Wild Strawberry
If you spot miniature, juicy red strawberries on the grassy banks of limestone and chalk downlands, open woodland, scrubland and railway cuttings, the chances are you are looking at a Wild Strawberry plant. Not actually the ancestor of commercial strawberries, the Wild Strawberry does have an excellent flavour. With long, rooting runners, it spreads quickly and low to the ground; its white flowers appear from April to July and the tasty fruits follow.
Gathering wild food can be a satisfying experience and provides a chance to learn about our native plants. However, if you do fancy giving it a go, remember that it is an offence to totally uproot a wild plant and please just take what you need, leaving some for the wild creatures, too. Don't eat anything you can't identify, either - it could make you very ill. To find out more about wild plants, both edible and not, why not come along to a Wildlife Trust event? From fungi forays to woodland walks, there's plenty of variety for everyone and lots of opportunities to learn more about the natural world and your local patch.
Water Avens
Water Avens is a locally common plant that inhabits damp places such as riversides, wet woodlands and damp meadows. A close relative of the Wood Avens, its nodding, bell-shaped flowers are multi-coloured and, perhaps, a shade prettier. They appear from May to September and are followed by feathery seed heads.
Human activity, including the drainage of land for agriculture and development, has resulted in the disappearance of many of the UK's wetlands. The Wildlife Trusts are working closely with planners, developers and farmers to ensure our wetlands are protected. You can help too: add native plants and flowers like Water Avens to the edge of a wildlife-friendly pond and provide nectar for insects and shelter for amphibians. In partnership with the RHS, The Wildlife Trusts' Wild About Gardens initiative can help you plan your wildlife garden.
Wood Avens
A common plant of hedgerows and woodlands, Wood Avens is also known as 'Herb Bennet'. Small, quickly drooping, yellow flowers appear on slender stems from May to August and are a good source of nectar. Wood Avens is also a foodplant of the caterpillars of the Grizzled Skipper Butterfly.
The Wildlife Trusts manage many woodland nature reserves sympathetically for a range of flowers, from drooping Wood Avens to fragrant Ramsons, showy Bluebells to delicate Wood Anemones. A mix of coppicing, scrub-cutting and ride maintenance open up the woodland floor to the sun, helping many flowers and plants to thrive. You can help too: volunteer for your local Wildlife Trust and you could be involved in everything from traditional forest crafts to raising awareness about woodland wildlife.
Bramble
The Bramble or, as many of us know it, 'Blackberry', is a thorny, fruiting shrub of the rose family, famous for its berries which are relished by people and animals alike. It grows well in a variety of habitats including woodlands, hedgerows, gardens and scrubland, cliffs, roadside verges and waste ground. Its dense bushes provide valuable protection for nesting birds and good habitat for a range of other small animals. White or pinkish flowers appear between May and September and juicy black fruits are visible throughout the autumn.
Our common plants provide vital food and shelter for all kinds of wildlife: for example, Brambles are an important source of nectar for Brimstone and Speckled Wood Butterflies, fruits for Song Thrushes and Yellowhammers, and hiding places for Hedgehogs and Dormice. Try planting native flowers and shrubs to encourage nesting birds, feeding mammals and invertebrates into your backyard. To find out more about wildlife-friendly gardening, visit our Wild About Gardens website: a joint initiative with the RHS, there's plenty of facts and tips to get you started.
Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet is a member of the rose family that favours wet habitats such as ditches, damp meadows and riverbanks. Its leaves are sometimes covered with a bright orange rust fungus. Meadowsweet flowers from June to September, its sprays of tiny creamy-white flowers standing atop tall stems.
Human activity, including the drainage of land for agriculture and development, has resulted in the disappearance of many of the UK's wetlands. The Wildlife Trusts are working closely with planners, developers and farmers to ensure our wetlands are protected. You can help too: add native plants and flowers to a wildlife-friendly pond and provide shelter for frogs and nectar for insects. In partnership with the RHS, The Wildlife Trusts' Wild About Gardens initiative can help you plan your wildlife garden.
