neyedc
NEYEDC improve and inform environmental decision making, conservation, land management and sustainable development in North and East Yorkshire through the collation, management, analysis and dissemination of biodiversity information.

The Natural History of Yorkshire in 100 Species

Explore the rich and diverse natural history of our region through the stories of 100 species, told by the people who know them best.

#66 Ragged Robin by Nabil Abbas

Meet Nabil Abbas, Project Manager for the Skell Valley Project!

Nabil Abbas has spent 3 years working as the Project Manager for the Skell Valley Project, a landscape-scale project working across 12 miles of this North Yorkshire river valley: Skell Valley Project - Nidderdale AONB. Led by National Trust and Nidderdale National Landscape, the Skell Valley Project works with a partnership of 16 organisations to improve the resilience of the landscape, help nature’s recovery, record and celebrate local heritage and empower people to get involved in looking after the valley. Nabil’s background is in ecology and conservation, having spent most of his career working in nature conservation with various Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust in Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Peak District. He also volunteers as a Trustee at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Ragged Robin (P Shaw)

The World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens, near Ripon, is under threat from increased flooding and siltation, exacerbated by climate change. To combat this risk, the Skell Valley Project is using natural flood management (NFM) measures working on 20 farms upstream from the Abbey, including hedgerow planting, wetland creation and installation of riverside buffer strips.

Ragged Robin Silene flos-cuculi, Nabil’s chosen species, is a flagship species for the work being delivered by the Skell Valley Project, thriving as it does in moist habitats such as wet grassland, marshes, drainage ditches, riverbanks and damp woodland. Once common in the countryside, this species has declined through the drainage and degradation of wet habitats. By reinstating these habitats and helping the valley to act more like a sponge to slow the flow of water in heavy rainfall events, the project is also creating more opportunities for this charismatic wildflower to thrive.

A perennial herb with grass-like leaves, Ragged Robin produces loose clumps of pink star-shaped flowers between May and August, comprising 5 petals each divided into 4 segments, giving the plant its unusual, ragged appearance. A member of the Caryophyllaceae (carnation family) it was formerly named Lychnis flos-cuculi, the name of the genus derived from Greek lychnos meaning lamp, perhaps due to the flowers standing out in the landscape. The specific epithet flos-cuculi means cuckoo flower, since like Cardamine pratense it can be found flowering in damp places when the spring cuckoos are calling.

This is a plant with several alternative names based on locality. Most refer to the appearance of its flowers and include ragged jack in Essex, Somerset and Sussex, ragged urchin or shaggy jacks in Devon and ragged willie in Shetland. Another colloquial name shared with several other species (such as greater stitchwort, red and white campion) is thunder flower, since children believed that picking this flower would result in thunder and lightning! In folklore, plants with the name Robin are often linked to goblins and evil, and it was considered unlucky to pick the flowers and take them indoors. It was also said that if a man carried the plant in his pocket and it survived then he would be successful in love.

Ragged Robin is dedicated to St Barnabas, whose feast day was 11th June around the time when haymaking took place. During Shakespearean times it was known as Crowflower and is mentioned in the play Hamlet as part of Ophelia’s garland (although this is a contentious matter and some authors argue that this refers to a Crowfoot, Ranunculus sp).

Ragged Robin in situ, YWT

The flowers are a popular nectar source for long-tongued bumblebees (Early, Buff-tailed, Red-tailed, Garden and Common Carder bumblebee), hoverflies and butterflies. As such it has gained popularity in wildlife gardening and is a handsome addition to any garden. The flower stalk is covered in tiny downward-pointing hairs, which are thought to prevent small insects such as ants climbing up to attack the flowers. Ragged Robin is also a food plant for the caterpillars of Lychnis moth (Hadena bicruris) and Campion moth (Sideridis rivularis) the larvae feeding inside the seed capsules.

Ragged Robin is just one example of a plant that is not only iconic of its habitat, but one that benefits and provides for many other species, and in the case of the Skell Valley Project’s work, helps build the resilience of the landscape.

Ragged Robin

Recording and monitoring

Records of Ragged Robin and other plants can be submitted to your regional LERC (Local Environmental Records Centre) or plant county recorder.

Further information and acknowledgements

NEYEDC would like to thank Nabil for his time and expertise in helping to create this blog.

NEYEDC