Buttercups – numerous yellow wildflowers

Ranunculus includes various quite superficially similar species, which flower in late spring to summer with five yellow petals. The two pics below show the wildflowers in short grass in open spaces.

rainy buttercups seaford — Rainy buttercups – Ranunculus – Seaford – July 2015

buttercups in grass — Buttercups – Ranunculus – Seaford Head

Bulbous buttercup

Locally in Seaford we have bulbous buttercup, Ranunculus bulbosus, which likes chalk and can be identified by its reflexed sepals.

bulbous buttercup seaford — Bulbous buttercup – Ranunculus bulbosus – Alfriston Rd Seaford – Mar 2019

Ranunculus repens – garden weed

Creeping buttercup can be differentiated from bulbous buttercup by its creeping nature, leaves and sepals, although the flower itself is much the same.

Creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens sepals — Sepals not reflexed – Creeping buttercup – Ranunculus repens – Woodland on the Crab and Winkle Way Kent – Jun 2019

Creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens leaves — Creeping buttercup – Ranunculus repens – leaves hairy and less deeply lobed than bulbous buttercup – Woodland on the Crab and Winkle Way Kent – Jun 2019

Ranunculus also includes Spearworts which I will write about separately – I saw Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula at Clowes Wood near Whitstable.

Blog posts mentioning Buttercups – Ranunculus species are tagged Buttercup

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