I took a walk along a section of the River Loddon in Berkshire on Saturday. This is the most noted natural habitat of the Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum). There are other locations in southern England where it appears but for some reason it flourishes here more than anywhere else, so much so that writings about the plant mention that it has the colloquial name "Loddon Lilly".
 As I walked beside the river I saw the occasional clump by the water's edge. Then I came to a section where the margins of the river become more marshy and overgrown. I spotted a few patches in among the tangle of undergrowth.
 A chap walking past saw my camera and asked if I'd seen anything; he assumed I was a birdwatcher. Judging by his accent I would think he was a local born and bred. I said I was taking photographs of a particular plant, the Summer Snowflake. He looked blank so I added it looks a bit like a giant snowdrop. He replied "Oh, you mean Loddon Lilly" and pointed me in the direction of a turning up ahead where he reckoned there might be loads of them if previous years were anything to go by.
 Sure enough thousands of Loddon Lillies carpeted a swathe of damp scrub and woodland.