The Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla Vulgaris) that I’d hoped to locate yesterday proved elusive and with heavy rain threatening and the van up to its hub caps in thick mud I drove home wondering whether I will ever see them in the wild. Rockeries in a garden centre don’t count. The flower is supposedly also known as Dane’s Blood in parts of what Edward Thomas called The South Country , due to its fondness for growing on sites associated with Viking battles. Folklore has it growing out of the blood of dead Vikings, although John Clare (Romantic poet and madman of several parishes) links it to even earlier invaders.

‘I could almost fancy that this blue anenonie sprang from the blood or dust of the romans for it haunts the roman bank in this neighbourhood & is found no were else it grows on the roman bank agen swordy well & did grow in great plenty but the plough that destroyer of wild flowers has rooted it out of its long inherited dwelling…’

It’s a rare plant as it needs undisturbed chalk grassland ( a very rare habitat indeed) and flowers at Easter as the name suggests. I shall try again next week  and try harder and fail better. In the meantime enjoy the cowslips.