Pasque flowers in the wild

In Britain Pulsatilla vulgaris is found growing wild on chalky downland grazed by sheep and rabbits. Its winter dormancy and low-growing habit means it is well adapted to surviving grazing. It is confined to moderately steep, south-west to south-facing slopes. Here plants receive a lot of sunlight, the soil is shallow and competition from other species is limited. Where tall grasses grow in the close proximity of a clump, flowering is reduced. Once a colony establishes, soil moisture governs the success of seedlings. These can survive wet summers, but die off in drought-prone soils. Drifts of wild plants are an increasingly rare sight because their natural habitat is disappearing. Many were put to the plough during the 19th century as land was cleared for arable use. Today, the plant is classed as ‘vulnerable’ by Plantlife, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of Britain’s wild plants. It reports that pasque flowers are currently confined to just 18 sites in England, the majority in Bedfordshire and East Gloucestershire. Half these sites support fewer than 100 plants, with more than 90 per cent of wild pasque flowers growing in five sites. Improvements in the management of sheep grazing has led to an increase of their numbers at some locations. Here grazing takes place only from August to April. This leaves the plant to flower and disperse seed undisturbed each spring and early summer. The weather must be right for the flower to distribute its seed. Each flower produces pollen for just four days. This only remains viable for up to eight days if it is dry and not too windy. If it is very wet, the pollen is washed away before the flower is pollinated. If very windy, it is prone to being blown away before pollination can occur.