Its white flowers make the plant look innocent. But their fruits are covered with 4 rows of spines, which are hooked at the tip. Carrot bur parsley settles mainly on dry fields and calcareous soils. There it sprouts up to 30 cm in height. The seeds travel like stowaways on an animal skin or on our socks to new locations.

Flowers are dark pink and on a very long stem. This is an adaptation to tower over the winter cereals. The development rhythm of corn cockle is very similar to that of winter cereals. In summer cereals, the corn cockle ripens too late and can therefore only seed poorly. The seeds are slightly poisonous and must be removed from the grain crop (seed cleaning).

The intense blue flowers of the field larkspur dominate the harvested grain fields. When the crop is mown, the plants are cut back and new flowering shoots develop. In order for the field larkspur to seed, the fields should not be ploughed until a few weeks after the harvest. The name larkspur is derived from the shape (spur) of the rearmost petal.

The taste of the earth chestnut is reminiscent of the exotic Brazil nuts. The spherical tuber is ideally suited for consumption. While the tuber hidden in the soil tastes good on the plate, its white flowers decorate every bouquet. A treat for both the stomach and the eye!

The round-leaved hare's ear flowers in summer between June and July. Its elegant yellow flowers set the scene. The plant prefers sunny places on open soils and grows up to 60 cm high there. Unfortunately, it has become very rare in Switzerland and is highly endangered. Wild bees in particular miss this important forage plant.

Today, all the work on the fields is done with machines and more fertiliser is available. Modern grain varieties must be adapted to this. They are therefore short, sturdy and not very winter-hardy. To increase the yield, the stalks are shorter, the ears longer and the grains larger. As a result, less light penetrates and the flora accompanying the fields disappears.

The prickly poppy has smaller flowers than the corn poppy. The stem is often richly branched with several flowers, so it flowers over a longer period. If space is restricted, the plant remains small and makes only a few flowers. This is an adaptation to the conditions in a grain field; so the plant can still flower, produce seeds and thus ensure its reproduction.

Inconspicuous plant with small, yellowish flowers. The flower consists only of the hypanthium. The plant appears late in spring and it needs lean, sunny locations. That is why it only thrives in patchy grain fields, preferably on the edges. The sparrow weed is threatened with extinction and is only found in a few places in Brentjong.

The Valais rye is not very demanding in terms of soil and climate. Here in the Leuk Sonnenberge, the uppermost rye fields were at 1600 m above sea level. The old rye varieties of the Valais grow up to 2 m high, are not very sturdy, very hardy, have an extensive root system and yellow grains. A lot of light comes through between the stalks, ideal for the arable flora. They also ripen earlier than modern varieties.

The flower of the wild fennel consists of sepals, cup-shaped honey leaves and numerous stamens. On a sunny day, the flowers are intensely fragrant. As the seeds are not ripe until September, the stubble fields may only be tilled at a late stage. The plant is related to the true black cumin, which is used as a spice in the Orient.

This delicate plant consists practically only of stipules and tendrils. The leaves wrap protectively around the bare stem. Now and then a golden blossom shines out of the greenery, turning into flat legumes with poisonous seeds.