Pete's Walks - Cuckooflower
Photo taken 24/04/09 near Wilstone, Bucks.
Photo taken 15/04/09 at Northchurch Common, Herts.
Photo taken 15/04/09 at Northchurch Common, Herts.
Photo taken 3/05/08 at Ashridge, Herts., on Walk 4 of my Chiltern Chain Walk.
This white or lilac flower is common in damp meadows and other marshy places. The name comes from its flowering at the same time of year that cuckoos arrive. It is also known as Lady's Smock, this name presumably due to its lilac colour being a favourite for ladies' smocks in the Middle Ages. It flowers from April to June.