WildflowersSeen in the wild

Bellis perennis

Daisy

A yellow centre ringed with white rays makes the daisy one of the easiest flowers to meet on a park lawn. The rays may be tinged pink beneath.

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: Usually flowers March–October, sometimes longer in mild weather.
Where to start: Town parks, school grounds and residential lawns across Ireland: no long journey is needed to start looking.
What to do when you arrive: On short lawns, look for low white-and-yellow flowerheads and basal leaf rosettes. Heads may close in cold or dull conditions; do not trample patches seeking open flowers.

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

Flowers

White-rayed yellow-centred heads increase in short grass above low rosettes.

Summer

Jun–Aug

Flowers

Repeated flowering; mowing can temporarily remove the heads.

Autumn

Sep–Nov

Flowers

Flowers can continue in mild weather while rosettes stay close to the ground.

Winter

Dec–Feb

Foliage and growth

Mostly rosettes, with occasional flowers in mild spells rather than continuous peak bloom.

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

Daisy · One-seeded cypselae beside a millimetre scale, not naked seeds. — One-seeded cypselae beside a millimetre scale, not naked seeds.
KrisMaes · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ License terms

The mature flower head produces numerous tiny dry fruits, botanically cypselae.

Food use of this part: Food safety not established by this guide

Seeds & dispersal units

Each cypsela encloses one seed; the usual dispersal unit includes the fruit wall.

Food use of this part: Food safety not established by this guide

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
NC State Extension · Plant Toolbox ↗

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

Small flower heads sit singly on leafless stalks. Spoon-shaped leaves form a low rosette. Its short stature separates it from the much taller oxeye daisy.

Where it grows

Short grassland, lawns, parks and trampled grassy edges.

Growth and ecology

A perennial whose low rosette suits lawn habitats. What looks like one flower is actually a head made up of many tiny florets.

Flowering and seasons

Usually flowers March–October, sometimes longer in mild weather.

Where to look

Town parks, school grounds and residential lawns across Ireland: no long journey is needed to start looking.

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: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · License terms ↗
Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

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