Frustrating mystery "daisy"

[davidbr]

This yellow-flowered member of the daisy family was in flower (there were several) on short pony-eaten grassland in the New Forest on April 25th. At the time I thought it must be something pretty common (and it probably is...) but I still haven't been able to ID it

Hopefully someone can help

(flower)

(leaves)

[Hedge Witch]

David, are you sure the flower belongs to those leaves?

[stigofthedump]

Catsear? hawksbit? If it is then either one is outside my level of skill. Someone will be along shortly and put us right!



Vince

[treecreeper]

I think it has to be Leontodon but I wouldn't commit to species

[stigofthedump]

You and me both





Vince.

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by Hedge Witch

David, are you sure the flower belongs to those leaves?

Yes, I made sure of that

I couldn't get a decent image with flower & leaves in the same picture, that's why in the end I took two.

[Deer Stalker]

Looks like Catsear Hypochaeris radicata. Its starting to come up on the Forest now.

Don't suppose you took one of the underside of the outer florets did you?

[davidbr]

Sorry, no; I only really photographed it at all as an afterthought because I couldn't say what it was at the time

If it'd been in summer I'd have probably put it down as Cat's-ear, perhaps a bit of an unusual specimen because of the grazing ponies - I've never seen one flowering that early, though

[Deer Stalker]

Originally Posted by davidbr

Sorry, no; I only really photographed it at all as an afterthought because I couldn't say what it was at the time

If it'd been in summer I'd have probably put it down as Cat's-ear, perhaps a bit of an unusual specimen because of the grazing ponies - I've never seen one flowering that early, though

Its not unusual to see them in flower now on the Forest. Theres not many yet, but they're about. As for the grazing, yep, that changes the apperance of alot of the flowers on the heaths & grazing lawns.