Restoring rare arable flowers

Rare arable flowers such as cornflowers, corn marigolds and pheasant's-eye were once common across farmland but this is no longer the case. These training days will demonstrate the importance of these rare flowers and show ways of managing the habitat so that they are common once more on modern day farms. Topics will include:

• The historical background to these flowers
• Why have they declined in recent times?
• Which species are of particular concern?
• Identifying the above species and learning about their individual requirements such as germination, flowering and seeding periods
• Surveying for arable plants and where to look, including soil type, aspect and history of cropping
• Targeting agri-environment schemes