12 rare wild flowers in the UK's woods
Charlotte Varela • 13 May 2025
Woodlands are home to some of the UK's rarest wild flowers. From parasitic plants to alluring orchids, discover 12 rare woodland flowers and what makes them so uncommon.
Woodland wildflowers
From the dazzling bluebells that cover ancient woodland in the spring to the bright meadows bursting with buttercups in the summer, wild flowers are what make our woods so beautiful, while providing precious nectar for invertebrates.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Bilberry
Traditional healer and tea-time favourite. This low-growing shrub has potent medicinal powers harnessed for almost a thousand years, while its blue-black berries make excellent jams, pies and liqueurs.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Bluebell
Enchanting and iconic, bluebells are a favourite with the fairies and a sure sign spring is in full swing. The violet glow of a bluebell wood is an incredible wildflower spectacle.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Bramble
Hardy and determined, the bramble uses powerful roots to grow rapidly in almost any environment. Look out for juicy blackberries in the summer to make the most of this countryside favourite.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Common dog violet
A charming sanctuary for butterflies, common in UK woodland. Look to the woodland floor for a flush of purple and you might see fritillary butterflies feeding and laying their eggs.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Common gorse
With bright, beaming yellow flowers with the scent of coconut, common gorse is a sight to behold.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Cow parsley
A true roadside stunner, cow parsley is a familiar sight in the UK. It’s a hardy plant which is popular with pollinators and grows just about anywhere.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Cowslip
Simple yet lovely, cowslips are synonymous with spring and Easter. Find them in woods and meadows during springtime.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Deadly nightshade
Attractive, psychoactive, dangerous. Found in scrub and woodland, the deadly nightshade lives up to its name. Though highly poisonous, it feeds woodland animals and even has medicinal properties.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Dog rose
A familiar, scrambling beauty that adorns hedgerows with its pale pink flowers. Dog rose clasps on to other shrubs with curved spines to grow.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Dog’s mercury
A poisonous coloniser of ancient woodland, dog’s mercury is quick to sweep over the wood floor, sometimes outcompeting more delicate ancient woodland species.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Early purple orchid
One of the first orchids to arrive during spring, the early purple orchid is a sight to behold.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Enchanter’s nightshade
Delicate, mystical, persistent. Find enchanter’s nightshade in woods and woodland edges, flowering in summer. Considered a weed in most gardens, this plant is just one part of the complex woodland habitat.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Foxglove
Beautiful but deadly. This familiar flower has the power to cure and kill.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Greater butterfly-orchid
Tall and glowing, the greater butterfly-orchid sways over unimproved grasslands and open woods. Though not so sweet-smelling as its lesser relative, keep a nose out for it in the early evening when it is at its most pungent.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Greater stitchwort
Pretty, star-like and abundant along hedgerows. These plants have an explosive seed-dispersal mechanism. Disturb a large patch of them in summer and they go off like fireworks.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Herb-robert
Pretty, pink and healing, herb-robert flourishes in woodland from spring to late summer. Spot its bright flowers in shady spots in woods and grasslands.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Honeysuckle
Twining, scented woodland stunner. This trumpet-like flower is a paradise for wildlife, with its sweet, heady fragrance calling to nearby species, particularly on warm summer evenings.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Hop
A twining hedgerow climber with a boozy use, hop has been used in the beer-making industry for centuries. Look out for it across the UK.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Ivy
Clingy, luscious, misunderstood. Ivy has long been accused of strangling trees, but it doesn’t harm the tree at all, and even supports at least 50 species of wildlife.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Lesser celandine
Charming and cheerful, the star-shaped flowers of the lesser celandine brighten up the woodland floor. Look out for their friendly yellow flowers on path edges in early spring.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Lily-of-the-valley
Charming, sweetly scented and highly poisonous, lily-of-the-valley is a romantic woodland stunner.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Meadowsweet
Sweet by name, sweet by nature. Meadowsweet might not be to everyone’s taste, but you’re unlikely to mistake the sickly sweet and frothy flower in damp woodland and bubbling out of damp ditches.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Mistletoe
Romantic, parasitic and poisonous, mistletoe loves broadleaf trees and provides an important habitat for woodland wildlife. Its leathery green leaves offer welcome colour among bare winter branches when much else is dormant.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Oxeye daisy
Cheerful, prophetic and mystical, there’s more than meets the eye to the humble oxeye daisy. Look out for them on roadsides and woodland edges.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Oxlip
A rare, charming flower. If you’re in East Anglia, look for them blooming in woodland in the spring.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Primrose
Primroses are a cheerful sign of spring. They are one of the first woodland blooms and an important nectar source for butterflies. Look out for their friendly yellow in woodland clearings.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Red campion
These flashy woodland guardians have strong links to myths and mysticism. They are favourites of plenty of woodland insects – and fairies – and bloom a cheerful pink soon after the bluebell has finished flowering.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Snowdrop
One of the first signs of spring. While not native to these shores, these hardy flowers have become a familiar indicator of the shifting seasons and a sure sign that warmer weather is on its way.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Sweet violet
Romantic and showy, sweet violet grows on woodland edges, its flowers providing nectar for butterflies in early spring.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Traveller's joy
Also known as old man’s beard, this woody member of the buttercup family is often seen scrambling over hedgerows.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Wild garlic
A delicious sign of the old, wild garlic is also known as ramsons. Look for them in shady woods where they coat the woodland floor in spring.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Wild strawberry
Sweet in both flower and in taste, wild strawberries flourish on woodland edges and in hedgerows. Spot them in bloom in spring and in fruit in summer.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Wood anemone
Sun-loving, gentle, a mark of the old. Wood anemone is one of the first spring blooms, arriving to take in the light through the leafless canopy in broadleaf woodland. Look for them in old and ancient woodland that suits their slow growth.
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Trees woods and wildlife
Wood sorrel
These dainty sleeping beauties fold up their leaves and flowers at nightfall. Seek them out in cool, damp corners of ancient woodlands where they thrive in undisturbed soils.
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