Step back in time

Take a trip to BBOWT’s Wells Farm in Little Milton and it is easy to feel as if you have been transported back in time as you stand before a cornucopia of colourful flowers that were once spread across our countryside.

Field margins are peppered with the reds, pinks, whites and blues of cornfield flowers which have been sown at this working farm to benefit all kinds of wildlife.

Fields like this, full of flowers and humming with butterflies, bees and insects, were once a common sight. But the ‘tidying-up’ of the countryside, with the increased use of herbicides and fertilisers, has pushed traditional cornfield flowers (once known as ‘arable weeds’, because they were so abundant) to the edge of extinction.

A wildlife haven

Cornfield flowers are not just important for their riotous colours. They support a wide range of wildlife — bees and butterflies such as gatekeepers and marbled whites flutter about looking for nectar amongst the flower heads; skylarks, yellowhammers and linnets feed off the seeds and insects in the long grasses; whilst hedgehogs snuffle around, hoovering up insects, and harvest mice scurry about looking for seeds.

Kestrels hover above, waiting for an opportune moment to dive in and pick up an unwitting mammal as it scurries amongst the grasses.

Look out for . . .

When you are out and about in the countryside this summer, or visiting the tranquil setting of Wells Farm, try spotting our top four cornfield flowers: 1. Common poppy: Easily recognised as a symbol of the casualties of war, the scarlet poppy’s association with blood and new life harks back to the Egyptians and Romans, who made poppy garlands to ensure the fertility of their crops.

2. Corncockle: A slender, pink flower, the corncockle was once a common cornfield weed but its poisonous seeds lowered the quality of flour. Advances in agriculture have resulted in this delicate bloom becoming rare.

3. Cornflower: The striking azure blue of the cornflower is so recognisable it has given its name to a colour used by painters. By the 1970s it had become a nationally scarce species.

4. Corn chamomile: With its white flower and bright yellow centre, corn chamomile looks similar to its cousin the oxeye daisy, but with fragrant flowers and leaves, its smell gives it away.

Further afield

For truly spectacular displays of cornfield flowers, why not enjoy a day out with a picnic at our College Lake Nature Reserve near Tring where a successful Arable Weed Project has brought the past back to life? Or join BBOWT on July 7 for a guided walk around College Lake’s cornfield flowers: www.bbowt.org.uk