Composites

Inula crithmoides (up to 100 cm) - Golden samphire Golden yellow flowers (15-25 mm) in loose clusters. Flowers from July to August. Fleshy linear leaves up the stem. Found on bare ground near the coast such as dry saltmarshes and cliffs. Image taken at Durlston country park, Swanage, Dorset .

Leucanthemum vulgare (up to 75 cm) - Ox-eye daisy (Moon daisy, Marguerite) Large white flowers (25-60 mm) from May to September. Leaves are spoon-shaped and on long stalks - may be lobed or toothed. Found in grassy places. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Solidago canadensis (up to 70 cm) - Golden-rod Yellow flowers (6-10 mm) with distinct spaces between the petals. Flowers from July to September. Narrow lanceolate leaves. Found in woodland rides, grassland and rocky places. Image taken at Durlston country park, Swanage, Dorset .

Taraxacum spp (up to 20 cm) - Dandelion Diverse group of upto 250 species in the UK that are very similar. Identification is based on the size of the flower and leaf shape. Yellow flowers (15-75 mm). Milky juice in the stem. Leaves are generally lobed in a basal rosette. Fruits have the seed on a stalk carried by a non-feathery spreading pappus - these form the characteristic 'dandelion clock'. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Pilosella officinarum (up to 30 cm) - Mouse-ear hawkweed Lemon yellow flowers (20-30 mm) present from May to October. Elliptical leaves that have downy white hairs beneath. Found on short turf grassy places and dunes, especially on limestone. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Hypochaeris radicata (up to 60 cm) - Common catsear Yellow flowers (25-40 mm) present from May to October. Leaves are rough, hairy, lobed and present in a basal rosette. Found on short turf or sparse grassland. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Sonchus asper (???? cm) - Prickly sow-thistle (Rough sow-thistle) Yellow flowers (20-25 mm) present from April to November. Sharply spiny leaves, pinnately lobed that clasp the stem - with rounded auricles. Found on disturbed ground. Image taken at Durlston country park, Swanage, Dorset .

Hieracium murorum (up to 100 cm) - Few-leaved hawkweed Yellow flowers (20-30 mm) present from May to July. Lanceolate leaves. Fruits lack stalks possessing a brown pappus. Found in dry grassy places. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Arctium minus (up to 200 cm) - Lesser burdock Short flower stalks (less than 10 mm). Purple flowers with greenish-purple bracts. Found in woodland, waysides, and wasteground. Image taken at Silverdale, Lancashire .

Cirsium arvense (up to 200 cm) - Creeping thistle Fragrant lilac flowers (10-20 mm) with purplish-green bracts. Creeping roots. Flowers from June to October. Spineless stems. Variably lobed leaves. Found on grassland, wasteground and roadsides. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Cirsium eriophorum (up to 150 cm) - Woolly thistle Solitary reddish-purple flower sits on top of a globular head of spiny bracts woven with white wool (40-70 mm). Flowers from July to September. Leaves are narrowly pinnated. Found on grassland, scrub and old quarries, particularly on limestone soil. Im age taken at Durlston country park, Swanage, Dorset .

Carduus crispus (up to 150 cm) - Welted thistle Similar to Marsh thistle but greener. Flowers are larger and reddish-purple (25-30 mm) with woolier green bracts. Flowers from June to September. Found in grassy places and generally drier places than the Marsh thistle. Image taken at Bentley Wood, near Winterslow, Wiltshire .

Cirsium acaule (up to 20 cm) - Dwarf thistle Short thistle generally with no visible stem. Solitary purple flower (30-40 mm) present from June to September. Leaves in a rosette surrounding the flower. Found on limestone grassland with short turf. Image taken at Broughton Down, Broughton, Hampshire .

Carduus tenuflorus (up to 60 cm) - Slender thistle Pale lilac flowers (7-9 mm) in clusters of 3-10. Flowers from May to August. Leaves are pinnate. Found on wasteground often near the coast. Image taken at Carreg Samson, Pembrokeshire .

Carduus nutans (up to 100 cm) - Musk thistle Distinctive large nodding reddish-purple flower (20-60 mm). Purple spine-tipped bracts that are pulled back. Flowers from June to September. Leaves are pinnately lobed and spiny. Found on grassland, old quarries, particularly likes limestone. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Carlina vulgaris (up to 60 cm) - Carline thistle Golden brownish-yellow flowers (15-30 mm). Flowers from uly to September. Outer bracts are spiny and leaf-like. Found on limestone grassland. Image taken at Jack Scout, Silverdale, Lancashire .

