Yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) (also known as hay rattle) is an attractive plant that will be an important component of our meadow. The name derives from the sound made by the dry seeds inside their ripe seed pods. Yellow rattle is semi-parasitic on grasses. Where yellow rattle grows the vigour of the grass is diminished, and other flowering plants will be better able to grow, with less competition from the grasses.
We already have a small area of yellow rattle at the North-West corner of the orchard, and it is already apparent that where the yellow rattle grows the grass is diminished.
It is an annual and the seed must be sown fresh. It will germinate the following February. Once established, it will set its own seed each year and spread. In summer 2018 we collected many thousands of yellow rattle seeds and spread them in the autumn.