The Common Ground website notes that the traditional wetland habitat of the fritillary was seriously affected during the “Ploughing for Victory” campaign of the Second World War and further drainage for agriculture reduced the number of sites significantly. However, there are three notable sites remaining in Oxfordshire where you can still find the Snake’s Head fritillary.
The Snake’s Head Fritillary in Oxfordshire
Because the Snake’s Head fritillary thrives in wet grassland areas and damp pastures, there are some surviving meadows and fields along the floodplain in Oxfordshire where you can find an abundance of these chequered, purple flowers. These tiny delicate plants are only 20cm to 50cm in height and they bloom during April and early May. To celebrate the thriving population of Snake’s Head fritillaries in Oxfordshire, the flower has been adopted as the emblem for the county.
Magdalen Meadow in Oxford
The Young People’s Trust for the Environment website notes that Magdalen Meadow in Oxford is famous for its profusion of Snake’s Head fritillaries. The owners of the meadow do not use cattle to graze the meadow, but instead harvest the hay in mid summer to allow the flowers to grow undisturbed and set seed for the following spring.
Iffley Meadows Nature Reserve
The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust’s (BBOWT) nature reserve at Iffley Meadows on the Thames just south of Oxford is also home to the Snake’s Head fritillary. In 1983 there were only 500 plants at this site but by 2007 the number of plants had risen to over 42,000 thanks to the work of BBOWT and the careful restriction of grazing.
The Snake’s Head Fritillary at Ducklington
There is a 10-acre meadow in the village of Ducklington in Oxfordshire where Snake’s Head fritillaries still flower every year. The Common Ground website notes that between March and July the farmer who leases the land is obliged by contract not to cut the grass or harvest the hay until the fritillaries have flowered and dropped their seeds to ensure that the fritillaries will grow again the following year.
Fritillary Sunday in Ducklington
The villagers of Ducklington are so proud of their fritillaries that they celebrate them every year on a special Sunday in late April or early May. On this fund-raising day for the local church of St. Bartholemew this small Cotswold village is packed with visitors from far and wide treading carefully through the fritillary field, enjoying the music and dancing of local Morris sides, taking tea in the village hall or savouring some local ale and a ploughman’s lunch in the village pub. In 2009 Fritillary Sunday will be on April 19th.
The Fritillary Emblem in Ducklington
The fritillary in Ducklington is celebrated in the church with carvings of fritillaries on the pews and pulpit and a representation of a fritillary in stained glass in the vestry window. You can also buy fritillary tea towels, mugs and cards and the Ducklington Morris side wear purple and yellow ribbons on their sleeves to represent the colours of the fritillary and dandelion.
Christine Lightfoot - After completing my degree and a postgraduate teaching course my first job was as a secondary school music teacher. However, after ...
