I had never seen wild daffodils before this year, at least not knowingly. You often see daffodils growing in the woods but are they actually wild ones or just escapes from gardens. I have a few growing in my bit of Ninewells wood but they are definitely not wild. They were probably put there by a local who lived in one of the cottages near bye, along with some Spanish Bluebells, Forsythia and some Aquilegias. All of which I am gradually removing.
There are some genuine Wild daffodils not far away in woods above Landogo. and according to the Online atlas of British and Irish Flora they are to be found in most areas around Ninewells wood, but unfortunately not in the wood itself. Incidentally I would recommend the Atlas of British and Irish Flora, it is a superb resource and all free. Just visit the site and type in the name of the plant you are interested in and up it all comes, interactive map and all. Great for a nerd on a wet night. The photo below is of daffodils in the Wye valley location.
Gloucestershire is a good place to see Wild daffodils and the famous bit is the so called Gloucester golden triangle which is just off the M 50. These are from the ‘Golden triangle’
What are the characteristics of the Wild daffodil, well they are shorter and prettier than the garden ones, in my view but to be a bit more technical….
The Corona which is the trumpet like part of the flower, has parallel sides and fans out right at the tip.
The leaves are flat and roughly 5 to 15mm wide, and usually 30cm long they have a bluish, grey colouring.
Tepals are the paler outside petals and these are usually the same length as the bright yellow trumpet like part of the flower. Tepals are usually 18 to 40mm long and twisted at the base.
and here are some more photos… because I like them.
The flowers produce seeds, which when germinated, take five to seven years to produce a flowering plant. Unfortunately the purity of the species is threatened by the planting of garden varieties, in the same way as the native bluebell is threatened by people planting the Spanish Bluebell. It would be good if people living near to known populations of wild daffodils tried not to plant daffodils in their gardens. There are lots of other species which they could plant and that flower at that time of year…. just a thought.
Click to see other flowers from the Wye valley woodlands
Ninewells Wood/Catbrook Wood 