Left to Right: Tragopogon pratensis ssp minor (Goat's-beard), Tragopogon x mirabilis, Tragopogon porrifolius (Salsify).

This is a working farm but is also Plantlife's largest nature reserve. While admiring both sub species of yellow Goat's-beard Tragopogon pratensis (ssp minor and ssp pratensis) both of which were present at the field margins, it occurred to one of our WFS group that there was a possibility of hybrids. The beautiful purple Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) was also present in good numbers.

He took out Stace and read the description to us then stepped one pace to his left and exclaimed "What's this?". The flower head was nearly enclosed by the long green bracts but as soon as he touched them they pinged open and the hybrid flower was there for us all to admire in the sunshine. This is a very unusual hybrid which only occurs in a few places in the South of the England where both parents grow. It has a low level of fertility and so a low probability of occurring even when parents are as abundant as on this site.

Most of our group had gone ahead to look for the Corncockle (Agrostemma githago) but a few returned after our urgent calls.The others decided to leave it until after lunch when we would be passing that way again.

Mistake. Not for nothing is Goat's-beard also called Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon. All Goat's-beards had closed up for the day.