Official flower of Cumbria blooming following years of decline
Watch as we see why the official flower of Cumbria is blooming again.
The official flower of Cumbria is blooming following recent years of decline.
Damaged habitats had meant Cumbria's official flower had reduced in numbers but it now making a return due to how farmers are grazing the fells.
Parnassia palustris - more commonly known as Grass of Parnassus - should be a familiar sight to residents of Cumbria. As well as being the county's official flower it is displayed on all bins, signs and documents issued under the new Cumberland Council as the centrepiece of its logo.
Describing the characteristics of the flower, nature conservation advisor John Hooson said: "It's an absolutely stunning flower just from its structure as a bright white five petal flower.
"It has almost translucent grey green veins running along them and has a slight honey scent on a warm still day.
"I think it's a very appropriate plant to put on on the Cumberland flag. It is a plant that you find around the Lake District and the grass of Parnassus is is is quite characteristic of of the county as a whole."
The flowers name Grass of Parnassus is taken from the Parnassus mountain range in Greece. The story goes that it was the favoured foodstuff of the cows grazing on the mountainside, and so the locals deemed it as an honorary grass.
Here in Cumbria, though, it's probably more appropriately known by its alternative name, the Bog Star.
Thanks to new grazing methods it is now becoming to be a more common sight on the county's hills and valleys.
Simon Hill from the National Trust said changing the grazing regime, swapping sheep for low intensity cattle grazing had helped the habitats thrive.
He said: "I think that they're hugely important for the overall health of the landscape that we see around us.
"We have this huge amount of what is ultimately priority habitat. As the National Trust, I think it's really important that we are making sure that they are in the best condition they can be."
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