Step into London’s enchanted woodlands this April, where nature stages its most delicate performances. Bluebells begin their silent symphony, while lords-and-ladies trap unsuspecting insects in their strange, warm embrace. Discover wood sorrel—nicknamed ‘Alleluia’ for its Easter blooms—whose leaves fold like praying hands in sunlight.
Forage for garlic mustard’s peppery leaves or spot the golden saxifrage, a jewel of shaded springs. And keep an eye out for early purple orchids—rare, regal, and fleeting.
Return on 24 April to explore the secret lives of these woodland wonders—where magic, myth, and botany intertwine.
Article
Deciduous woodland is probably the best place to enjoy wild flowers this month. Celandine, violets, anemones, ground ivy and dog’s mercury are all now at their best. Also, there are the first sightings of such beauties as bluebells Endymion non-scriptus, yellow archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon, bugle Ajuga reptans, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella and, with luck, an early purple orchid. Wood sorrel is an exceptionally delicate woodland flower, coming into bloom around Easter - it consequently was called ‘Alleluia’. Its small, sensitive leaves go to ‘sleep’ quickly if they see the sun, only in full shade do they open totally. Normally, they are wholly or partly folded along their midribs. It has an equally attractive yellow-flowered relation O. exilis which is usually found as a dwarf form on garden paths and because of the similar behaviour of its leaves is called sleeping beauty.
By the end of the month, the spathes of wild arum Arum maculatum are a common sight. The flower, which is strangely warm to the touch, is one of the most unusual in our flora. Insects get imprisoned inside the flower until they are showered with pollen; they are then released to pollinate others. The plant has dozens of other English names e.g. jack in the pulpit, adder’s tongue, bloody man’s finger and, more commonly, lords and ladies. The ‘lords’ are the purple unfurled flowers and the ‘ladies’ the white opened ones. Their tubers were once made into a kind of flour called Portland sago which was sent in quantity to London from the Isle of Portland and used as a substitute for arrowroot.
At the edges of woods and in hedgerows, garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata can now be seen. Its garlic tasting leaves can be collected for salads as they have not yet become hairy and unpalatable. Similarly, nettles are still young enough to make a good soup. In shady spots on Wimbledon Common and, less romantically, Hampton Wick station, the edible aniseed scented sweet cicely Myrrhis odorata can sometimes be found.
This is a herb used to flavour and decorate desserts. A good population of wild garlic, or ramsons Allium ursinum can be found in Dulwich woods. Two other close relations, the three-cornered leek A. triquetrum and the peculiar looking few-flowered leek A. paradoxum are commonly noticed in gardens and occasionally escape into the wild. A. paradoxicum produces one half-hearted flower among a cluster of bulbils, but quickly reproduces to become a garden pest. Herb bennet Geum urbanum is also coming into flower now along some woodland paths. Its name means ‘blessed herb’ as its flowers were believed to be especially abhorrent to the devil, which explains why it is sometimes seen sculpted in church decorations.
One last April flower that is rarely seen is the golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium. It is a member of botanical royalty, being a saxifrage. The first saxifrage we see is usually the rue-leaved saxifrage Saxifraga tridactylites on old walls. It is small but stands erect with tiny flowers and bright red leaves. The golden saxifrage could not be more different. It will only grow in permanently wet, shady places and so is found in areas of seepage due to springs in shady woods. Fortunately, this is one of the habitats London’s developers have the least interest in. It has tiny flowers and no petals yet is always noticed due to its large greenish-gold sepals which cover the wet ground. It can still be found in hidden areas of woods along the North Kent border.
