Description Pasque flowers ? now exceedingly rare downland plants ? are reputed to mark the places where Danish or Roman blood was spilt. It is certainly true that they have a tendency to grow on ancient earthworks, although it is probable that this is simply because they favour ground that has long been undisturbed. The poem describes one such ancient landscape in the Berkshire Downs where pasque flowers may still be seen. Glead Hawk is the Cheshire name for the Red Kite, which also inhabits the downland combes. ?Thrums? is Gerard?s word for the golden stamens, and ?knops? are the heads that succeed the purple flowers. See Geoffrey Grigson, The Englishman?s Flora, pp. 42-44; Richard Mabey, Flora Britannica, p. 44; Francesca Greenoak, British Birds: Their Folklore, Names and Literature, p. 56.
