Yellow Rattle was introduced into the wildlife reserve, in order to reduce the vigour of the grass, which otherwise would swamp most of the other flowers. It is a parasite to grass, attaching to its roots and drawing nourishment from it, by doing this it reduces the growth of the grass. It would be eliminated from a modern hay field, where the object is to produce the most grass for animal feed.

It produces seeds in a large pod, which rattles when they dry, later in the year.