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Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor), the meadow-maker, the miracle-working semi-parasitic plant that weakens the overwhelming grasses in our fields by feeding on their nutrients, thus allowing more delicate wildflowers their chance to thrive. The rattle in the name comes from the noise of the ripe seeds in their pods and, according to the Plantlife website, cattle love its taste – ‘when let into a field it is the first thing they will eat’, so it’s a win for the cattle, and a win for wildflowers.

220612 yellow rattle