Birthday
HydrangeasPrepared with UFL flower delivery. Wildflowers grow in meadows, along forest edges and roadsides with no help from people, which makes them easy to overlook. Below are 47 species you are most likely to meet in Ukraine: what they look like, when they bloom, which are poisonous and which are protected by law. At the end you will find a bloom calendar, tips for a wildflower bouquet and answers to common questions.
Common stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium)
An annual with small, delicate pink to raspberry flowers. It blooms from April to August. The name comes from the long fruit that looks like a stork’s beak. The herb is used in folk medicine.
Common columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris)
Nodding, bell-like flowers in many colours; each petal is a slanted funnel ending in a spur. The petals repel water: drops roll off and wash away dust. There are about 100 species, some 35 of them in cultivation.
Aconite (monkshood, wolfsbane)
Highly poisonous. Grows along roadsides and riverbanks and was once used as an insecticide. One sepal forms a hood that covers the rest of the flower. Flowers are white, blue, yellow or lilac.
Common valerian
Flowers appear in the second year: small, white or pale pink, fragrant, gathered in large clusters. The roots are used in medicine; their strong smell famously attracts cats.
Cornflower
An annual or biennial, from white to violet and burgundy, occasionally yellow. The flower head sits in a scaly cup. Once a common weed of grain fields, it is now grown in gardens too. The florets are funnel-shaped with toothed edges.
Speedwell (Veronica)
Creeping or ascending stems with dense spikes of small blue flowers. Found in forests, clearings and meadows. Heath speedwell has long been used in herbal medicine, and several species are good honey plants.
Maiden pink
Single flowers on long stalks, with red to pink petals and finely toothed edges. Grows in open woods, along roads and in meadows and flowers all summer.
Meadow crane's-bill
A familiar plant with round violet-blue petals. It grows in meadows, damp clearings and along fences, loves sun and flowers in June and July. The upper stems are sticky, which keeps small crawling insects away from the flowers. A good honey plant.
Gentian
Up to 1.2 m tall with a straight stem. Flowers are large, single or in small clusters, shaped like a bell, funnel or saucer. Blooms in July–August. Great yellow gentian is rare and protected in Ukraine. Its roots and leaves are famously bitter.
Spring pheasant's eye (Adonis)
Densely leafy stems with thin, needle-like leaves form a fluffy «little fir tree». Large, bright yellow flowers sit at the tips of the stems. All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Oregano (wild marjoram)
Small, fragrant purple or white flowers in loose, branching clusters. Common throughout Ukraine. Used in herbal medicine and cooking; the flowers contain vitamin C.
St John's wort
Small yellow flowers with black dots along the edges; crushed flowers release a red juice. The flowering tops are used medicinally and as a natural dye. There are always insects above the flowers. The typical species is perforate St John’s wort.
Fireweed (rosebay willowherb)
A tall upright plant with long, pointed leaves. Pale pink flowers form a loose spike at the top. An excellent honey plant — nectar literally beads on the flowers. The leaves are fermented to make «Ivan tea».
Marsh marigold
Glossy leaves and round, bright yellow flowers. Common across Ukraine in marshes and along rivers and ponds. Decorative but poisonous.
Crocus (saffron)
A low bulbous plant with narrow leaves. Large flowers, most often purple, with orange-red stigmas. Depending on the species it blooms in spring or autumn. Several wild crocuses are protected in Ukraine.
Ragged robin
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Upright, branching stems with flower clusters at the top. The pink petals are narrow, long and deeply split, which gives a ragged look. A honey plant of meadows, alder groves, clearings and peat bogs.
Globeflower
Large, deeply divided leaves and straight stems. Bright yellow flowers look like little balls: the petals almost close, so pollen stays dry in rain and dew, yet insects can still get in. Grows in damp places; European globeflower is protected in Ukraine.
