What's Growing in Your Meadow? Learn to Recognise Wildflowers by their Leaves

One of the most common questions we hear is "How can I tell which wildflowers are coming up?"

Before the flowers appear, many wildflowers spend weeks or even months developing roots and foliage. At this stage, it can be difficult to tell one species from another, especially when everything looks green.

Fortunately, many wildflowers have distinctive leaves that make them surprisingly easy to identify. Here are ten common species to look out for in your meadow or garden this season.

Cornflower | Centaurea cyanus (Annual)

Look for: Narrow grey-green leaves with a soft, slightly silvery appearance. Young plants have alternate leaves and a smoother texture than the similar-looking corncockle.

Corncockle | Agrostemma githago (Annual)

Look for: Narrow grey-green leaves with a silvery appearance. Young plants have opposite leaves growing in pairs and are noticeably hairier and softer to tough than cornflower.

Corn Poppy | Papaver rhoeas (Annual)

Look for: Soft, hairy leaves that are deeply divided into lobes, forming a low rosette with a slightly untidy appearance.

Oxeye Daisy | Leucanthemum vulgare (Perennial)

Look for: Dark green spoon-shaped leaves with toothed edges, forming a dense rosette close to the ground.

Lesser Knapweed | Centaurea nigra (Perennial)

Look for: Rough, slightly hairy leaves with, as they mature, wavy or toothed edges, forming a sturdy basal rosette.

Wild Foxglove | Digitalis purpurea (Biennial)

Look for: Large, soft, downy leaves with a distinctive wrinkled texture, forming a broad rosette in the first year.

Cow Parsley | Anthriscus sylvestris (Perennial)

Look for: Bright green, finely divided fern-like leaves with a delicate, feathery appearance.

Salad Burnet | Sanguisorba minor (Perennial)

Look for: Neat rows of small oval leaflets with serrated edges, giving the foliage a tidy, fern-like appearance.

Yarrow | Achillea millefolium (Perennial)

Look for: Very finely divided, narrow leaves that create a soft, feathery, lace-like appearance.

Bird's-Foot Trefoil | Lotus corniculatus (Perennial)

Look for: Clusters of five leaflets, with three larger leaflets at the tip and two smaller ones at the base of each leaf.

Ready to put your identification skills to the test? Browse the photos above and see how many of these 10 common wildflower species you can spot in your meadow or garden. Looking closely at the leaves now will help you recognise your wildflowers long before they come into bloom.