Traditional hay meadow at Kingcombe Farm nature reserve, near Maiden Newton, Dorset (1).

A typical example of an ancient hay meadow on neutral soil, this picture was taken in July, before it was cut for hay. Lesser Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), represented here by an early-flowering 'rayed' form that is often found in hay meadows in Southern England, is clearly visible in this photograph, but there are in fact a large number of species of wild flowers and wild grasses in the meadow as a whole. Meadows like this have taken hundreds of years to develop, and it is difficult to re-create them in a short period of time.

© Marc Carlton 2009
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