Ranunculus flammula, otherwise known as Lesser Spearwort.
This is a new one for me and it is quite important that I write these things down so that I don’t forget them.
Lesser Spearwort is a member of the family Ranunculaceae (Buttercup). Ranunculaceae is from the Latin word Ranunculus and means “Little Frog” because Buttercups look like little frogs? Or possibly for some other reason. I don’t know why they are little frogs but I quite like the name.
Pictures.
The shape of the plant is a lot like a Meadow Buttercup, it is smaller and obviously the flower is different (not really a cup) and it is a waterside plant. It only grows in damp places.
Another good clue to the identification is a red tint to the stems.
More Pictures.
Well thanks if you read this post and double thanks if you enjoyed it. I need to know the names of things and I need to notice them. If this little flower has taken the trouble to be in the world then it would be very rude of me not to notice it and not to care about it.
It is poisonous BTW. 🙂
A Tramp in the Woods 
I love how the poisonous part is almost an afterthought…exactly how is it poisonous. Obviously you can touch it, but perhaps it shouldn’t be eaten?
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Interesting how many beautiful things are poisonous. Maybe a sense of balance, a warning to us all that most things are a mix of good and bad. Or it might just be evolution at work.
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You’re double welcome cos I read it and enjoyed it both. Thanks to you for writing it and showing us the lovely flowers. Don’t let Fizz eat any.
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It’s interesting how nature can reflect life. Think about it even bees if they sting can kill, yet they make the sweetest product, honey. Sometimes life can be that way, in that the most challenging moments can also bring the greatest breakthroughs. God truly is amazing in the way he created things and also allows things to work, play out. This is why I love being a poet and songwriter, to convey all of life’s mysteries etc… I hope you’ll check out my book on Amazon “Mosaic of Life and Faith in Poems”
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As always another beautiful post. Isn’t life so spectacular when we are given the chance to see all the beauty and wonders that surround us in oh so many ways my friend! Thank you for sharing and I am grateful for you and your wonderful respect for nature! Peace my friend.
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cute and beautiful…
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Beautiful!
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This is a pretty buttercup. I read that they are called ‘little frog’ because many of the different buttercups thrive in muddy margins of ponds. This may be so. I have to know what plants, animals and insects are called as well. Only by knowing what other humans have called it and what they have discovered about it can we treat it properly. I am a beginner at this but I find it all really exciting. I am what my daughter would call a nerd!
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In the first photo after “More Pictures,” it struck me that from that angle it looks a bit like a tiny frog seen from behind – a bumpy, rounded back and a hint of the hind legs folded under.
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We have some beautiful buttercups here in Oregon. We call them Marsh Marigolds, but they are buttercups. http://carolynpoffstrong.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/trees.jpg
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Pretty flower 🙂
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