Chiltern Gentian

Found the first of our Chiltern Gentians, Gentianella germanica, coming into flower today. It's always a massive thrill (and something of a relief, as the reserve warden) to find the flowers opening at a point in the year when many other wild flowers are 'going over'. This photo is of a true G. germanica. Adjacent to the reserve there is an area of Autumn Gentian, G. amarella, and hybrids between the two - G. pamplinii - that take a lot of sorting out. No rush to see them as most won't be out for another couple of weeks. Then I will be doing my annual survey and hoping that numbers have increased compared with previous years - showing that our grazing regime is working well.