Winter aconites light up woods

These sunny yellow flowers look a bit like buttercups but appear in January. Originally native to southern European countries like France and Italy, winter aconites were introduced to the UK. They now grow wild in woods across most of the country, except Northern Ireland. The plants grow from a tuber, a big underground stem (a potato is also a type of tuber – one that we eat) to about 10 centimetres high. The glossy yellow flowers have six petals. Under each is a ruff of leaves. The nectar from winter aconites is good for bumblebees that emerge early from hibernation (a long period of inactivity), because there are not many flowers around in winter. Don’t touch aconites, though – the plant is poisonous.…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 476

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