4 M.OWI'.KS ()!• I 111'. IIIJ.DS AND MI-.ADOWS 



rc'l.uixi' Iciwliiiul ur uplaiul character, clepciKlin;^ on rc-lali\c porosiiy 

 or humidity, sin:h as [n) that in which Smooth Meadow Grass (/'oa 

 />ra/i-/isis) prevails, (/>) Routjh iMcadow (irass {P. trivialis), {c) Heath 

 Hair Grass [Dcsc/iaii/psia J/cxnosa), also an upland l\pe. Where 

 Carnation Sedye (^Canw />a/tnea) and Purple Moor Grass {Moliiiia 

 cocriiha) Ljrow the liahilat is a wet uphuul meadow, and a marshy 

 meadow is eharactc'ri/ed l)y the dominance ol Meadow hescue {J-'csliica 

 e/a/ior). 



Amongst these Pascual or I'ralal (i.e. meadow) species, of which 

 there are about 120, are some twenty which are addicted to a limy 

 soil, we inchule here about lwenl\-nin(j. ( )ut in the meadows 

 stands the tall meadow Crow loot, wa\in^' its bitt(;r L^racetul stems 

 in the wind, and usualK' discarded by the cattle. In the .shade of 

 the ditch banks, or on wet clay banks, the golden -hued Lesser 

 Celandine carpets the o round with reyal splendour. Lady's Smock, 

 with its delicate lilac tinted blooms, studs the moist meadows by the 

 streamside. So too the lilac-flowered Dame's Violet, scentini; the 

 night breeze, lin-ks in the cool shade of paddocks and covert sides. 

 Ragged Robin makes gay marshy meadows in hill and dale with its 

 fine, pink, tassel-like blooms, amongst sedges, rushes, and arrow grass. 

 Down by the trout stream, like some fine garden flower, sheltered 

 by protective foliage finely and delicately cut, the deep- blue orbs 

 of the Meadow Crane's Bill reflect in floral emblem the Italian skies. 

 The Humble and the Hive Bee .seek the "honeysuckles" of red and 

 while clovers in the meadows, humming", yet busy all the while. 

 Over these one hears the lark carolling sweet melody in the clear 

 fresh skies of early summer and spring. Where the meadows roll 

 into uplands and make rambling ramparts carved by Nature's hands 

 rise the lemon-tinted clusters of Hop Trefoil, giving a touch of gold 

 to the eternal green of the meadows. 



"Bacon and Eggs", or the yellow and golden flowers of Bird's- 

 foot Trefoil, clustered up anil down on the little undulating knolls, 

 give too a richer hue to the \erdant emerald sea. "Queen of the 

 meadows ", the filmy gauze-like heads of Meadowsweet, rise grace- 

 fullv from the waterside or the ditch. Trailing over the ridges in the 

 shires or on banks on the uplands the Cinquefoil scrambles over the 

 scrubby grass, lending a new shapeliness to the outlines of the meadow 

 lands with their stereotyped fascicles of short-stemmed grasses. 



Hidden amongst the hillsides in choice spots the sparkling orbs on 

 the Dewcup give the brilliance of diamonds to the common upland 

 flowers. The Great Burnet towers with its graceful dark- brown 



