Fritillaries in Flower in the Val de la Claise

The Snakeshead Fritillaries Fritillaria meleagris (Fr. Damier) are in flower in the Claise Valley. Always a pleasure to see and we went out especially to check to see if they had started last Thursday, which they had -- so here are some photos.

We are lucky to live in one of their remaining refuges, but even here Snakeshead Fritillaries are in strong decline in the wild. Their habitat of unimproved damp pasture is disappearing as farms have been converting from grazing to arable since the mid-19th century. Climate change is taking its toll too I suspect, and perhaps concentrations of Scarlet Lily Beetle Lilioceris lilii, which can defoliate and weaken the plants to the extent that they don't flower. Since the fritillary propogates by seed this is leading to reduced numbers. However, the lily beetle tends to be a problem more in gardens than the wild.

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