wood anemone

Anemone nemorosa

• One of the earliest and prettiest of all woodland flowers
   
• It is a perennial
   
• Leaves spring from the base
   
• Sometimes forms a carpet in woods
   
• Flowers are usually white, but sometimes pinkish.
   

Where found

Woods, hedgerows and upland meadows.
 

When to look for

• Flowers in March-May
  

Did you know?

• The scent of wood anemones is not as attractive as their appearance - they are also known as 'smell fox' because of the musky aroma of their leaves.
  
  
• Most of the year the plant is hidden from view. It has no foliage, and looks just like a lumpy root (known as a 'rhizome') in the soil. Then at the end of February it bursts into life, sending up deeply lobed leaves, and flowering until May.
  
  
• The Ancient Greeks believed the wood anemone was a gift from the wind god Anemos (or Eurus), sent to herald his coming in spring.