornfield Annual Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

The biggest of the daisies native to Britain, the ox-eye masquarades in garden centres as the posher-sounding marguerite. Don't be fooled. Prone to a bit of bullying early in the life of a meadow, the ox-eye is brought back into line as a meadow matures. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and lots of other insects are mesmerised by its open flowerheads.

Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

The deeply divided pink flowers of this perennial make it resemble a floral Wurzel Gummidge, hence the common name. Blooming from May to early September, the blossoms provide sustenance for butterflies and long-tounged bees that can reach the nectar held at the base of the flower tube. Modern farming methods and the draining of wetlands have driven the decline of the ragged robin.

Red Campion (Silene dioica)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

The deep rose pink flowers of this perennial come into their own as the bluebells begin to fade (although they can be found flowering from March to November). Found along woodland edges, hedgerows and in downland, red campion is dioecious: the male and female flowers are carried on seperate plants.

Sanfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Bumble Bee Meadow

Another member of the pea family, sanfoin holds its bright pink flowers in lupin-like cones well clear of the leaves. It produces huge amounts of nectar and pollen, meaning it is never short of willing pollinators, its flowers popular with bumble bees, honey bees and an array of other insects. Associated with chalk grassland, sanfoin is also found on roadsides, banks and quarries.

Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

Equally at home in meadows, scrub, woodland clearings and grassland, selfheal's cluster of upright, violet flowers is easily recognised. Long after the flowers have faded, the purple-tinged seed head persists. A common weed of lawns not treated with weed killer, selfheal is common across Britain. A clever ring of hairs inside each flower prevents small insects from feeding on nectar (although the plant still lets them pollinate without giving them a reward!). Bees land on the lower lip of the flowers and stick their long tongues down the tube to get their reward while the flowers deposit and retrieve pollen from the back of the bees' heads

Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

A small grass common throughout the British isles, the grey-green leaves of sheep's fescue resemble short bristles. One of the food plants for the caterpillars of several butterflies, sheep's fescue nurtures Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, and the Small Heath.

Slender Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. litoralis)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

Often found in grass mixtures for roadsides and parks where salt is used in the winter, this dense fescue is extremely tolerant of assaults from close mowing to drought to shade. It sends out short rhizomes as an advance partyto fill any gaps in a sward, and then produces a high density of leaf shoots to green rapidly.

Small Burnett (Sanguisorba minor)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

The greyish, pinnate leaves of this grassland perennial smell and taste like cucumber and can be incorporated in salads. You will be competing with caterpillars, including those of the Grizzled Skipper and the Mouse moth, who enjoy a small burnett salad, too. Long-lived, small burnett is found in grassland where its tolerance of mowing or being grazed have made it successful. Distinctive small globe heads of red flowers top erect stems all summer.

Small-leaved Timothy (Phleum bertolonii)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

Tolerant of soaking to the point of submersion, this grass toerates extremes better than most. The flowerheads, densely packed with spikelets, have given rise to another common name, smaller cat's tail.

Sweet Vernal (Anthoxanthum odoratum)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

Recorded in every corner of the British isles, this tufted grass starts growing early in spring and produces dense cylinders of flowers early in the summer. If you love the smell of new-mown hay, sweet vernal is where that comes from: a combination of coumarin and benzoic acid give it that vanilla-like smell.

White Campion (Silene alba)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

Less widespread than its sibling red campion, white campion can be found in open habitats like waste ground and the verges of roads. A habit of frequenting graveyards has led to another common name, grave flower. The whole plant is densely hairy from the rosette of oval leaves to the forked stems that support the five white petals of the flowers. The flowers appear from May to September, and unlike many other wildflowers remain open after dusk.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow

This winter-green, aromatic herb is found in grasslands, lawns, and road verges, its feathery leaves surviving close mowing. Extremely competitve, yarrow is one of the first perennials to germinate and flower in a meadow, but is reined it as the other wildflowers mature. Its flat flowerheads are usually white, although occasionally pink individuals occur.

Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)

Found in: Bright's Standard English Wildflower Meadow, Bright's Wiltshire Wildflower Meadow

A parasite of other meadow plants (especially grasses and members of the pea family) the yellow rattle population in a meadow will fluctuate and travel as the meadow matures and varies. Completely capable of photosynthesising on its own, yellow rattle depends on its hosts for extra carbohydrate and minerals. An annual, it produces yellow, two-lipped flowers from May to September. Behind the flowers is a green bladder which dries to form the case of the rattle in the common name: the seeds in side bang about.