Tiny, beautiful and rare wildflowers
For many wildflower photographers, few subjects are as eagerly anticipated as the wild-growing and rare pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris). At Martin Down National Nature Reserve, these distinctive, purple blooms emerge from the grassland in early spring – around Easter time. With their silky, silver-haired stems, they are tiny, yet pretty unmistakable.
Photographing pasqueflowers at Martin Down is as much about patience as it is technique because you never quite know when the plants will appear, nor exactly when they’ll flower. And that means actually finding them, which is another story because Martin Down is 350 hectares of chalk grassland!
In 2026, some of the Martin Down plants didn’t flower at all, even though the feathery leaves appeared. Many of the others were pretty stunted, presumably due to the extremes of weather we’ve been having. Hopefully, 2027 might prove better for Martin Down’s small pasqueflower population.
