FROM mid June, on warm, sheep-moulded slopes in the south of England, a sparkling display of wildflowers spreads like confetti through the short grass. Vanilla-scented squinancywort, diminutive fairy flax and the purple-veined eyebright are only a handful of more than 40 species that may be found in 10sq ft of chalk downland, which has led it to be described as the European equivalent of a tropical rainforest. More orchids grow on the downs than anywhere else in Britain and other rare plants include the deep-blue, round-headed rampion, the county flower of Sussex, and the blue meadow clary, which is visible at fewer than 20 sites around the country.
The party starts in April, with crowds of nodding yellow cowslips and mauve-blue chalk milkworts. As the months pass, so does the ever-changing cast of characters, each new arrival outshining the last: flamboyant viper’s bugloss, with dense funnel-shaped flowers and a spotted stem; lemon horseshoe vetch, with its plumes of yellow and horseshoe-shaped pods; and sainfoin, its rich pink spikes sometimes said to resemble a cock’s head. Many have strong per- fumes, such as the cucumber-scented salad burnet and the delicate musk orchid, which can be identified by its smell alone. Others have distinctive characteristics, such as goat’s beard, which resembles an oversized dandelion that snaps its flower shut at noon, and mouse-ear hawkweed, with a hidden red stripe on the underside of its florets. The stemless dwarf thistle is pinned to the ground like a giant brooch.
Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin July 19, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Country Life UK dergisinin July 19, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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A tapestry of pinks
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Bringing the past to life
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This isle is full of wonder
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Empire protest
Without meaning to issue a clarion call for independence, E. M. Forster perfectly captured the rising tensions of the British Raj. One hundred years later, Matthew Dennison revisits the masterpiece A Passage to India
Hops and dreams
A relative of marijuana, hops were a Teutonic introduction to British brewing culture and gave rise to the original working holiday
Life and sol
The sanctuary of the Balearic Islands has enchanted a multitude of creative minds, from Robert Graves to David Bowie
'Nature is nowhere as great as in its smallest creatures'
Giving himself neck ache from constantly looking upwards, John Lewis-Stempel makes the most of a sunny May day harvesting ‘tree hay’ and marvelling at the myriad wildlife including flies and earwigs–that reside on bark
'Plans are worthless, but planning is everything'
Country houses great and small were indispensable to D-Day preparations, with electricity and sanitation, well-stocked wine cellars, countesses to run the canteens and antique furniture to feed the stoves
The darling buds of May
May Morris shared her father’s passion for flowers, embroidery and Iceland, but was much more than William’s daughter. Influential both as a designer and as a teacher, she championed the rights of workers, particularly women, as Huon Mallalieu reveals
Achilles healed
Once used to comfort the lovelorn or soothe the wounds of Greek heroes, yarrow may now have a new starring role in sustainable agriculture