A relative of the buttercup, the lesser celandine has a similar cheerful yellow flower. It brightens up dark and damp places between February and April, including ditches, hedgerows, river banks and woodland paths, as well as gardens and meadows. Topping long stalks, the leaves are shiny, dark green and heart-shaped. The glossy yellow flowers have eight to 12 petals. Being one of the first plants to flower after winter, they’re an important source of nectar for pollinators as they wake up after hibernation, such as queen bumblebees. In C. S. Lewis’s novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, he writes how Narnia’s woods burst into spring when Aslan the lion returns, and he describes celandines.…
