Seasonal Wild Flowers

January

Gorse, Freeman's wood, Lancaster

January is the quietest month for wild flowers in England.

Gorse, shown above, is the most striking and colourful native plant

flowering at this time of the year.

I have divided flowers found in January into the following categories:

Daffodil, Dutch Crocus, Green Hellebore, Hazel, Lesser Celandine,

Snowdrop, Stinking Hellebore, Winter Aconite, Winter Jasmine,

Winter Honeysuckle and Winter Heliotrope.

Adria Bellflower, Aubretia, Cape-pondweed, Common Chickweed, Common Field

Speedwell, Daisy, Dandelion, Elephant-ears, Gorse, Greater Periwinkle,

Greater Periwinkle var oxyloba, Groundsel, Hairy Bittercress, Intermediate

Periwinkle, Lesser Periwinkle, Mexican Fleabane, Red Dead-nettle,

Shepherd's Purse, Shrubby Scorpion-vetch, Trailing Bellflower, Virginia

Stock and White Dead-nettle.

This varies widely from year to year, depending on the number

of frosts and the amount of rain,

In recent years I have seen the following at the beginning of January:

Antirrhinum, Autumn Cyclamen, Common Ragwort, Feverfew, Fuschia,

Garden Mallow, Hedge Barberry, Hedge Veronica, Herb Robert,

Hogweed, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Marguerite, Nipplewort, Perennial

Candytuft, Pot Marigold, Red Campion, Red Valerian, Shrub Ragwort,

Sweet Alison, Trailing Snapdragon, Wild Strawberry,Yarrow and

Yellow Corydalis.

I have not included these pages in the January section.

Over the last few years the BSBI has carried out a survey into which

plants are in flower in the wild during the last 3 days of December and

the first day of January.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

224 368 612 492 532 627 615 710 669

2023 2024

477 629

The higher numbers in the 2024 survey are thought to be due to the mild

and damp weather at the end of 2023.

For details and discussion of the 2024 report click on this link.