A Golden Spring Walk on the Smith College Campus

Smith College Lawn 3-27-12

My walk across the sunny Smith College Campus yesterday was a golden spring garden.

Who can identify this flower growing in the lawn?
'February Gold' narcissus
Magnolia at Lyman Plant House
Forsythia
Magnolia buds
Corylopsis glabrescens - Winter hazel
Dandelion - even at Smith College

For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.

 

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  2. Smith College Spring Bulb Show
  3. Smith College Bulb Show a la Giverny
  4. In the Pink at the Lyman Plant House, Smith College
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This Post Has 19 Comments

  1. Donna B. 03/28/2012

    @ the plant identification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus_repens
    It’s a VERY invasive member of the Ranunculus family. Very pretty, but very evil at the same time… [a dense groundcover for a shady area may seem like a good thing, but beware!]
    Oh, that plant house… it looks so lovely w/ the magnolia! ♥

  2. Lea 03/28/2012

    Thanks for the college tour! Beautiful flowers! Even the dandelion has pretty flowers and interestingly shaped leaves. My favorite is the magnolia buds and blooms against the deep blue sky!
    Happy Wednesday!
    Lea
    Lea’s Menagerie

  4. Pat 03/28/2012

    Donna – thank you so much for the plant ID. I will beware – and your comment will be a warning to others.
    Lea – It was a beautiful day – if chilly. today we had hail! Briefly.
    Ericka – The magnolias are just lovely.

  5. Pat 03/28/2012

    Donna – I just looked at the wiki link – and I think we don’t have the ID yet. The leaves are quite different.

  6. Island Threads 03/28/2012

    I think the little yellow plant is Celandine over here in the UK it’s a native not sure if it is where you are, here’s a link to lesser Celandine
    http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=187

    just followed the link Donna gave and no it’s not creeping buttercup another British native,

    some beautiful flowers looks like it was a lovely walk, Frances

  7. Pat 03/28/2012

    Frances – I think you are correct. Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus ficaria it is. I’ve counted petals, and the foliage is just the same. Thanks for visiting and answering my question.

  9. Sara 03/28/2012

    Yes, the little yellow flower is Lesser Celadine also known as fig buttercup. VERY invasive.

  10. Sally Conant 03/29/2012

    Is the ground cover a marsh marigold? This is in the buttercup family.

  12. Pat 03/29/2012

    sally – I have marsh marigold growing at the edge of a stream. It really needs that wet, and it is a bigger plant. Equally bright and beautiful.

  13. Donna B. 03/29/2012

    Then a friend of mine gave ME the wrong ID! hahah!
    She has this growing in the shade of a large area of Beach Plum. I asked what it was, because it was so pretty but blooming in the shade! She said it was a creeping buttercup! I apologize for the improper ID – but now I can go to her with the right answer! hehee!
    This is why I love plant communities. ♥

  14. Layanee 03/29/2012

    PAT: Someday, I will meet you there for a tour.

  15. Island Threads 03/29/2012

    Pat glad to help, it’s a wild flower I like but does spread, I have a double celandine under some pines and it is very well behaved and plays nicely with the other plants,
    Donna B in the shade of a large tree or woodland edge is where celandine is happiest so your friend has the perfect place for it, in the right place it makes a lovely ground cover,
    Frances

  16. Pat 03/29/2012

    Donna B. I looked up ‘creeping buttercup’ which is VERY similar but the leaves are more cut and the blossom only has five petals, not eight. Both are ranunculus, have similar growth habits and both are invasive. It is great to have so much help with this ID.

  17. Island Threads 03/30/2012

    hello Pat and Donna B, I have creeping buttercup in my garden and I treat it as a weed in most areas because if I don’t it will take over, the leaves of these 2 plants are very different, not only is buttercup cutleaf but it is flat where as celandine is glossy it was the shine on the leaves in your photo that first told me it was probably celandine also celandine flowers in spring buttercup flowers in summer and autumn, there is another plant with similar habits and a buttercup like flower call here Silverweed it has lovely fern like silvery leaves,
    I’ll shut up on the subject now 🙂 Frances

  18. Tyler Armstrong 04/20/2018

    Definitely Lesser Celandine, aka Fig Buttercup (Ficaria verna).

  19. Pat 04/23/2018

    Tyler – Thanks for identifying that groundcovering, lawncovering Lesser Celandine. It seems there are a few celandines. So much to learn.

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