Centaurea nigra (up to 100 cm) - Common knapweed (Black knapweed, Hardhead) Stiff ribbed stems. Purple flowers may be rayed or unrayed (20-40 mm). Bracts are pale brown with blackish appendages. Flowers from June to September. Lanceolate leaves. Found on grassland. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Centaurea scabiosa (up to 120 cm) - Greater knapweed Purple flowers are always rayed (30-50 mm). Grey-green bracts with blackish appendages. Flowers from July to September. Pinnately lobed leaves. Found on grassland, particularly with limestone soil. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Senecio jacobaea (up to 150 cm) - Common ragwort Yellow flowers (15-25 mm) with dark-tipped inner bracts. Flowers from June to November. Dark green, pinnately lobed leaves. Found on dry, sandy or limestone grassland and dunes. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Senecio squalidus (up to 50 cm) - Oxford ragwort Yellow flowers (16-20 mm) with black-tipped inner bracts. Flowers from April to November. Pinnately lobed leaves. Found in urban areas on waste and bare ground. Escapee in 1974 from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Image taken at Radipole Lake RSPB reserve, Weymouth, Dorset .

Senecio vulgaris (up to 30 cm) - Groundsel Yellow flowers (4-5 mm) in cylindrical heads from January to December. Pinnately lobed leaves. Found on disturbed ground. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Aster tripolium (up to 100 cm) Sea aster Pale purple flowers (12-20 mm) with a yellow centre. Flowers from July to October. Dark green, lanceolate leaves. Found by the coast, especially saltmarshes. Image taken at Durlston country park, Swanage, Dorset .

Pulicaria dysenterica (up to 100 cm) Common fleabane Golden yellow flowers (15-30 mm) in a flat cluster present from July to September. Lanceolate leaves with the upper surface wrinkled. Found in damp grassy places such as near ditches. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Tussilago farfara (up to 15 cm) Coltsfoot Woolly purplish stems with overlapping fleshy scales. Sinlge yellow flowers (15-35 mm) from late January to April.Leaves are borad and heart-shaped and develop after the flowers have gone. Fruit is a white pappus or 'clock'. Found on bare and waste ground. Image taken at Ffrith beach, Prestatyn, Denbighshire .

Achillea ptarmica (up to 60 cm) - Sneezewort Greyish hairy plant. White flowers (12-18 mm) with a greyish-white disc floret. Flowers from July to September. Linear pointed leaves that are finely toothed. Found on damp grassland or heaths with acidic soil. Image taken at Friars Crag, Derwent Water, Lake District .

Petasites hybridus (up to 150 cm) - Butterbur Pinkish-purple flowers (male 7-12 mm; female 3-6 mm) in spikes (40 cm). Flowers from March to May. Leaves are large and heart-shaped. Found on stream banks, ditches and roadside verges. Image taken at Martin Down, near Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Bellis perennis (up to 12 cm) Daisy White flowers (12-25 mm) sometimes crimson-tipped present from January to December. Spoon-shaped leaves in a basal rosette. Found on short grassland such as lawns. Image taken at River Avon, Salisbury, Wiltshire .

Tripleurospermum inodorum (up to 60 cm) Scentless mayweed Commonest mayweed. White flowers (30-45 mm) with brown-edged bracts. Flowers from April to November. Leaves are 2-3 pinnate with thread-like leaflets. Found on bare and disturbed ground. Common and widespread. Image taken at Silverdale, Lancashire .

Tripleurospermum maritimum (up to 60 cm) Sea mayweed Similar to Scentless mayweed but a stouter plant with fleshy leaves. Found on shingle and rocks near the coast. Image taken at St Govans Chapel, near Bosherston, Pembrokeshire .

Matricaria discoidea (up to 35 cm) Pineapple mayweed Pineapple scented distinctive weed. Yellowish-green flowers in a conical head (5-10 mm). Flowers from May to November. Leaves have thread-like lobes. Found on bare and disturbed ground. Widespread and common. Introduced in 1871. Image taken at Bosherston, Pembrokeshire .

Aster x salignus (up to 150 cm) Common michaelmas daisy Bluish-purple flowers (25-40 mm) present from August to November. Narrow leaves that clasp the stem. Found in damp waste places beside waysides and streams. Image taken at Lodmoor RSPB reserve, Weymouth, Dorset .

Lapsana communis (up to 100 cm) - Nipplewort Shaggy medium plant with small yellow flowers (15-20 mm) with short outer bracts. Flowers are present in open branched clusters on long slender stalks from June to October. Stems lack milky juice. Pointed, oval, toothed leaves. Found on distubred waste ground, hedgerows and woodland edges. Widespread and common. Image taken at Collard Hill, Street, Somerset .