I recently visited a large Dublin garden centre and checked their stock. I didn’t see a single native flower for sale, but there were a few native flowering trees, such as native oak, imported from the EU.
Native flowers and trees sourced from wild Irish seed are far better for native wildlife than non-indigenous plants, some of which damage habitats.
Here are some spring-flowering natives you should look out for now, and use for your wildlife planting in school grounds, work grounds, community green spaces, gardens, parks and any land you have under your control.
Early Dog-violet Viola reichenbachiana. This likes dry, calcareous conditions such as on hedge banks and drier areas in woods. It feeds the caterpillars of our three woodland fritillary butterflies.Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana also feeds our woodland fritillaries, is less fussy about soil chemistry and occurs throughout Ireland, in woods, hedges and unfertilised open grassland.Colts-foot Tussilago farfara likes rough ground on unfertilised soils. It is an early nectar source for early-flying insects.Hands up those who love the Dandelion Taraxacum agg. Everyone’s hand should be up. Ask this Brimstone butterfly if he likes to see this gorgeous mini sunflower sprayed with nasty chemicals. This is a great nectar source and probably the most important food source for butterflies, bees and flies in March and April.Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa is an indicator of ancient woodland. It is at its best in April and May, and its foliage provides lovely ground cover.Primrose Primula vulgaris is used by early insects for nectar. It loves a shady spot, so it’s a great plant for those places the sun rarely reaches. Prolong flowering by cutting the withered flowers below the receptacle (i.e., the stalk below the swollen flower base).Cowslip Primula veris likes open grassland. It is less used by insects but still a lovely addition to the spring meadow.Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna grows in profusion in damp, shaded soils to deliver a golden sheet of much-needed colour after a drab winter. Holly Blue and other butterflies take their nectar.Marsh Marigold or Kingcup Caltha palustris is another golden delight, but look in marshy places for this beauty. A perfect plant for your pond margin or marsh.Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea is just appearing now. It decorates dry, non-acid soils on hedgebanks with its bridal-white petals.Common Blackthorn Prunus spinosa flowers appear before the leaves. These blooms are enjoyed by many spring-flying insects.
This April, we are seeing our native resident butterflies take to the air to feed and breed. They are being joined by other insects, including two migrants, the Red Admiral and Painted Lady. Here are recently taken photographs of species flying in early April.
The Small Tortoiseshell will cheer anyone up. This one hibernated in my house, and on release, went straight to an accommodating Dandelion for its first meal of 2026.This Red Admiral is basking on young nettles. Egg-laying is already underway for this recently arrived migrant.The Peacock is never at its summer best in spring, but still has the beauty that draws notice. Please take note of the flower it feeds on!A male Comma basking on Cow Parsley. He has established his territory along a wooded lane.Ashley Dowling sent in this excellent photograph of a Painted Lady. We don’t often receive a large influx of this migrant early in April, but this year we are receiving reports from several counties, especially Kilkenny, Kildare and Dublin. Keep a sharp eye out for it and send us your records. See https://butterflyconservation.ie/wp/records/Let’s not forget butterflies still in the larval stage. These Marsh Fritillary caterpillars have reached their fifth instar. A further moult will occur before the final larval growth stage, which precedes the pupal stage.The Hebrew Character is our most abundant spring flying moth. It is strictly nocturnal, and feeds on willow flowers.Drone flies are extremely common in early spring, having overwintered as adult flies. Sheltered, sunlit places will have plenty.The Seven-spot Ladybird is another characteristic sight in our spring. Colourful and friendly-looking, this beetle is the gardener’s friend, devouring aphids and greenflies in its larval and adult states.While much less conspicuous, the Ten-spot Ladybird can also be found in gardens, having woken after a long winter.
Spraying land with chemicals means most of the plants and animals featured above will be killed. There is a dreadful habit of spraying vegetation in spring. Don’t do it. It is anti-social, unhealthy and destructive. The alternative is to enjoy nature. Cut and mow if you must control vegetation.
All images copyright J. Harding except Painted Lady copyright Ashley Dowling.
