Photo: Anne Burgess · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗

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WildflowersSeen in the wild

Ranunculus repens

Creeping Buttercup

Shiny yellow flowers brighten damp grass while runners help the plant spread through lawns and gardens.

See all four seasons Explore fruits, seeds & edibility ↓ Where to look & how to find it ↓

Some plants are poisonous. Do not identify by a photograph alone, and never taste them.

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Start close to home

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: Often flowers May–August.
Where to start: Irish park grassland and damp verges. Yellow flowers alone cannot distinguish the buttercups.
What to do when you arrive: In damp grass, find yellow flowers, then visually trace surface runners and three-part leaves. Do not pull plants up, and do not identify every yellow buttercup as this species.

Habitat and behaviour reference: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

ONE PLANT · FOUR SEASONS

One plant. Four seasons.

Look beyond the flowers: fresh leaves, fruits, bare stems and dormancy.

Meteorological seasons: spring March–May, summer June–August, autumn September–November and winter December–February. Irish weather, cultivar, pruning and plant age affect timing and appearance.

Photos illustrate the relevant feature, not the same plant photographed through a year in Ireland. Features shared across seasons, such as evergreen leaves, may use the same reference. Missing reliable photos are marked; dormancy is not death.

Spring

Mar–May

Foliage and growth

Fresh divided leaves and ground-hugging runners develop, with flowers from late spring.

Summer

Jun–Aug

Flowers

Shiny five-petalled yellow flowers rise above the leaves while runners spread.

Autumn

Sep–Nov

Foliage and growth

Fewer flowers; rosettes and rooted runners remain and may grow on damp ground.

Winter

Dec–Feb

Foliage and growth

Low foliage can persist in mild sites; hard frost may damage above-ground growth.

Seasonal references: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

FRUIT · SEED · FOOD SAFETY

Fruits, seeds & edibility

Know the structure, then the part. Recognising a plant does not make it food.

Fruit

Creeping Buttercup · Close-up of a young head of achenes. — Close-up of a young head of achenes.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ License terms

A rounded head of achenes develops after flowering; each small fruit has a short beak.

Food use of this part: Do not eat

Seeds & dispersal units

Creeping Buttercup · Magnified seed-containing achenes with the fruit wall still present. — Magnified seed-containing achenes with the fruit wall still present.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ License terms

Each achene encloses one seed; neither fruits nor seeds are recommended for eating.

Food use of this part: Do not eat

Some seed references show intact one-seeded fruits or dispersal units, as identified in their captions. A whole-fruit photo is not a close-up of the enclosed seed. Cones and arils are not true fruits of flowering plants.

Sources & limitations

Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Botanical description, not proof of food safety
RHS · Ranunculus repens ↗

No field detoxification methods or safe doses are provided. Never taste a plant to identify it or eat treated or contaminated specimens. Seek professional help after suspected accidental ingestion. National Poisons Information Centre, Ireland ↗

Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

BOTANICAL NOTESPlant notes

How to identify it

Five glossy yellow petals; leaves divided into three parts with a distinctly stalked central leaflet. Creeping runners root at their nodes.

Where it grows

Damp grassland, ditch edges, gardens and poorly drained lawns.

Growth and ecology

A perennial spreading by runners. Fresh plants are irritant; do not eat them.

Flowering and seasons

Often flowers May–August.

Where to look

Irish park grassland and damp verges. Yellow flowers alone cannot distinguish the buttercups.

Seasons vary with weather and location. Suggested habitats are places to look, not guaranteed sightings. Photos show only some features; check leaves, flowers, fruits and specialist references together.

Further reading:Wildflowers of Ireland ↗

Photo license: Anne Burgess · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗ · License terms ↗
Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

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