Field Scabious
Knautia arvensis

This native wildflower is also commonly known as 'blue buttons' and is a tough, pinkish-lilac perennial, flowering from July until well into the autumn months. It is the largest and most robust of its family and is more likely to be seen growing on dryish soil, so open places and dry fields are preferred to woodland edges. It often flowers during the first year, with somewhat bristly foliage. The juice and roots were once used to treat scabies and other skin disorders. The species was once called Scabious arvensis and was then renamed after the 17th-century botanist, Dr Knaut.