Every spring the nodding bell-shaped flowers of Snake’s-head fritillary plants fill riverside flood-meadows near Cricklade and Oxford.
Most flowers have purple and pink chequered flower petals, and there are pure white flowers too. This beautiful and nationally-scarce flower is named after the shape of the flower bud before it opens and the snakeskin pattern on its petals.
One of the best places to see them is Iffley Meadows, near Oxford where the Thames Path passes alongside this nature reserve which is looked after by the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust.
Snake’s-head fritillaries are abundant here, and the Trust carefully manages these meadows which flood every winter. Recently, more than 89,000 plants were counted here in mid-April.
Around 80% of Britain’s Snake’s-head fritillaries grow in North Meadow between the River Thames and the River Churn at Cricklade. Natural England opens North Meadow when the ground is dry enough for people to walk on. Check the Fritillary Watch pages https://crickladecourtleet.org.uk/category/fritillary-watch/
Snake’s-head fritillaries feature in the Tree of Life stained-glass window created by John Piper and David Wasley in the Church of St Mary, Iffley, a short walk from the Thames Path.
In Cricklade’s High Street, spot them on the giant hare outside the Town Council offices, and designed into railings.
The Snake’s-head fritillary was identified as the county flower of Oxfordshire in a Plantlife poll.
