FLOWER lovers flocked to the countryside this weekend for the annual display of Oxfordshire's extraordinary county flower.

The snake's head fritillary, brought to England from mainland Europe sometime in the last 3,000 years, has thrived in the wet grassland of Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.

One of the few places it is now seriously well-established is Waterperry Gardens near Wheatley, which invited visitors to admire the short-lived blooms.

Shop assistant George Purnell got a chance to admire the nodding flower heads during a rare break on a busy day.

Waterperry horticultural manager Robert Jacobs said: "Fritillaries are really special.

"Because they are members of the lily family they are sometimes called chequered lilies, but they are also known as snake's heads because they actually look like snakes as the flowers and forming and they rise up out of the grass.

"This year, because Sunday was so lovely, we've had one of our best fritillary weekends in years."

The stately home and garden invited visitors on Sunday to make a donation to charity as part of National Gardens Scheme.

Mr Jacobs said because of the good weather boosting visitors numbers he hoped the garden had raised some £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.