Whilst walking my dogs, Bobbie and Wolfie, along a shaded, woodland path alongside a disused railway line recently, I noticed a striking wildflower emerging from a cluster of glossy green leaves. It reminded me of the elegant and exotic Arum Lily, which you can buy from florist’s shops as a cut flower.
Back at home, I carried out some research to try to identify the plant and discovered that it is indeed part of the Arum family. Its correct name is Arum Maculatum, but it’s more commonly known as Lords and Ladies. It thrives in shady, woodland areas, and usually emerges in April or May. I think the ones I saw were a little earlier than usual this year due to the warm temperatures that we’ve been experiencing.
The plant is pollinated by insects lured towards it by an unpleasant odour. They are then dusted with pollen from the male flowers before escaping and spreading the pollen to the female flowers on nearby plants. When the leaves and flowers die back in the autumn, a cluster of highly poisonous bright red berries is all that remains.
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