Following last year’s discovery of a solitary pasqueflower at Martin Down Nature Reserve, I was waiting anxiously to see if the same plant would re-appear in 2020. Well, I’m pleased to report that it has made it through to another year. There may well have been other pasqueflowers too, but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to find out.
This photograph was taken on a recce trip, made the day the announcement of the coronavirus lockdown was made. From my point of view the timing couldn’t have been worse, because I’d already decided to try and photograph the flowers at the end of that week. That’s the problem with flowering plants, you just don’t know what you’re going to find until you get there! As you can see I was just that little bit too early.
All that week I wrestled with my conscience: how could I make the trip back to Martin Down? Should I even attempt it? Perhaps I could I say it was exercise (because it’s a bit of a trek to get to the plant)? Of course the answer had to be no, as it wasn’t essential for me to photograph pasqueflowers, and so I didn’t go back.
Anyway there it is, evidence of pasqueflowers at Martin Down in 2020, albeit just soft, furry buds. Hopefully I will have better luck in 2021 and that same pasqueflower plant (and others?) will be waiting for me.