Lady's Smock

Today's the day ........................ to await

This understated little flower is what I have always known as Lady's Smock.

Its posh Latin name is Cardamine pratensis - where the 'pratensis' comes from the Latin word for 'meadow'.  But you might know it as the cuckoo flower, mayflower or milkmaids.  The common name 'cuckoo flower' derives from the fact that the plant flowers at around the same time as the arrival each spring, of the first cuckoo in the British Isles.  Apparently it was once used as a substitute for watercress - but more importantly, it is a food plant for the orange tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) and so it makes a valuable addition to any garden which aims at attracting wildlife.  

We have Lady's Smock in the garden, so surely it's just a matter of waiting for the Orange Tips to arrive ......................?