Woodland WONDERS

Spring has sprung - so what better time to get outside and enjoy nature's flower show!

- LOUISE MIDGLEY

Burgeoning displays of woodland wild flowers are erupting across forest floors and hedgerows in clumps and ribbons of heart-warming hues. Here are just a few native species of wild flowers to spot right now.

COMMON DOG-VIOLET

Viola riviniana

Unlike its cousin the sweet violet, common dog-violet, also known as wood violet, carries no scent, yet is every bit as beautiful in appearance. A widespread, spring-flowering perennial, it is an important larval food plant for woodland butterflies in the fritillary family and sought after by bees and other insects as an early source of pollen and nectar.

Cuckoo flower 

Cardamine pratensis

Rising above damp ground in grassy woodland glades, ditches and meadows from late March onwards, the pale lilac cuckoo flower signals both the welcome return of the cuckoo, after its long migratory journey from warmer climes, and the emergence of the green-veined white and orange tip butterflies. While on the wing, these delicate members of the lepidoptera family feed on cuckoo flowers and lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves. Once the caterpillars emerge, they too feed on the nutritious foliage.