Bellflowers
Flowers of different species share one shape — a bell of five fused petals in shades of blue and violet. Common species are peach-leaved, clustered and harebell. Many species are becoming rare.
Red clover
Oval leaflets and straight stems. Large, rounded to cylindrical flower heads. Grows in meadows, steppe and forest edges. An important honey and fodder plant.
Field scabious
Grows in dry meadows and forest edges. The stem is straight and branched. Flower heads are about 3 cm across, bluish-lilac to reddish. An excellent honey plant.
Corncockle (Agrostemma)
A tall, leafy stem with long narrow leaves. Large single flowers with dark pink petals. A weed of grain fields; its seeds are poisonous.
Lily of the valley
Five to ten white bell-shaped flowers hang from a short stem between two large oval leaves. Most common in woods. Its essential oil gives the famous delicate scent used in perfumery. The whole plant is poisonous.
Blue flax
Several straight, densely leafy stems grow side by side, each with a single sky-blue flower 2–3 cm across. Fresh green parts and raw seeds contain cyanogenic compounds.
Burdock
A widespread plant up to 180 cm tall with a strong, ribbed, reddish stem. Huge leaves, green above and grey-felted below. The purple flower heads have hooked bracts that cling to clothing. A honey plant.
Buttercup
Small, glossy, bright yellow flowers at the tips of the stems. Found almost everywhere; one species has been recorded above 6,000 m in the Himalayas. Meadow buttercup is the most poisonous; creeping and goldilocks buttercups are also common.
Corn poppy
An annual whose stems, leaves and buds are covered with stiff bristles. Four rounded petals up to 6 cm wide, usually red with a black blotch at the base, sometimes pink or white. Mildly poisonous.
Common daisy
Low flowers like small, fluffier chamomiles, white or pink, blooming from April to September. The perennial daisy is the species grown in gardens.
Coltsfoot
Flowers appear in early spring as soon as the snow melts, before the leaves. It looks like a small dandelion. The leaves are smooth and cool on top and soft and warm underneath — hence the Ukrainian name «mother and stepmother».
Soapwort
A simple round stem branching at the top. Large fragrant white or pink flowers in loose clusters. Grows in river valleys, by water, along forest edges and among shrubs. The roots foam in water and were once used for washing.
Foxglove
Up to 120 cm tall, with a spike of drooping, tube-shaped flowers. Wild yellow foxglove grows in Ukrainian forests; garden forms are pink and purple. The whole plant is poisonous.
Dandelion
Deeply toothed leaves and yellow flower heads that quickly turn into fluffy white clocks. The stem contains milky sap. Forms large yellow carpets; the best-known species is the common dandelion.
Tansy
A tall, conspicuous plant of meadows and roadsides. Yellow button-like flower heads at the top of the stems and large, deeply cut leaves. Keeps fresh for a long time after cutting and dries well.
Snowdrop (Galanthus)
Appears straight from under the snow in early spring and lasts less than a month. A bulbous plant with two or three narrow leaves. Small white nodding flowers with three long outer petals. Protected in Ukraine.
Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla)
Blooms in open woods and on slopes as soon as the ground dries in spring, before the leaves appear. Silky, tulip-shaped flowers; eastern pasqueflower is deep violet. Poisonous and protected in Ukraine.
Milk thistle
An annual or biennial. Tall, with leaves marbled with white veins and edged with yellow spines. Purple flowers form large, fluffy, prickly heads. The seeds are used in herbal medicine.
Chamomile
About 40 species; the typical one is scented (German) chamomile. Branched stems with thread-like leaves. Single flower heads with a yellow centre and white rays.
Cuckooflower (lady's smock)
A straight stem with a few rounded leaflets in pairs. Pale lilac four-petalled flowers form a loose cluster at the top. Grows in damp meadows.
Yarrow
Modest but tough: it tolerates wind, heat and frost. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink, purple or cream; garden varieties are good for bouquets and keep their look when dried. Dense heads consist of many tiny florets; the leaves look like green lace feathers.
