Like other flowers, poppies seem to be blooming earlier each summer with climate change. It came to my attention four years ago in May when I was on holiday in Tuscany. I shrilled with joy on seeing a full meadow ablaze with them, and then more growing along roadside verges. I thought they were out before our British ones, but on return to England, I saw they were in abundance, at the sides of country lanes and in gardens here too.

I often flick through my copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, and in 1906, the naturalist Edith Holden painted them on the pages for August. Her written entry began, “Went to a cornfield to gather poppies, but a heavy shower early in the day had dashed most of the blooms.” However, these days, they are at their best between May and July, and, of course, we would never dream of picking them.

Knowing of my curiosity, my daughter told me about fields of the herbaceous plants around West Pentire, North Cornwall. Since then, I’ve noticed the hamlet has been featured on social media with its swathes of scarlet flora at this time of year. I vowed to go and see them, but it wasn’t until recently that my wish was fulfilled.

The Poppy Fields series of oil paintings by Claude Monet immediately came to mind as I approached the headland between Crantock and Polly Joke beaches. The French Impressionist artist’s work, popularised with wall posters and greeting cards, sparked my love of art. But the real-life scene that greeted me was truly breathtaking. Veils of tissuey petals on long stems fluttered in the breeze, and in the background, the buttery sands and shimmering sea enhanced the magical setting even further.

I breathed in the salty, grassy scented air and stood for a while taking in the colours and appreciating nature before walking around the edge of the reserve, which is home to over a hundred and fifty varieties of naturally seeded wildflowers. Other types flourish on nearby farmland, where they attract all sorts of insects, and no doubt, other wildlife scurrying in the undergrowth. Some were bejewelled with ladybirds and butterflies, and I was fortunate to capture their images with my camera.

Bordering the South West Coast Path, the poppy fields are a mesmerising and uplifting sight, but recalling that they are a symbol of Remembrance Day, I found a bench and sat quietly for a few moments of reflection.

Until next time,
Sue. X