4 FLOWERS OF THE FIELDS AND MEADOWS 



relative lowland or upland character, depending on relative porosity 

 or humidity, such as (a) that in which Smooth Meadow Grass (Poa 

 pratensis] prevails, (b) Rough Meadow Grass (P. trivialis), (c) Heath 

 Hair Grass (Desckampsia fiexuosa), also an upland type. Where 

 Carnation Sedge (Carex paniced] and Purple Moor Grass (Molinia 

 ccerulea] grow the habitat is a wet upland meadow, and a marshy 

 meadow is characterized by the dominance of Meadow Fescue (Festuca 

 elatior\ 



Amongst these Pascual or Pratal (i.e. meadow) species, of which 

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

 soil. \Ve include here about twenty-nine. Out in the meadows 

 stands the tall meadow Crowfoot, waving its bitter graceful stems 

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

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

 Celandine carpets the ground with regal 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, scenting the 

 night breeze, lurks 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 reel and 

 white 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 and clown on the little undulating knolls, 

 give too a richer hue to the verdant emerald sea, " Queen of the 

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

 fully 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 



