- Wildlife
- Wildflowers
- Wood Avens
northeastwildlife.co.uk
About
A common plant of hedgerows and woodlands, Wood Avens is also known as 'Herb Bennet'. Small, quickly drooping, yellow flowers appear on slender stems from May to August and are a good source of nectar. Wood Avens is also a foodplant of the caterpillars of the Grizzled Skipper Butterfly.
How to identify
Wood Avens is a hairy plant with downy, three-lobed leaves and yellow flowers with five petals. The flowers appear in loose clusters and are replaced by spiky seed heads with red hooks that can easily get picked up by passing animals.
Where to find it
Widespread.
Habitats
When to find it
- May
- June
- July
- August
How can people help
The Wildlife Trusts manage many woodland nature reserves sympathetically for a range of flowers, from drooping Wood Avens to fragrant Ramsons, showy Bluebells to delicate Wood Anemones. A mix of coppicing, scrub-cutting and ride maintenance open up the woodland floor to the sun, helping many flowers and plants to thrive. You can help too: volunteer for your local Wildlife Trust and you could be involved in everything from traditional forest crafts to raising awareness about woodland wildlife.