Bindweed – Convolvulus, Morning Glory (Convolvulus)

Flowers: July-September. Trumpet-shaped (deeper and larger than hedge bindweed), mostly white or pink.

Leaves: pale matt green, simple, pointed at the tip and arrowhead shaped. (Larger than those of hedge Bindweed.)

Height: 0.3–3 m

Blackberry/Bramble

Flowers: White/pink on a tangled prickly shrub with thorny stems.

Leaves: trifoliate.

Height: long, arching canes which flower and set fruit in the second year of growth.

Fruit can be harvested in lates summer and early autumn.

Bluebell – Spanish (Hyacinthoides hispanica)

Flowers: range in colour from pale to mid blue, or white or pink, and have deep blue pollen.

Not to be encouraged as it will gradually take over from our native species.

Bluebell – Hybrid

This white bluebell also occurs on Cock Road Ridge. It has the English Bluebell characteristics of a ‘nodding’ raceme of flowers bent over at the tip but the flowers occur all around the stem. The pollen is white.

Common Cleaver (Galium aparine)

Flowers: Spring to summer. White to greenish star-shaped and tiny in groups of 2 or 3.

Leaves: Simple, narrowly oblanceolate to linear, borne in whorls of six to eight from which flower stems emerge. These also have small hooked hairs.

Length: Up to 91 cm or longer. The angular or square shaped stems have small hooked hairs which attach or cleave allowing the plant to scramble over other plants.

Cow Parsley/Queen Anne's lace (Anthriscus sylvestris)

Flowers: Mid-spring to early summer. Umbels of small white flowers branching from stem.

Leaves: Tripinnate. 15–30 cm long with a triangular form.

Height: 60–170 cm.

Daisy (Bellis perennis)

Flowers: Composite flowers consisting of white ray florets (often tipped red) and yellow disc florets. (Each petal is a flower.)

Leaves: Small rounded or spoon-shaped rosettes of leaves that are from approximately 2–5 cm long and grow flat to the ground.

Height: 2–10 cm long stems.

Dame’s Violet/Dame’s Rocket/Damask violet/Dames-wort/Dame’s Gilliflower/Night-scented Gilliflower/Queen’s Gilliflower/Rogue’s Gilliflower, Summer Lilac/Sweet Rocket/Mother-of-the-evening/Winter Gilliflower (Hesperis Matronalis)

Flowers: May-August, fragrant, white on Cock Road Ridge but most commonly lavender and purple.

Leaves: rough, lanceolate, toothed, up to 12 cm long and over 4 cm wide.

Height: Up to 1 m.

Fairy Flax (Linum Catharticum)

Flowers: June-September, white with 5 petals.

Leaves: Undivided in opposite pairs on the stem.

Height: 30 cm

Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)

Flowers: June-October, pinkish or white, 5 petals. Arranged in large umbels of up to 20 cm diameter with 15 to 30 rays.

Leaves: 50 cm long, pinnate, hairy, serrated, divided into 3-5 lobed segments.

Height: 50–120 cm, max 2 m, striated, hollow stem with bristly hairs.

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)

Flowers: May-June. Branched cluster of small white, 4-petalled flowers.

Leaves: Simple or pinnately lobed.

Height: Up to 1.5 m.

Nettle - White Dead-Nettle/Bee Nettle (Lamium album)

Flowers: March-December, white, 1.5-2.5 cm long, produced in whorls on the upper part of the stem.

Leaves: 3-8 cm long and 2-5 cm broad, triangular with a rounded base, softly hairy, serrated margin. Similar to those of the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) but do not sting.

Height: 50-100 cm with four-angled stems.

Bees, especially bumble bees and mason bees, are attracted to the flowers which are a good source of early nectar and pollen.

Pignut (Conopodium majus)

Flowers: May-June. White flowerhead with total diameter of c 3-7 cm, with individual flowers about 3 mm across. Similar to dill.

Leaves: Similar to parsley.

Height: 30.5 – 45.72 cm.

Snowdrop (Galanthus)

Flowers: White in early spring.

Leaves: Linear

Height: 7–15 cm

Wood Violet (Viola sororia)

Flowers: April-June, range from dark violet to white.

Leaves: Heart-shaped.

Height: 9-14 cm.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Flowers: May-June. 4 to 9 bracts or modified leaves contain white to pink 3 to 8 ray flowers and 15 to 40 disk flowers in a flat-topped cluster.

Leaves: 5–20 cm long, bipinnate or tripinnate, almost feathery, arranged spirally on the stems.

Height: 0.2 to 1 m.