Poppy Field

Wild poppies bloom in a sunlit field. The wild field poppy, or Papaver rhoeas is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae. With four red petals, and a dark spot at the base, it has evolved to be one of the most successful of the 'cultivated weeds'; including a lifecycle that fits around most cereal crops, an ability to grow and germinate before crops are harvested and a tolerance of basic weed control methods. The poppy seed is often used in baking and bread products, giving a distinctly nutty flavour. Since World War I, the poppy has attained a symbolism of Remembrance: growing in prolific numbers along much of the Western Front it has become an icon of that war, and was immortalised in the poem Flanders Field by Canadian Poet John McCrae.