Newent's Wild Daffodils

The yellow trumpets of daffodils brighten up the dullest spring day as they cluster together in gardens, on roadsides and in parks during March and April. But these are often the planted or escaped garden varieties.

A real treat is spotting a wild daffodil among the dappled shade of an ancient woodland, or pushing up through the grasses of a damp meadow. Once abundant and hand-picked for markets, this wildflower is now much rarer, having declined during the 19th century as a result of habitat loss.

Also commonly known as the 'Lent lily' for its long association with Easter celebrations, the wild daffodil got its Latin name, Narcissus, from an Ancient Greek myth. Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, becoming so obsessed that he fell in and drowned. The nodding head of the wild daffodil embodies Narcissus bending over the water and it's said that the first flower sprang from where he died.

The wild daffodil has narrow, grey-green leaves and a familiar daffodil flower, but with pale yellow petals surrounding a darker yellow trumpet; this two-tone look is one way to tell them apart from their garden relatives. The wild daffodil is also relatively short and forms clumps, carpeting the ground.

Meadows filled with wild daffodils were once a common sight around the Newent area, so much so that the area was known as the ‘Golden Triangle’, attracting thousands of visitors during the spring. In the past, some visitors would travel from as far as London to witness the display of wild daffodils and take back bunches of flowers to sell. Nowadays these cheerful yellow and cream flowers are limited to certain pockets of land.

The small area of unimproved grassland and orchard hedgerows at Gwen and Vera’s Field is a stronghold for wild daffodils and provides the ideal habitat for other wildflower species throughout the year, including cuckooflower, meadow vetchling, wild angelica and autumn-flowering meadow saffron. The woodland boundaries also attract birds such as nuthatch, chiffchaff, blackcap and jay.

Another nature reserve, Vell Mill Daffodil Meadow, is one of the best surviving wild daffodil meadows and part of the 'Golden Triangle'. Advances in agriculture were used to ‘improve’ the nature reserve’s grassland over the years, which meant it has been a long and carefully thought-out process to encourage the return of wildflowers through haymaking and grazing.

Vell Mill’s daffodils are complemented by a young orchard. In 2011, over 60 traditional Gloucestershire varieties of apple, pear and plum trees were planted as a small step towards redressing the loss of 75% of the county’s orchards over the past 50 years. Traditional orchards are important habitats for amphibians, mammals, birds, bats and more, which not only forage and feast upon the fruits and flowers, but upon the insects that thrive in these now rare habitats.

In time, this new young orchard will connect other traditional orchards in the area, enabling wildlife to move and colonies to merge and become more robust. The trees are likely to attract nesting birds such as green woodpecker, bullfinch, fieldfare, wren and song thrush, and insects such as bumblebee and noble chafer and stag beetles.

A steep slope covered in wild daffodils, and in the distance there are trees and fields — Ketford Banks © Nathan Millar

An area of sloping rough grassland that’s rich in wildflowers, Ketford Banks nature reserve, is also famed for its displays of wild daffodils. The sandy soil of the River Leadon Valley provides the perfect conditions for the wild daffodil.

The Banks are found at an elevated position, so on a clear day you can see west towards Wales, making this reserve one of the most interesting and photogenic of the remaining areas of wild daffodils in the county. Buff-tailed bumblebees and frogs are frequent visitors, while nibbled hazelnuts show the nature reserve is home to wood mice and bank voles. Mature black poplar trees can also be spotted.

Ketford Banks escaped the grassland ‘improvements’ promoted from the 1950s on account of the steep terrain of the reserve. The grassland here is now managed by Hebridean sheep that graze from late summer into winter, creating the perfect conditions for wildflowers to thrive by clearing encroaching scrub.

If you visit these nature reserves to see the rare wild daffodils, please stick to the paths to avoid damaging the wildflowers and disturbing the wildlife that lives there. By leaving no trace you are helping Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to protect these reserves for future generations to enjoy.