Pheasant's Eye

Name: Pheasant's Eye

Scientific name: Adonis annua

Category: Flowers

Nature Stars: 100

What are nature stars?

About: This flower was once introduced as an arable weed but is now declining and listed as a species of conservation concern. It is sensitive to farming herbicides and requires calcium-rich soils to thrive.

How to identify: The beautiful deep-red flowers have black, poppy-like centres and delicate, feathered leaf segments in midsummer.

Where: Very rare and scare, most likely found in southern Britain.

Fantastic fact: The seeds of this plant are able to remain dormant but alive in the soil for a long time and usually begin to grow in the autumn.

Photograph credit: Adrian Shepherd