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In spring and early summer a number of different orchids appear: the early purple, common spotted, and the scented fragrant orchid among them.

Spiky bushes of gorse (Ules europaeus), the yellow kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) and horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) are all members of the pea family and are common to chalky soil, the last two flowering from May to August, while gorse flowers golden almost year-round. On rough grasslands and sunny woodland margins, marjoram (Origanum vulgare) is mainly a summer-flowering plant whose leaves, when crushed, smell of mint. Also seen throughout the South Downs on the chalk grassland, the small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria) flowers from July to September.

But the prize for the most eye-catching and colourful display must surely go to the common poppy (Papaver rhoeas), which invades grassland and arable field alike. It’s not unusual on a summer’s day to gaze across a broad view where swathes of brilliant red or scarlet reach into the distance. Draw closer and you may find long-stemmed chicory (Cichorium intybus) growing amidst the poppies, their beautiful pale-blue flower heads appearing delicate by contrast with their more powerful neighbours.