Poppies & D-Day
Laura Howard
Digital Producer for The Watches
With the 70th anniversary of D-Day on 6th June, the BBC have a wealth of information online and across television and radio, including interviews, clips and timelines.
Our partners at Plantlife have provided a useful guide of where you can enjoy a symbolic flower, synonymous with World War I- the poppy.
One of the best places to see poppies is Ranscombe Farm in Kent.
This reserve is exceptional as all five British species of poppy that occur in crops grow here – Common, Long-headed, Prickly, Rough and Opium.
The next best place will be West Pentire Fields in Cornwall, an Important Plant Area identified as such specifically for its arable plants and displays of poppies.
It’s difficult to give other specific places to see poppies as which fields they grow in each year will depend on farmers’ activities. However, there are certain areas of the country where you’re much more likely to see them, especially areas of chalk and limestone (these are all Important Plant Areas, identified as such for their botanical richness).
There are lots of initiatives to commemorate the anniversary. Many community gardens and memorial gardens have been planted with patches of poppies, especially if they're near to memorial sites.
