Porth Joke poppies

Porth Joke poppies

By Sarah Hoggett with photographs by Jon Hibberd

Every year in early summer, when the poppies come into bloom, the headlands around West Pentire are a blaze of colour. In amongst the poppies are splashes of bright yellow charlock and corn marigolds (the mix varies from year to year) and, set against the azure blue of the sea behind, it’s a stunning sight.

Two six-spot burnet moths on field bindweed.

Of course, it’s the poppies that most people come to see – but take the time to stand still for a few moments and look more closely and you’ll soon start to appreciate the level of biodiversity here. Around the edges of the poppy fields are the tall spires of viper’s bugloss, the candy-striped pink-andwhite flowers of field bindweed, and delicate blue, pansy-like flowers no bigger than a baby’s fingernail. Insect life abounds. There are several species of bees, tiny beetles and hoverflies provide fleeting glimpses of iridescent colour, and brightly coloured moths and butterflies flit from plant to plant. And watch out for the skylarks’ display flight, flying vertically upwards – you’ll probably hear them long before you see them, as their song is surprisingly loud for such a small bird.

A stonechat, one of many birds that can be seen at Porth Joke – thankfully not an endangered species.

All this is thanks to the National Trust and their tenant farmer, who manage the farmland as a nature reserve for plants and animals associated with arable crops. Half the fields are ploughed in either spring or autumn and then left fallow, while the rest are ploughed and sown with barley in the spring, offering shelter for rare arable plants and groundnesting birds such as the corn bunting and skylark, both of which are on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern ‘Red List’, meaning they need urgent conservation action. In addition to the cereal crops, there are plots that are ploughed and left for wildflower species to germinate, including the poppies that everyone loves so much. Astonishingly, more than 150 other wildflower species have also been recorded here.

The exact timing of the poppies varies depending on the factors such as the weather, but as a rough guide you can expect them to starting blooming from late May or early June and continue through until late June or early July. If you’d like to visit, there are two payand-display car parks in West Pentire, both right next to the poppy fields.

The sea provides a dramatic backdrop to the wild flowers.

If you fancy a longer walk than just the poppy fields, try out one of the Wednesday Walking Group’s favourite summer outings - park in the National Trust car park at Holywell Bay, walk up through the sand dunes and along the coast path to Porth Joke and the poppy fields, have a refreshment stop at Treago Farm campsite café and come back over Cubert Common.

When the sea breeze blows through the poppy fields, it’s like looking at an impressionist painting.

View over the poppies to Porth Joke and the headland beyond.