The wood anemone through dead oak leaves
And in the thickest woods now blooms anew…
And weeping flowers in thousands pearled in dew…
White, yellow and purple-hued the wide wood through…
How beautiful through April time and May
The woods look, filled with wild anemone…
John Clare 1820
Also called the ‘Windflower’, it’s an early spring flower that won’t be seen in the Nature reserve, but is starting to appear along the ‘muddy path’ that leads up to Westward Road from the end of Frome Gardens.
100 rhizomes were planted by the Stroud Valleys Project Tuesday Group last autumn. Some have appeared and hopefully the flowering will continue until May, but as they are slow growing it may be a few years before they carpet the bottom bank ‘in thousands’. While often found in old deciduous woods, all being well they will thrive under the sycamores and new hedging.
Further information and images
Wood anemone plant scavenger hunt
