Red October: Stunning field of poppies provides summery display... two months late

Red October: Stunning field of poppies provides summery display... two months late

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 2:16 AM on 05th October 2009

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A field of late-flowering bright red poppies is so magnificent that drivers have been stopping their cars to have a look.

The spectacle near Shaftesbury in north Dorset covers several acres of farmland and hundreds of people have been stopping to take photos.

Thought to have been accidentally drilled into the field, the poppy seeds have emerged after the warm spell over the last few weeks.

The warm and dry September weather has tricked the poppy seed into thinking summer has returned.

A month before Remembrance Day, the bright red display has stunned locals who have never seen such a sight at this time of year.

Though the field is privately owned, it is surrounded by National Trust grassland.

Chris Gingell, who manages the trust's wardens for north Dorset and surrounding area said the poppies had probably been unintentionally spread.

He said: "These poppies have obviously made a late showing after a warm September. We'd expect them to have been over by the end of August.

"The seeds have probably been unintentionally spread and drilled into the field with the corn. That's why often poppies suddenly appear where they've never been seen before.

"It's very startling and because the temperature is cooler now than it would be in the height of summer they might last for a week of so.

"When it is very warm they only last for a couple of days."

A photographer gets a close-up of the surprise autumn colour