Yellow Flowers

Bird’s foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
A valuable larval foodplant for several priority UK butterflies, including the Common Blue, Wood White, Silver-studded Blue and the increasingly rare Dinghy Skipper, as well as day flying moths like the Six-spot Burnet. Its bright yellow and orange pea-like flowers (often nicknamed “eggs and bacon”) are rich in nectar and a massive draw for honeybees, solitary bees and bumblebees.
Bristly Oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)
Blooming from early summer well into autumn its bright yellow flowers provide nectar and pollen when many other summer flowers have already gone to seed. It is heavily utilised by honeybees and other wild pollinators. The stems and leaves serve as an important food source and nursery for various insects. For example, wasp larvae tunnel chambers inside the stems, while Tortrix moth larvae feed internally within the roots. Because of its adaptability and value to beneficial insects, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust includes it as a recommended weed species to encourage.

Carline thistle (Carlina vulgaris)
Thistles are highly effective nectar producers.  The brown and gold flower heads of the Carline Thistle bloom from July to September and are an important nectar source for a large number of  butterfly species (including the Chalkhill Blue, Dark Green Fritillary, Brimstone, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Silver-spotted Skipper and the once extinct but recently reintroduced Large Blue) and bees when other summer flowers fade.  It acts as a critical host for certain micro-moths such as the Carline Neb, whose larvae feed within the flower heads. Because Carline Thistles have a stiff, tough structure, the dead, dried-out flower heads stay standing well into the winter months.  This structure provides critical refuge and insulation against frosts for overwintering insects, ladybirds and small mammals.

Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicals)
Cat’s Ear blooms well into the summer and early autumn, providing a vital nectar and pollen source for bees, butterflies and hoverflies when many other wildflowers have already finished flowering. The larvae of the Varied Brown and Shark moths fed on its foliage.  
Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla replans)
Its bright yellow flowers close at night and in dull weather then open again in bright sunlight and the richness of their nectar and pollen earn it a place on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list. Its leaves are a recognised food source for the caterpillars of the Grizzled Skipper and other butterfly and moth larvae.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago)

Coltsfoot is vital for UK wildlife. It is one of the first native wildflowers to bloom each year.  Appearing between February and April, its sun-yellow flowers provide an essential source of nectar and pollen for emerging queen bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies and butterflies after hibernation. It gets its name from the shape of its leaves which resemble hoof prints.


Cowslip (Primula veris)

Because they bloom early in Spring, Cowslip flowers provide an essential early source of nectar for foraging bees, beetles and butterflies like the Brimstone. They are the primary food source for the caterpillars of the Duke of Burgundy butterfly and various polyphageous moths, including the rare Lunar Yellow Underwing, rely on Cowslip foliage to feed their caterpillars.

Goat’s Beard (Tragopogon pratensis)
A vital ecological asset whose flowers provide an easily accessible breakfast bar providing essential nectar and pollen for early-flying bees and hoverflies. The feathery seed heads are a favourite food source for small birds such as finches and sparrows and its sturdy hollow stems provide safe over-wintering shelter for tiny beneficial insects.
Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)
The bright yellow flowers provide a reliable source of nectar during their long blooming season (from April through October). The seeds possess fleshy appendages called elaiosomes. These lipid-rich structures attract ants, which carry them back to their nests, feed the elaiosomes to their larvae and discard the viable seeds, thereby successfully planting them elsewhere. It is a member of the poppy family so not related to the similarly named Lesser Celandine which is a member of the buttercup family.

Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium  officinale)
Hedge mustard is highly valuable to wildlife. It is a primary food source for the caterpillars of the 
Orange-tip, Small White and Green-veined White butterflies. While most caterpillars eat leaves, Orange tip caterpillars uniquely feed on the developing flowers and seed pods. Hedge  Mustard’s small yellow flowers bloom from May to October, providing a steady source of nectar for bees and other beneficial insects.

Horseshoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa)

This is the sole larval foodplant for the Chalkhill Blue and Adonis Blur butterflies. Without this specific vetch these endangered butterflies would become extinct. The caterpillars of the Dinghy Skipper also utilise this plant as a food source.  The bright yellow pea-like flowers (which bloom from May to July) provide an early-summer nectar source for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. Its seed pots curl and resemble a string of horseshoes.


Lady’s Bedstraw (Gallium verum)

Its frothy yellow or white flowers are the primary food plant for caterpillars of several striking UK moth species, including the Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth and various Carpet moths (e.g. Red twin-spotted, Common and Wood Carpets).
The honey-scented flowers are a magnet for bumblebees, honeybees and day-flying butterflies. 

Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella)

Its bright lemon-yellow flowers bloom from May through to October providing a reliable source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects.

The caterpillars of the Downland Plume Moth (a rare conservation species) are entirely dependent on Mouse-ear Hawkweed as a host plant, feeding exclusively on its leaves and roots and the beautifully patterned Four-spotted Straw Moth’s caterpillars feed directly inside the roots and base of the Hawkweed rosettes..

Prickly Sow-thistle (Sonchus asper)
Prickly sow-thistle flowers are visited by pollinators and are an important food source for the larvae of several moth species such as Celypha rufana and the Broad-barred White moth. It flowers in late summer when other food sources are scarce.
Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Ragwort is a vital native wildflower that supports a vast array of wildlife. It provides food and nectar for around 178 different insect species with about 30 species relying entirely on the plant for their survival. Ragwort is the primary food plant for the caterpillars of the day-flying Cinnabar Moth with its striking black and yellow stripes. Because Ragwort has a long flowering period (typically from June through November) it provides a crucial long-lasting source of nectar and pollen for bees, hoverflies and butterflies.

Rock Rose (Helianthemum nummularium)
Common Rock Rose is highly beneficial to wildlife. It is an excellent nectar source for bees and serves as a vital food plant for the caterpillars of several butterflies including the Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak and the rare Silver-studded Blue. Its bright yellow 
flowers only open in sunshine and close at night.

Rough Hawkbit (Leontodan hispidus)

Studies indicate that Rough Hawkbit ranks exceptionally high for nectar productivity and its bright yellow, dandelion-like blooms attract a wide variety of bees, butterflies and moths throughout the summer. Because it blooms from late spring into autumn, Rough Hawkbit sustains late-flying species like the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

St.John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Its nectar-rich, bright yellow blooms provide a vital summer food source for bees, butterflies and hoverflies. The open star-shaped flowers provide easily accessible pollen and nectar for honeybees, bumblebees and various solitary bees from June through September.

Yellow Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)

Kidney Vetch is the sole foodplant for the caterpillars of the rare Small Blue butterfly, so it is essential for the survival of this species. While the Vetch moth’s caterpillars are the main moth consumer, the larvae of the Belted Beauty, Six-belted Clearwing and Marbled Clover moths are also known to utilise Kidney Vetch. The yellow (and occasionally red or orange) pea-like flowers are rich in nectar and pollen and attract bumblebees, solitary bees, honeybees and beetles.

Weld (Reseda luteola)
The caterpillars of a number of moths including the Small Mottled Willow, the Large Yellow Underwing, the Silver Y, the Garden Dart and the Mouse Moth feed on the Weld’s leaves, stem and yellow flowers during the summer months