'BEAUTIFUL' flowers that sprout in ancient meadow in Oxford are facing an uncertain future, an ecologist has warned.

Botanists scoured Hinksey Meadow on Saturday in search of snake's-head fritillaries; one of several plant species that could be threatened by a flood channel.

Every spring volunteers survey the sprawling expanse of field behind Botley Road, tracking down the speckled purple flowers to monitor their numbers.

This year they flowered weeks earlier than usual, meaning ecologist Judy Webb could only find one lone fritillary among a few withered friends at the weekend.

Dr Webb said: "We had a very warm, dry spring so they came out well before we would normally expect them to. It's just climate change, which is a threat to the meadow. Fritillaries are incredibly beautiful plants."

Earlier this month fellow ecologists Janet Keene and Tim King, of Oxford Urban Wildlife Group, noticed the fritillaries had flowered early and carried out the count ahead of schedule.

They found more than 300, exceeding last year's total despite their early bloom.

Kidlington resident Dr Webb still went along for her own survey on Saturday with another volunteer, but said her main concern for the future of the flowers was the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Hinksey Meadow landowner Oxford Preservation Trust has previously raised biodiversity concerns about the Environment Agency's plan, which would involve digging a watercourse through the meadow.

It would form part of a 5km channel around the south west of Oxford from Botley Road to Kennington to carry floodwater away from the city centre, costing £120m.

Dr Webb said: "This is ancient meadow that has never been ploughed before. Underneath [the grass] it is all gravel and the channel will be going 50-60cm down. It may make it really unpleasant for some of the plants - some of them will die.

"We are going to lose some of the best areas of flora - a proportion of this rich, bio-friendly meadow. It needs to be mitigated. The more we document what is here, the more that will be valued in mitigation."

Dr Webb suggested that could include resowing the wildflowers' seeds in a different area to nurture new life elsewhere.

Information released by the Oxford Flood Alliance, a steering group that supports the flood scheme, seeks to counter her concerns.

It states: "Such channels [as that planned] retain a natural appearance, can be grazed, and are likely to enhance wildlife habitat rather than diminish it."

Hinksey Meadow is not among those legally protected as a Special Area of Conservation, despite it harbouring a species of plant called great burnet, which Dr Webb described as 'incredibly rare'.

The Environment Agency hopes to submit a final planning application for the flood alleviation scheme in November.