With wide open vistas of rolling hills, criss-crossed by drystone walls and dramatic limestone pavements, Ingleborough and its foothills are one of the most well-known corners of Yorkshire – and one of our most inspiring places, an icon of our regional heritage. Plants and people have adapted to survive wild weather and upland conditions, and only the hardiest of cattle and sheep can roam the pastures.

The wildflowers around Ingleborough are a spectacle to behold. Mid-April heralds the first blooms, with the close-growing bright purple flowers and triangular green leaves of purple saxifrage beginning to spread across the limestone crags of the mountain, and the rare and tiny Teesdale violet speckling the lower rocky slopes.

From there, May sees a gradual blush of colour across the landscape with the yellow of rock-rose – a vital food source for the rare northern brown argus butterfly – clusters of delightful mountain pansies and the creep of sweet-smelling wild thyme over the limestone pavements.

By the time high summer arrives, Ingleborough’s slopes are awash with colour; the huge, bobbing yellow buttercup-like heads of globeflowers, wild orchids smattered through the grasslands, the pink of bird’s-eye primrose, and a wealth of other wildflowers besides. 

Skylarks, curlews and cuckoos can be heard ushering in the brighter weather with their distinctive calls, and a pause amongst the nodding heads and swaying grasses may allow you to catch a glimpse of small pearl-bordered fritillary and northern brown argus butterflies fluttering by.

These pockets of colour and hidden gems represent a fraction of what conservationists believe is possible – that this could be one of the most important limestone landscapes in the world. Ingleborough is thought to be home a third of the UK’s plant species, and its unique mix of important habitats has given rise to some very rare flowers; protected spiked speedwell, with its columns of purple-blue flowers, clings to one tiny ledge on the Ingleborough site, the Teesdale violet makes Ingleborough one of its few homes, and the only place in the world the white flowers of Yorkshire sandwort are found is on Ingleborough’s mountain slopes.

To enjoy the best of Ingleborough’s wildflowers, consider a wander through the remnants of limestone grassland on Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves – Ashes Pasture, Brae Pasture, and Ashes Shaw – to see what you can spot. Parking is limited, so be mindful of passing cars if parking in laybys or consider taking the train to nearby Ribblehead station.