These are brightening up many of my neighbors' yards, but so far nobody seems to know what they are. Do you? I'd like to get some of the violet ones if I can find a source. The heart-shaped leaves look so similar at first I thought they might be related. They both bloom in March but the yellow ones are still going strong this week.
Yep, wikipedia says they have 5-9 petals, so that's the winner I think. Interestingly arkive.org/ says it's believed to be one of Britain's most ancient native plants, so maybe it was brought here some time ago.
the yellow flowers The yellow flowers are from lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria). This is a plant that was introduced from Europe. Caltha palustris has broader (and less) petals and leaves that are somewhat similar to lesser celandine but much bigger. In Europe Caltha palustris grows only in very wet places. So it is rarely found in gardens (except if there is a pond).
Ahh, thank you. Well, Portland spring is much like a pond, but I see you're right about the size and petals. And check this out which I found with google image search aol.com. Here's a picture of it, and right next to it is the purple one it looks like, which this person IDs as Cyclamen hederifolium, so perhaps they are related after all. So the Ranunculus ficaria is invasive here, and I'll leave it in my neighbor's yard then. Thank you!
Not ivyleaf cyclamen (C. hederifolium), that has wedge-shaped leaves and flowers in late summer-fall.
