Buttercup Family
Meadow Buttercup
Ranunculus acris.
Flowers: 18-25mm, 5 shiny yellow petals.
Leaves: The end leaf does not have a stalk.
Bulbous Buttercup
Ranunculus bulbosus.
Flowers: very similar to Creeping and Meadow buttercup, but the sepals under the flower point downwards, not upwards.
Creeping Buttercup
Ranunculus repens.
Flowers: Very similar to Meadow Buttercup.
Leaves: The end leaf has a stalk.
Celery-leaved Buttercup
Ranunculus sceleratus.
Flowers: 5-10mm, pale yellow petals.
Leaves: Celery-like.
Less common in the park than the other Buttercups.
Lesser Celandine
Ranunculus ficaria.
The flowers are yellow and arranged in a head, with the individual florets surrounded by bracts. The fruits are achenes, which are small, dry, one-seeded fruits.
Common Water-crowfoot
Ranunculus aquatilis.
Water crowfoot is a floating aquatic plant. It features slender, branching stems with small, delicate leaves that resemble the feet of a crow. Adorned with white or yellow flowers, providing habitat and food for aquatic wildlife.
Winter Aconite
Eranthis hyemalis.
Grows up to 15cm with yellow cup-shaped flowers, with 6 petals in January to April.
Non-native, but widespread.
Lily Family
Snowdrops
Galanthus nivalis.
Small white flowers with three petals, leaves narrow and pointed.
Bluebells
Hyacinthoides non-scripta.
Blue-purple flowers hanging from a single stem, leaves long and narrow with a slight arch.
Spring Squill
Scilla verna.
A perennial bulbous plant that produces spikes of small, bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue, white, and pink.
Daffodils
Narcissus
Flowers are trumpet-shaped and usually yellow or white with a yellow or orange centre.
Leaves are strap-like and emerge from the base of the plant.
Three Corned Garlic
Allium triquetrum.
Three-cornered garlic is a perennial herbaceous plant with triangular-shaped flower stems and small, white, star-shaped flowers. It has a distinct garlic-like scent and is often found in woodland areas or along hedgerows. However, it is considered an invasive species in some regions due to its ability to spread rapidly.
Yellow Iris
Iris pseudacorus.
Also known as a Flag Iris, or Yellow Flag.
Bright yellow flowers, with feint prrple veins.
Crocus
Crocus vernus.
Flowers are purple, white, yellow or striped. Leaves are grass-like and emerge from the base of the plant.
Some are likely to be the rare Nottingham Crocus.
Poppy Family
Welsh Poppy
Meconopsis cambrica.
The Welsh poppy is a small, yellow wildflower with four overlapping petals. It blooms from June to August.
Iceland Poppy
Papaver nudicaule.
The Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule) is a short-lived perennial plant. It is a hardy plant that can tolerate cold weather and poor soil conditions. The Iceland poppy has papery, cup-shaped flowers that are typically white, yellow, orange, or red. The flowers bloom in the spring and summer.
More…
Common Spotted-orchid
Dactylorhiza fuchsii.
The Common Spotted Orchid has a rosette of basal leaves and a tall, slender stem topped with a spike of pale pink to purple flowers. The flowers have a distinctive three-lobed lip with darker pink spots and stripes. It blooms from June to August.
Yellow Corydalis
Pseudofumaria lutea.
Yellow Corydalis has bright yellow flowers that are shaped like little trumpets. The leaves are finely divided and green to grey-green.
Elder
Sambucus nigra.
A shrub or small tree. Small white flowers in spring, berries in Autumn.
White Water-Lily
Nymphaea alba.
Water lilies are flowers that grow in still water. They have large, round leaves that float on the surface of the water, and their flowers can be white, yellow, or pink.
Common Duckweed
Lemna minor.
Common Duckweed is a tiny, free-floating aquatic plant that forms a green mat on the surface of still or slow-moving freshwater. It is one of the smallest flowering plants in the world!
Common Water-starwort
Callitriche stagnalis.
Common Water-starwort has slender stems that reach to the surface of the water and form floating mats of leaves. The leaves are green, elliptical, and have 3-5 veins. Small flowers.
Lords-and-ladies
Arum maculatum.
Arum Family.
Lords-and-ladies is a distinctive plant with large, arrow-shaped leaves that emerge in spring. In the spring, a tall, upright stalk emerges that contains a spike of tiny flowers flowers. In autumn, bright red berries appear.
(AKA Cuckoo Pint)
Photographs used on these Wildflower pages were taken in Wollaton Park and are reproduced with the original artist’s permission.
Credits: Colin Robbins, Gila Taylor, Chris Golightly, Kiyoko Naish, Michael Hayes, Unni Williams, Kyle Heesom, Wendy Martin.
Copyright © for each picture remains with the original artist, who is duly acknowledged and credited for each image.