Yellow Rattle

Yellow rattle

Over the past two summers, we have sprinkled yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) seeds in our wild meadow areas.  This is a very handy plant as it is semi-parasitic and feeds off grass.  Grass is a problem because it takes most of the nutrients from the soil.  If we can establish yellow rattle then we can control the grass and allow other wild flower species to grow.  This summer, we have a fine show of yellow rattle growing throughout our orchard.

We have also mixed in a collection of wild flower seeds suited to our soil and location and eagerly wait to see what is appearing each year.  One plant that seems to have done well is corncockle (Agrostemma githago) - a rare plant in the wild.  It used to grow on the edges of fields but over the years herbicides and changes in agricultural practice have gradually killed it off.  It is a stunning plant and it is great to see it colonising our meadow. 
Yellow rattle is so called because the seed pods of this plant literally rattle when they are ready for distribution.

Corncockle in sunlight

This corncockle is home for a cucumber spider