It grows in dry grasslands with low soil fertility, especially on limestone soils. It is a hemiparasite, meaning it attaches to the roots of other plants and takes some nutrients from them. Eyebright is an annual plant that needs to be sown in autumn and germinate in spring. It also needs to be left undisturbed from April to August to produce seeds for the next year. Eyebright is a variable and complex group of species, but the most common one in England and Wales is Euphrasia nemorosa