Early spring flowers along the river

This week's blog is by written and photographed by RWF member John Tickner (all images are copyright to him).
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​You will probably have seen the Snowdrops along the riverbank already. They are the first harbingers of spring, starting in February and over by the end of March.  

Lesser celandine.

​Not dissimilar to lesser celandine but more substantial, is the marsh marigold. With brilliant golden flowers as much as 2 in. across, and bright green glossy leaves, they can be found lighting up damp woods from March right through to summer. It can stand even wetter ground and is often found in the margins of standing water.

Snowdrops on the riverbank.

​The lesser celandine is particularly abundant at the moment and is one of the earliest wild flowers to appear, it is happy in almost any damp, shady place. Where conditions are just right it will form a splendid carpet.



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Marsh Marigolds.

 ​The daffodil, today one of the most familiar of garden and roadside verge plants, was once as common in the wild. However, many that we see nowadays are either planted or escaped garden varieties. The wild daffodil has narrow, grey-green leaves and a familiar daffodil flower, but with pale yellow petals surrounding a darker yellow trumpet; this two-tone look is a starter to tell them apart from their garden relatives. The wild daffodil is also relatively short and forms clumps, carpeting the ground.
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Daffodils by the beck.

​Another flower carpeting suitable woodlands at this time of year is the wood anemone. On dull days it will show its disappointment by drooping its head, but when the sun shines it will open its face to the heavens in celebration. So although woodland plants, they want more sunlight than can penetrate thick and overgrown places, and only flower profusely in deciduous woods and coppices.

Wood Anemone.

Butterbur.

​One of the most extensive plants along our river, and one of the most unusual, is the butterbur. Widespread over damp ground by streams, it is the flowers that are pushing through the ground now, the leaves will only fully develop after the flower has died. The leaves can grow to almost 36 in. across, and according to tradition, they were once used for wrapping butter - which is how it got its English name.

​From one extreme to the other, it is only too easy to pass the tiny common wall cress without noticing. It’s the lichens and mosses that colonise a wall first, they then trap particles of dirt that allow slightly larger plants to get a foothold and move in with them.

Common Wall Cress.

​Not strictly riverside, this coltsfoot, a member of the daisy family, was spotted along Postman’s Walk in Keighley by RWF volunteers litter picking the banks and paths around North Beck. It can survive in the bleakest of situations, and will burst forth in early spring with an explosion of yellow blooms. As with the butterbur, the leaves will only develop after the flowers have died.
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Coltsfoot.

​My final offering is the ever popular primrose. A familiar spring plant of woods, hedge banks and grassy places, it is sadly less abundant than it used to be possibly as a result of over-picking.
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​Which leads me to an appeal to please enjoy our wild flowers where they are, please leave them both for others to enjoy and to give them a chance to multiply and thrive. If you spot any unusual flowers while walking our river, or indeed see a particularly special show put on by one of the more common varieties, RWF would be pleased to hear from you as we try to grow our knowledge of our river and wildlife.

Primrose.