Common water-crowfoot - Ranunculus aquatilis

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Common water-crowfoot - Ranunculus aquatilis
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

Common water-crowfoot can be seen either floating or submerged in ponds and ditches. It has deeply dissected submerged leaves and dark green three-lobed floating leaves. The floating leaves appear just before the papery white, yellow-centred flowers, which can very attractively cover the surface of a pond in early summer.

There are seven native species of water-crowfoot, each with particular requirements, and often difficult to tell apart. You may have to try several species before you find one which is happy in your pond, but this one has perhaps the broadest range of tolerance.

Water crowfoot provides cover for most aquatic life including water spider and the larvae of dragonflies and damselflies. Some species of beetle are attracted to the flowers.

Animals

Beetles, Dragonflies and damselflies

Foliage	Green
Flower	White, May to August
Moisture	(Wet)
Sunlight	(Full sun)
Origin	Native