2011-11-01 17:41
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Scientific Name:
Cardamine pratensis
Lady’s smock is also commonly known as cuckoo flower because it coincides with the arrival of the first cuckoo.
How to identify:
The lilac or white flowers are 1 to 2 cm across with four petals. It has blue-green coloured upright stems with very narrow leaves in a rosette at its base.
Where to find it:
Damp grassland, ditches, roadside verges.
How people can help:
Only 1,600 hectares of floodplain meadows are left within the whole of the UK, in a landscape which was abundant with this habitat. Cuckoo flowers, once common, are therefore becoming a rarer sight. The Wildlife Trusts look after many meadow and wetland habitats for the benefit of local wildlife and are working closely with farmers, landowners and developers to promote wildlife-friendly practices in these areas. You can support this vital work by joining your local Wildlife Trust.
Statistics:
The plant can grow up to 60cm tall.
Conservation status:
Common
Did you know?:
Lady’s smock is a food plant for the orange tip butterfly. The flowers droop and close up in rain or at night.
Seasons:
Spring
Summer
Image:
