Thousands upon thousands of a rare flower can be seen next weekend in a Suffolk meadow, open to the public only once a year.

A meadow in Framsden, near Stowmarket, boasts one of the county's most impressive displays of the snake's head fritillary.

The flower is now a rare plant found on less than 30 sites in the UK.

They can be viewed by the public at Fox Fritillary Meadow Nature Reserve when the landowner opens the land for the event, run by Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

There is also the option to have a cream tea in the meadow amongst the sea of purple and white.

The open days only occur during the flowering period, which is usually in mid to late April.

The reserve is the largest of four sites for the plant in Suffolk, and is an ancient floodplain meadow, as fritillaries thrive in land that regularly floods.

Eighteen fritillary sites were known in Suffolk in 1889, but most have now been lost through drainage or ploughing.

The open days are next weekend, on Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16, from 10am to 4pm.

Tickets can be booked for time slots for cream teas, which include tea or coffee and a fruit scone with jam and cream, and picnic blankets will be available.

Tickets can be bought on the Suffolk Wildlife Trust website, £6 for a ticket, £10 for a ticket with a cream tea (under-16s free).