Meadow Vetchling
Meadow Vetchling is a member of the pea and clover family (legumes) which can be found scrambling and climbing through grassy areas including rough grassland, roadside verges and waste ground. Groups of four to twelve yellow flowers appear between May and August attracting bees and wasps.
Although they sometimes don't look especially wildlife-friendly, our roadside verges and waste grounds can provide valuable habitats for all kinds of plants and animals. The Wildlife Trusts get involved in different projects to help make these places as beneficial for wildlife as possible. We have a vision of a 'Living Landscape': a network of habitats and wildlife corridors across town and country, which are good for both wildlife and people. You can support this greener vision for the future by joining your local Wildlife Trust.
Common Vetch
A member of the pea family (legumes), Common Vetch is able to make its own nitrates, a special nutrient essential for healthy plant growth. This makes it useful as a soil-fertilising plant and is often also used as livestock fodder. It grows well in grassland, farmland, waste ground and roadside verges, as well as coastal habitats, such as sand dunes. Groups of one or two pink flowers appear between May and September.
Our common plants provide vital food and shelter for all kinds of wildlife from butterflies to birds. But habitat loss and fragmentation caused by development and agricultural intensification threaten the future of our countryside and the plants and animals that depend upon it. The Wildlife Trusts are working closely with farmers, landowners and developers to promote wildlife-friendly practices. We have a vision of a 'Living Landscape': a network of habitats and wildlife corridors across town and country, which are good for both wildlife and people. You can support this greener vision for the future by joining your local Wildlife Trust.
Bush Vetch
Bush Vetch is a member of the pea and clover family (legumes) which can be found scrambling through many different habitats including woodland edges, rough grassland, roadside verges and scrubland. Small groups of two to six pale lilac-blue flowers appear between April and November attracting bumblebees and Honey Bees. Weevils, beetles and caterpillars also feed on Bush Vetch.
Our common plants provide vital food and shelter for all kinds of wildlife from butterflies to birds. But habitat loss and fragmentation caused by development and agricultural intensification threaten the future of our countryside and the plants and animals that depend upon it. The Wildlife Trusts are working closely with farmers, landowners and developers to promote wildlife-friendly practices. We have a vision of a 'Living Landscape': a network of habitats and wildlife corridors across town and country, which are good for both wildlife and people. You can support this greener vision for the future by joining your local Wildlife Trust.
Tufted Vetch
Tufted Vetch, also known as 'Cow Vetch' or 'Bird Vetch', is a member of the pea and clover family (legumes). It lives happily in many different habitats including woodland edges, scrubland, coastal margins and grassland, and can be seen climbing over hedges and banks. The spikes of bluish-violet flowers appear between June and August.
Our common plants provide vital food and shelter for all kinds of wildlife from butterflies to birds. But habitat loss and fragmentation caused by development and agricultural intensification threaten the future of our countryside and the plants and animals that depend upon it. The Wildlife Trusts are working closely with farmers, landowners and developers to promote wildlife-friendly practices. We have a vision of a 'Living Landscape': a network of habitats and wildlife corridors across town and country, which are good for both wildlife and people. You can support this greener vision for the future by joining your local Wildlife Trust.
Tall Melilot
Tall Melilot is an introduced species in the UK, originating from Europe and commonly used as a fodder crop alongside its relatives White Melilot and Ribbed Melilot. It has now naturalised and can be found along field edges and roadside verges, and on waste ground and disturbed soils. It is a straggling plant that flowers from June to August.
Tall Melilot is an introduced species that has become widespread and naturalised in the UK without too much cause for concern. However, the effects of introduced species are not always as benign. The Wildlife Trusts work with researchers, scientists and other conservationists to monitor changes in our native wildlife to determine the effects of environmental change, such as the introduction of new species or climate change. You can help: volunteer for your local Trust and you'll be able to monitor populations and survey habitats, adding to a growing bank of data.
