At one time it was rumoured that this favourite countryside plant was disappearing from Britain but it appears in tens of thousands on the banks and verges of the A55 in North Wales for instance. This is a fairly new road so perhaps they were sown as wild flowers. Whether they're natural or not they've certainly spread even in these few years.
In older habitats like this one in the Derbyshire White Peak (Limestone Country) P.veris flowers at exactly the same time as Orchis mascula (Early Purple Orchid). Early Purple Orchid is behind the cowslips together with A. nemorosa in the photo and they cover the hillsides in certain places. There are few shows of wild flowers en-masse which I know which can compare to the thousands of these delicate yellow, purple and white flowers growing together in Spring. It truly is one of the wonders of the natural world.
Cressbrookdale upper slopes, 13th May 2004
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Added on 8th November 2004