2021 – A beautiful and rare pasqueflower plant growing at Martin Down.
Background
For the last two years (2019 and 2020) I have been photographing a pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) at Martin Down, on the Hampshire/Dorset border. During that time I have only ever found the same plant, although reports on the Web show there used to be a few more specimens here.
Well, I am pleased to report that in April 2021 that same, solitary, pasqueflower is still thriving at Martin Down. The good news is that I have also found six more plants!
My first visit to Martin Down in 2021
It was a bitterly cold and rather overcast day when I arrived at the Nature Reserve and a chill wind raged, threatening to batter the delicate, purple blooms before they had even fully opened. I could, of course, have chosen a different day to visit, but sunshine causes its own problems when taking photos, especially where this plant grows. I also prefer to take my photos when there is nobody else around.
I have to say that the single plant that I have been following for the last two years never seems to be particularly photogenic. The other plants that I have found this year are a different matter – much more attractive in terms of compositional possibilities.
A second visit to Martin Down… more pasqueflowers!
Today (14th April) I made another visit to see if I could find more pasqueflowers, having kindly been tipped off to wherebouts on Martin Down they have been found in the past. While looking, I met a group of walkers who were also looking for pasqueflowers. By coincidence, one of them had seen my pasqueflower photos and she asked me if I was Lindsey, from M35 Photography by any chance (I am!), which was quite weird.
The group had found a couple of other pasqueflower plants, but one was a bud that looked as if it had suffered frost damage (see photo further down the page) and the other was a really, really tiny flower. Luckily, I was able to point them in the direction of the good specimens that I know about.
The inside of a pasqueflower, when fully open, is a more vivid mauve/purple colour.
Frost damaged pasqueflower bud… still a thing of great beauty.
Pasqueflowers at Martin Down are becoming rarer
Already a nationally rare species, if you look at historical records the number of pasqueflowers at Martin Down has dwindled over the years. I really hope this trend doesn’t continue, because one day there won’t be any plants left, which would be a great tragedy. They are delightful little flowers, and so many people enjoy seeing them each year.
More about Pasqueflowers
» Paqueflowers at Martin Down in 2022.
» Pasqueflowers at Martin Down in 2019.
» The Pasqueflowers of Therfield Heath, Hertfordshire 2022 (best site in the UK).
» Barnsley Warren Pasqueflowers 2022
» Reduced grazing and the decline of Pulsatilla vulgaris.
» For a list of where pasqueflowers grow in the UK check out this link.