wildflowers – The Chilterns

Not really spring, but that testing time in-between winter and spring when we dare to hope that warm, sunshine-filled days are not far away.

February is the month when we see a smorgasbord of emerging colour; yellow aconites and daffodils, purple crocuses and best of all, clumps of white snowdrops.

They can be found across the Chilterns, in roadside clumps, National Trust parkland, in woodlands and cemeteries. And it’s the cemeteries where they are the most impactful, arranged prettily around decaying headstones and memorials.

Snowdrops in a cemetery — The hard flint and stone contrasts with the delicate flowers

These small plants are delicate, yet highly toxic, but for bees, drawn to the sparse nectar supplies, they love them!

Snowdrop detail — An outbreak of snowdrops

Across Europe, there is myth and folklore associated with this tiny ‘shy’ plant. Renewal and hope being the more obvious associations, but for the Victorian’s, it was bad luck to see snowdrops as they believed death would surely follow. Snowdrops indoors are a definite no-no!

Snowdrops and crocuses — Snowdrops with a sprinkle of crocuses

The galantamine alkaloid contained within the bulb has properties which affects cerebral function. It is in use among Alzheimer’s patients and is being studied as a potential treatment for HIV. Renewal surely?

Whatever you believe, death or renewal, the snowdrops are a welcome carpet of spring hope!

Further Inspiration

The snowdrops at St Botolph at Swyncombe are very pretty, and very popular.

Try this self-guided Swyncombe snowdrop walk with colleague Andrew Clark of the Chiltern Society.

Snowdrop and other Chilterns wildflower prints are available from our online Chilterns Gifts and souvenirs website.

Forget M&S orchids, manicured to within an inch of their pampered lives and head instead to the nearest Chilterns summer meadow.

A summer evening in a Chilterns meadow

The footpath glistens underfoot as it cuts through the drooping wild grasses, my wet boots and trouser legs a magnet for seed dispersal. The daisy petals are splayed under the relentless June rain, which would explain the lack of butterflies and birdsong. Even the ubiquitous slugs are sheltering.

The orchids however, shrug off the rain, the vivid pyramidal purple orchid easy to spot in the rain-rinsed meadow.

These delicate, yet ruggered Chilterns’ varieties are so small, they can be difficult to spot. But once you know where to look, you will see them everywhere. The lilacs, browns, pinks, white and purple plants can be solitary or growing in busy clusters of up to 30-or more plants.

According to the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust, chalk grassland develops on shallow, lime-rich soils that are poor in nutrients. Some of these grasslands now cover once thriving Chilterns’ quarries, the chalk by-products destined for London’s building trade as mortar and cement. In spring and summer these special habitats come to life, as swathes of amazing wild flowers and orchids, attract hordes of insects and tiny butterflies including the chalkhill blue, small blue and common blue amongst others – need a zoom lens to capture those!

Bee orchid in the disused quarry — Bee Orchid

Sadly too many councils and highways agencies are determined to keep mowing verges, so wildflowers and orchids don’t stand a chance. There is a vocal and growing campaign to keep verges as wild as is practical. I know I’d rather see flowers, not live in a manicured, sterile neighbourhood.

Further Information

To find out more about exploring the naturally outstanding Chilterns, or if like me, you need help identifying the local fauna and flora.

Chilterns Gifts

Celebrate the seasons in the Chiltern Hills with a NEW range of beautifully designed Chilterns gifts and souvenirs including; mugs, tea-towels, photographic prints and our Chilterns A – Z field guide.

Tag: wildflowers

A Snowdrop of Spring

Further Inspiration

Simple Orchids. Simply Beautiful

Further Information

Chilterns Gifts