Again from my walk last Friday, parts of Clifton Ings in York are now covered with a carpet of buttercups, with a few dandelion seed heads and stalks where the seeds have already been dispersed by the wind. Buttercups are another cheerful flower of Spring.
Buttercups are a large genus of flowering plants called Ranunculus. They have yellow, shiny petals, and grow wild in many places. They are poisonous to eat for humans and cattle, but when dry the poison is not active.
There are thought to be around five hundred species in this genus. The familiar and widespread buttercup throughout Northern Europe (and introduced elsewhere) is the creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens, which has extremely tough and tenacious roots.
Thank you all for your lovely comments, they are very much appreciated.
It is fascinating to see the sequence of different flowers that grow as spring progresses on it's way towards summer.
Ian