Uncommon wildflowers, part three. Some wild plants are abundant by virtue of being generalists. There is no shortage of Ox-Eye Daisy or Rosebay Willowherb for example. They are equally at home in the rural countryside or along railway embankments.

 Then again certain species have their niche. Case in point Burnt-Tip Orchid (Neotinia ustulata) and Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) grow on chalk and limestone hills where the grass is grazed to a short sward by sheep over winter. 

 Both are found at Knocking Hoe but species-rich grassland is one of our most diminished habitats. The charity Plantlife notes that 97% has been lost in less than a century. Calcerous grassland was once widespread in the Chilterns but now accounts for as little as 1% of the total area.