wild-flowers

Common Name: Lady’s Smock, Cuckoo Flower,
Latin Name: Cardamine pratensiss

Description: Herbaceous perennial plant growing up to 60 cm tall, with pinnate leaves 5–12 cm long, each leaflet is about 1 cm long. The delicate flowers are grouped into clusters on each stem and each individual flower has four petals and is 1–2 cm in diameter.

Season: Spring – April to June

Colour: Very pale lilac

More Information: The name cuckoo flower comes from the timing of the flowering, at the same time as hearing the first cuckoo.

Location: Along the banks of streams and rivers and in meadows and damp banks and hedges.

Common Name: Snowdrop – Eirlys in Welsh
Latin Name: Galanthus nivalis

Description: Perennial growing up to 25 cm tall, with narrow leaves forming clumps and one flower per stem

Season: Early spring – January to March

Colour: White with green

More Information: The snowdrop is one of the first signs of spring sometimes appearing through the snow.

Location: Woodland, roadside banks and graveyards – just about anywhere with shady areas below trees.

Common Name: Bluebell

Latin Name: Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Description: Up to 20 bell shaped flowers on a sturdy stem. Wonderful perfume.

Season: mid April to late May

Colour: Blue, sometimes white

More Information: Bluebells like the shade of woodland, but where the woods have gone, particularly on north facing slopes, they can still be found on open land – a memory of woodland.

Location: Almost anywhere in west Wales but spectacularly on north facing coast slopes such as the one above Poppit Sands heading towards Newport on the coast path. Llanerchaeron, near Aberaeron is one of the best places for bluebells according to National Trust Wales.

Description: Sea Campion, pink campion, bluebells, gorse and ferns.

Season: spring

Colour: multicoloured

More Information: One of the true pleasures of a spring visit to Cardigan Bay are the fabulous range of wild flowers.

Location: Walking from Mwnt to Aberporth along the Ceredigion Coast Footpath.

Common Name: Stitchwort

Latin Name: Stellaria graminea

Description: Small delicate flower with star shape

Season: spring

Colour: white

More Information:

Location: Seen here with bluebells but often with campion too. This photo was taken on the coast path

Common Name: Wild Daffodil

Latin Name: Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Description: Wild daffodils are shorter than the long stemmed cultivated plants. They grow in small clumps, often at the base of trees and hedges.

Season: Late Winter – Early Spring

Colour: Yellow

More Information: During the 19th Century the daffodil seems to have replaced the leek as the plant of Wales, possibly because it flowers around March 1st – St. David’s Day, and it is so beautiful

Location: Very early close to the coast – the Parrog at Newport or track to Penbryn Beach. Later in spring almost any shaded riverbank and lane.

Common Name: Teasel

Latin Name: Dipsacus fullonum

Description: Remarkable flower whose dried heads feel like velcro. The tiny flowers appear around the teasel in a ring which then expands until the whole flower head is covered.

Season: spring

Colour: Pink

More Information: Traditionally teasel heads were used to comb the wool fibres in the woollen industry which is one explanation of their spread along the streams and rivers where wool has historically been spun or woven. Drefach Felindre used to be a very renowned wool area.

Location: Along the banks of the Teifi. This photo was taken under the bridge at at Cenarth.

Common Name: Lesser Celandine

Latin Name: Ficaria verna

Description: It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright yellow, glossy petal

Season: Spring

Colour: Yellow

More Information:

Location: Again common on roadsides and lanes and often found in large areas of woodland

Common Name: Foxglove

Latin Name: Digitalis purpurea

Description: Tall, sometimes over 2 metres

Season: summer

Colour: Purple

More Information: The scientific name means ‘finger-like’ and refers to the shape of the flowers which fit onto the ends of your fingers, like finger gloves.

Location: Often found in the banks along the sides of lanes

Common Name: Common Spotted Orchid

Common Name: Campion

Latin Name: Melandrum rubrium

Description: Deep pink flowers 20mm across with notched petals and soft hairy leaves and stem.

Season: Spring and Summer

Colour: Pink

More Information:

Location: Roadside and footpaths, just about anywhere that grass has not been cut back in spring.

Common Name: Wild Garlic

Latin Name: Allium ursinum

Description: Star like white flowers with distinct garlic scent from leaves and flowers. The leaves are thick and smooth.

Season: spring

Colour: white

More Information: Also called broad-leaved garlic and wood garlic. You can eat wild garlic leaves in salads or boiled as a vegetable for soup, also as a substitute for basil. There is a lovely article in the Guardian about wild Garlic in Ceredigion with lots of extra images.

Location: Woodland and river banks. The flowers above were photographed in the woods, inland from Cwmtydu

Common Name: Wild primroses
Latin Name: Primula vulgaris

Description: Perennial growing 10–30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats on Welsh roadsides.

Season: Spring

Colour: Pale Yellow

More Information: The primrose is one of the earliest spring flowers

Location: Along roadsides and lanes and prolific along the river Teifi