Have you heard a cuckoo yet?

This is the Cuckoo flower.  It's name shows that it flowers in April and May when the cuckoo arrives and begins to sing.  Have you heard a cuckoo yet?  Please post a comment if you have.

Cuckoo flower is also known as Lady's Smock or Milkmaids.  This plant usually prefers damp places.  Here are some growing perkily amongst the dandelions in Pylon Field.

One way to find it in Filnore Woods is to follow an Orange Tip butterfly.  It is the favourite foodplant for the caterpillars so Orange Tips lay their eggs on it.  Mr Orange Tip is easy to recognise but the females are just white, without the orange patch on their wings.  If you see one perched, though, notice the pretty, green mottling under the wings.

A male orange tip near Cuckoo Flower

(photo from www.wildaboutbritain)