Windmill Fields
A small-flowered catchfly with a history of decline in northern Europe.
via Wikipedia: Silene gallica · see source
Silene gallica is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by several common names, including common catchfly, small-flowered catchfly, and windmill pink. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, but it can be found throughout much of the temperate world as a common roadside weed. This annual herb grows up to 50 cm tall, with branching stems clad in long, curling hairs and shorter, glandular hairs. Its flowers have five white, pink or bicolored, spatulate petals, each with a small appendage at the base, and a tubular calyx lined with ten green or purple-red veins.
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Lore & Background
Silene gallica has been in long-term decline, especially in the more northern parts of Europe. In Britain and Ireland, it is no longer present in many inland sites, with a population reduction of 80% in the last ten years reported in 2006. This may be due to changes in agriculture practices. It is listed as a UK Priority Species, and the Great Britain Red Data List ranks it as endangered. The plant has a submediterranean / subatlantic distribution, and in the British Isles it mostly occurs near the coast of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, but also sporadically inland. It is found in sandy or gravelly, often acidic, soils in arable fields, on wasteland and on walls, as well as poor dry pastures on the coast, and on sand dunes in the Channel Islands.
Reader's Guide
To identify Silene gallica in the field, look for an erect or semi-erect annual herb growing up to 50 cm tall, with branching stems clad in long, curling hairs and shorter, glandular hairs. The flowers have a tubular calyx of fused sepals lined with ten green or purple-red veins, coated in long, sometimes glandular, hairs. The five petals are white, pink or bicolored, spatulate, each with a small appendage at the base. The fruit is a brown, ovoid capsule with six apical teeth. In the British Isles, search near the coast of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, in sandy or gravelly, often acidic, soils in arable fields, on wasteland and on walls, as well as poor dry pastures on the coast, and on sand dunes in the Channel Islands. The plant has been in long-term decline, so sightings inland are now rare.
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