Spring Flowers
It's always exciting to look for the first of the flowers to appear in the Spring as it heralds the start of the warmer weather. Many of the earliest flowers will be in hedgerows or woodland as they need to flower while the sunlight can still reach them. Once the trees have their leaves there will be fewer woodland flowers.
Primrose
![Primrose](400/primrose.jpg)
One of the first flowers to appear in the spring, the Primrose is one of our best known wild flowers.
Colt's-foot
![Colt's-foot](400/coltsfoot.jpg)
The bright yellow flowers of this creeping perennial can appear as early as February, often before the heart-shaped leaves.
Wood Anemone
![Wood Anemone](400/wood-anemone.jpg)
A woodland plant that often carpets the ground with its white flowers in early spring.
Lesser Celandine
![Lesser Celandine](400/celandine-lesser.jpg)
Another early spring flower that is often found in open woodland and along hedgerows.
Bluebell
![Bluebell](400/bluebell.jpg)
Bluebells also provide a carpet of woodland colour, often following on from the Wood Anemone.
Dog-violet
![Dog-violet](400/dog-violet.jpg)
Common Dog-violet can be found on grassland or along woodland rides. You may also fing the less common but very similar Early Dog-violet.
Ground Ivy
![Ground Ivy](400/ground-ivy.jpg)
This creeping plant can be found almost anywhere and is very common.
Lords and Ladies
![Lords and Ladies](400/lords-and-ladies.jpg)
Often found in woods and hedges in April and May. The fruit, which develop later, form a cluster of bright red berries.
Ramsons
![Ramsons](400/ramsons.jpg)
This plant, which smells strongly of garlic, grows well in damp woodland.
Forget-me-not
![Forget-me-not](400/forget-me-not.jpg)
Several species of this grow wild and it is often found along the footpaths around the town.
Green Alkanet
![Green Alkanet](400/green-alkanet.jpg)
Sometimes found along paths or in shady hedgerows, it has larger flowers than most Forget-me-nots and is generally more bristly.
Herb-Robert
![Herb-Robert](400/herb-robert.jpg)
A very common plant of woodland and hedgerows which is also common along urban footpaths.
Garlic Mustard
![Garlic Mustard](400/garlic-mustard.jpg)
Frequently found in hedgerows and roadside verges, the leaves of this plant smell of garlic when crushed.
Three-cornered Leek
![Three-cornered Leek](400/three-cornered-leek.jpg)
An invasive plant which is very common along footpaths and in some of our woods. Has triangular stems and smells of garlic when bruised.
Greater Stitchwort
![Greater Stitchwort](400/greater-stitchwort.jpg)
Very common in open woodlands, this flower with 5 notched petals is also found along some urban footpaths.
Selfheal
![Selfheal](400/selfheal.jpg)
A creeping perennial that sometimes forms large patches of ground cover.