Wild Snake's-heads Alive

Lovely drive in my yellow S2000 into deepest Suffolk. The SatNav took me along increasingly skinny single track lanes with grassier and grassier middles. Amazingly I didn't once have to pull into a passing place as the roads were deserted. I was bound for Martins' Meadows in Monewden. These three hay meadows have never been drained, fertilised or sprayed and are one of the few places in the country where the rare wild snake's-head fritillaries grow. 

I picked my way carefully between cowslips and orchids just coming into flower and found a few fritillaries in bloom in the furthest corner. I've marvelled at these blooms in books and seen pics of them in blippers' gardens but have always wanted to see them growing naturally. It was wonderful, I had the ancient meadows completely to myself.

I then drove to Framsden to photograph the village sign that features the fritillaries. I had intended to call in at a nature reserve on the way home where my old mate has photographed adders. He's told me exactly where to find them but I'd spent so much time with the flowers I didn't think I'd have time to go on a snake hunt. Would have been cool to have got snakes and snake's-heads on the same day. :)