Download There are several native British buttercups. They grow in a wide

GET TO KNOW YOUR BUTTERCUPS
There are several native British buttercups. They
grow in a wide range of habitats including meadows
and marshes and other wet places. These flowers
have five, shiny yellow petals and lots of stamens.
Here we look more closely at three of the most
common species of buttercup.
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Do you like butter...?
Hold a buttercup under
your chin to see!
Meadow Buttercup
Ranunculus acris
The leaves of meadow buttercup
are divided up into parts and the
outline looks like a hand (known
as palmate). The flowers are
bright, golden yellow. You may
see meadow buttercup growing on
roadsides and usually on or near
meadows, particularly damp ones.
They can grow waist high!
Spot it April-September.
Some common
features of
Buttercups
 Bright yellow
 Shiny, reflective petals
 Palmate or triangular
outline to leaves
 Grow in damper places
 Favour grasslands
Creeping Buttercup
Ranunculus repens
The creeping buttercup is quite
distinctive as it has runners or shoots
above the ground which come out of
the “nodes” of the plant, helping it to
spread easily. Can you spot the
runners? The leaves are quite triangular
in outline. The flowers are deep yellow.
You may see this in grassy places and
gardens. Spot it May-September.
Did you know?
Bulbous Buttercup
Ranunculus bulbosus
The leaves of bulbous buttercup are split
into three shapes with a triangular
outline. The stem grows bigger below
ground and has a swollen or bulbous base
just under ground. The flowers are bright
yellow and the sepals under the flower
head are bent back. If you look closely
you may spot that the stem has ridges or
grooves. The bulbous buttercup flowers
earlier on than the others and grows in
Ranunculus, means
little frog and comes
from the Latin word
rana meaning a frog,
as many buttercups
come from wet or
damp places. The
origin of the common
name buttercup
appears to come from
a belief that it gave
butter its golden hue.
In reality buttercups
are poisonous to
cattle and are often
left uneaten.
GET TO KNOW YOUR DAISIES
You may know what a daisy flower looks like, it is a
common wild flower of grasslands in the UK. It is one of
many species that belong to the same family. The latin
name for this family Asteraceae means star. Can you see
why it is called that? You will discover two other
members of the daisy family below.
Can you make a daisy
chain by looping stems
through each other?
Daisy
Bellis perennis
Each flower has a rosette of
small, thin white petals
surrounding a bright yellow
centre. These are supported by
a single stem which grows from
a group of dark green rounded
leaves. The petals can
sometimes be tinged with pink.
Spot it January-December.
Some common
features of
Daisies
 Recognisable yellow
flat disc of florets
 Single flower heads of
many small petals
 Palmate or triangular
outline to leaves
 Starshaped flower
heads
Oxeye or Moon Daisy
Leucanthemum vulgare
Oxeye gets its names because of the
size of the flowerheads and because
the flowerheads are so bright—they
seem to glow in the evening. They
grow in many grassy places, often knee
-height. Spot it June-August.
Did you know?
Corn Marigold
Glebionis segetum
Corn marigold is golden
yellow and grows in arable
fields. It is becoming scarce
due to changes in farming
methods. Segetum means
‘of or from cornfields’ and
their leaves can produce a
yellow dye.
Daisy comes from the
old English name for
this plant - which
translates as “day’s
eye”. This refers to the
fact that the flowers
open at dawn and
close at dusk.
GET TO KNOW YOUR GERANIUMS
Geraniums have interesting shaped leaves. The leaf
edges are often dissected, can be hand shaped and
have a jagged or broken outline. The flowers are
usually pink although Meadow Crane’s-bill is a distinct
blue or purple in colour. Some geraniums have a strong
smell!
Did you know many varieties of
geranium have scented leaves?
Meadow Crane’s-bill
Geranium pratense
A hairy, plant with violet-blue to
sky-blue, flowers . In autumn its
leaves turn a deep red. Can you see
the nectar guides on the petals to
lure pollinators like bees in? It
grows in meadows but you will
mainly see this on roadsides due to
changes in farming practices.
Spot it June-September.
Herb-robert
Geranium robertianum
Some common
features of
Geraniums
Leaves are hand-shaped
or “palmate”
Apart from shining
cranes-bill, all members
of the family are quite
hairy!
Flowers have five petals
Another hairy but pretty plant which often
has a strong smell. The stem and leaves
arevoften reddish and the flowers bright
pink .Who is Robert? There are various
suggestions for who ‘Robert’ might be ,but
the true meaning of this plant’s name is a
mystery! Favours shady places.
Spot it May-September.
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imed
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Did you know?
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Shining Crane’s-bill
Geranium lucidum
This hairless wild plant has shiny,
glossy, quite reddish leaves, with a
rounded outline (the name of this
plant refers to the glossy leaves
rather than petals). The delicate
flowers are pale pink. Also likes
shady places like hedge-banks.
The name cranesbill
comes from its
distinctive long, straight,
pointed “beak” shaped
seed cases — more
visible on species such
as bloody cranesbill.
GET TO KNOW YOUR ORCHIDS
There are many wild orchids in the UK which come in all
shapes and sizes. Orchids are fun flowers to look out for
in meadows. The flowers are often bright and colourful
and grow in cone-shaped spikes; They are made up of lots
of individual flowers. Some flowers have very interesting
shapes. The bee orchid actually looks like a bee to
encourage bees to visit the flower to pollinate it.
Some orchids are very rare
and are protected by law.
Common Spotted-orchid
Dactylorhiza fuchsii
Look out for the leaves which are grey-green,
as they usually have purple spots on them.
The leaves get smaller as they go up the
stem. The flower spike is conical is pale pink
with purple streaks and spots.
Spot it June-August
Some common
features of
Orchids
Flowerheads usually
cone shaped and grow on
one spike
Made up of lots of
flowers
Some orchids are highly
scented such as the
fragrant orchid
Pyramidal Orchid
Anacamptis pyramidalis
The flower head is shaped like a pyramid
and full of flowers which is perhaps
shorter than the others on this page. The
flowers are all a deep pink colour. This
flower is more common in the South of
the UK. Spot it June-August.
Did you know?
Green-winged orchids are
now rare due to loss of
meadows through
changes in farming
practices.
Green-winged Orchid
Anacamptis morio
This lovely orchid is sadly becoming
more rare. It has vibrant glossy
leaves and the flowers appear to
have wings, hence the common
name. The outer part of the flower is
always tinged with green.
Spot it April-June.
The vanilla in your icecream is also a member
of the orchid family. It
comes from the fruit of a
Mexican orchid
Man, fly, monkey and
lizard orchid all look a bit
like their name-sakes!