- Lifespan
- 2–3 years (short-lived perennial or biennial)
- Size & Weight
- 30–60 cm tall; flowers 1.5–2 cm diameter with deeply fringed petals
- Habitat
- Damp meadows, fens, marshes, and wet grassland with high moisture and often poor drainage.
- UK Distribution
- Found throughout the UK, but more common in northern and western regions; absent from some southern lowland areas. Resident and non-migratory.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic plant; derives nutrients from soil and sunlight.
- Predators
- Slugs, snails, and herbivorous insects may browse seedlings and foliage; no major predators target the mature plant specifically.
- Mating Season
- May to July (flowering period)
- Breeding
- Produces numerous small seeds dispersed by wind and water; self-seeds readily in suitable damp conditions; reproduces sexually via seed.
- Behaviour
- Ragged Robin is a typical wetland specialist that thrives in nutrient-poor, waterlogged soils. It forms dense colonies in suitable habitats and is an excellent indicator of healthy wet grassland. The plant is pollinated by insects, particularly flies and butterflies attracted to its distinctive bright pink flowers.