Simon's Blog - What's Your Favourite Wildflower?

It's the ultimate battle with old favourites like the bluebell, the poppy and the snowdrop up against some rarer species like the bee orchid, the fritillary and the viper’s-bugloss.

Yes this is the competition to find the nations' favourite wildflower.

The team at the Plantlife conservation charity have come up with a list of 25 wildflowers and it's down to us to vote for our favourite by the 5th of June.

At this point the bluebell looks like it should do well based on the results of the Plantlife member’s vote that created the shortlist but it can all change once our votes start coming in.

Here's the full shortlist, bluebell, primrose, cowslip, foxglove, poppy, snowdrop, cornflower, harebell, dog rose, wood anemone, pasqueflower, snake’s head fritillary, cow parsley, grass of Parnassus, bee orchid, red campion, chickweed wintergreen, lesser celandine, oxeye daisy, meadow cranesbill, thrift, ragged robin, wild daffodil, viper’s-bugloss, snowdrop, and finally honeysuckle.

So if you've got a favourite wildflower...what are you waiting for?

Here's a link to the Plantlife website where you can find out more and make your choice. The results will be released in June.

And to get you in the mood here are some of the contenders.

Poppies from Howard Marsh in Maidstone.

An early Cowslip from Helen Rawles in Blandford.

Bluebells from Sylvia Ruffles in Chalk.

A Primrose in bloom from Margaret Wellspring in Crossways.

Snowdrops from Debbie Shrive in Blackfield.

And finally a Bee Orchid from John Cuthbert in the New Forest.