County flower's population sees 'dramatic increase'

Oxfordshire's county flower has seen a resurgence, as more than five times last year's total were counted during an annual census.

Nearly 30,000 snake's-head fritillaries were found at Iffley Meadows nature reserve by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) volunteers this year.

The wildlife trust said the 2025 count had "lifted spirits" of its volunteers, as it saw a "dramatic increase" on last years count.

In 2024, the trust tallied a "devastating" 6,087 flowers - a 30-year low which was attributed to prolonged flooding, heavy rain and high winds.

In total, 29,522 flowers were counted by volunteers in 2025 - an increase of more than 380% on the previous year.

BBOWT senior ecologist Colin Williams, who was in charge of the count, said the trust was "encouraged" by the final tally at this year's count.

"While it remained well below previous peak records, it's a vast improvement on last year's disappointing result," he said.

Iffley Meadows, which is a floodplain meadow, is one of only 30 sites in the UK where snake's-head fritillaries bloom in the wild.

The trust has held annual counts of the flower at the site in Oxford since the early 1980s.

The very first count in 1983 recorded just 500 flowers, but careful management has since seen its population flourish - with a peak of nearly 90,000 counted in 2015.

Since then, the numbers have fluctuated - with Mr Williams saying this was down to flooding, weather and the impact of grazing deer.

"Increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events as a result of climate change make it harder to anticipate what we will see in following years," he added.

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