North Meadow, Cricklade

There are over 250 species of higher plant at North Meadow, a hay meadow close to Cricklade, in Wiltshire, not far from the the River Thames, but by far its most renowned plant is the snake's-head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris). Half a million flower in the meadow each year, accounting for some 80% of the whole population in Britain.

Although they usually flower in late April, like everything they had a delayed start this year, and I was lucky to find a fair few still in flower today.

There's a different variety of snake's-head from the same shoot here.