Field pansy
An annual or biennial that blooms in spring and again in summer; picked flowers wilt quickly. Low, with leafy branching stems. Small creamy-white flowers with a yellow spot, one petal larger than the other four.
Chicory
A tall plant of roadsides, fences and fields, often a weed. It contains milky sap. The stems are evenly studded with sky-blue flowers made of strap-shaped florets. A honey plant; the roots are roasted as a coffee substitute.
Musk thistle
A strong, tall herb densely covered in spines and considered a troublesome weed. The typical species is nodding (musk) thistle. The flower is a fluffy purple head of feathery bristles.
Lesser celandine
A low plant with branching stems and heart-shaped, glossy leaves. Single golden-yellow flowers with narrow petals. Poisonous. Found in damp meadows, forest edges and ravines.
Greater celandine
Hollow stems and leaves that are bluish underneath. Small golden-yellow four-petalled flowers all summer. The orange sap is poisonous and irritates the skin.
Wand sage
Up to 100 cm tall, with a hairy stem and branched spikes. The flower is blue and two-lipped: the upper lip hides two stamens. A honey plant.
Echinacea
A tall plant with branching stems and rough leaves. Large single flowers with long petals around a raised orange-brown centre. In purple coneflower the petals are purple or dusky pink.
California poppy
A low, very decorative plant forming a flowering bush. Poppy-like flowers up to 8 cm, sometimes double, from white to orange — it belongs to the poppy family.
Hawkweed
A tall, hairy plant with yellow, dandelion-like flowers whose petals grow in several rows: the longest on the outside, the shortest in the centre. Flowers are single or in small clusters; hawkweeds form small tufts and flowering patches.
Bloom calendar
Poisonous wildflowers
Most meadow flowers are harmless, but some contain alkaloids or cardiac glycosides. The most dangerous in this list are aconite, lily of the valley, foxglove, spring pheasant’s eye, pasqueflower, meadow buttercup, marsh marigold, lesser celandine, greater celandine and corncockle seeds. Corn poppy and flax are only mildly toxic.
Wildflowers you must not pick
Several plants in this list are in the Red Data Book of Ukraine: some pasqueflower species, common snowdrop, great yellow gentian, European globeflower and certain wild crocuses. Picking, digging up or selling them is prohibited and fined. Spring bunches of snowdrops and pasqueflowers at street markets are a reason to walk past, not to buy.
The rule is simple: pick only what grows in abundance (chamomile, cornflower, clover, tansy) and never pull a plant out by the roots.
A wildflower bouquet: how to pick it and keep it fresh
- Pick in the morning after the dew has dried, or in the evening: stems lose water during the day.
- Cut at an angle with a knife or secateurs and put the stems in water straight away — take a bottle with you.
- Tansy, yarrow, chamomile, cornflower and St John’s wort last longest and also dry well.
- Poppies, bellflowers, violets and dandelions wilt within hours. A poppy lasts longer if you sear the cut end with a flame.
- Do not mix wildflowers with daffodils in one vase, and strip any leaves below the waterline.
If you want the look of a summer meadow without leaving the city, order a daisy bouquet or spray chrysanthemums with delivery in Kyiv.
FAQ
What are the most common wildflowers in Ukraine?
Scented chamomile, cornflower, corn poppy, dandelion, clover, chicory, yarrow and bellflowers. You can see them in almost any meadow from May to September.
Is it legal to pick wildflowers?
Yes, as long as the species is not protected and you are not in a nature reserve or national park. Take a few stems and never damage the roots.
Which wildflowers last longest in a vase?
Tansy, yarrow, chamomile, cornflower and St John’s wort — up to a week. Poppies and bellflowers last only a day or two.
Read also
- Types of flowers: names, photos, features
- The main Ukrainian flowers: symbols and meaning
- Phacelia: features and uses
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
