Immigrants!
The snow drops Galanthus nivalis that have been flowering for some time have now been joined by the white flowers of white butterbur Petasites albus. Perhaps surprisingly neither species is native to the UK.
Butterbur is native to the mountains of Central Europe and the Caucasus. It was first imported into Britain in 1683 as a garden ornamental. The first record in the wild was at Storthes Hall in West Yorkshire but it is now most commonly found in the NE of Scotland.
Snowdrops are a native of damp woods and meadows on the continent, but was not recorded as growing wild in the UK until the late 18th century.
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