Yellow Archangel, Lamium galeobdolon

Common Name: Yellow Archangel, Yellow Dead-nettle

The flowers of Lamium galeobdolon, more commonly known as Yellow Archangel, come into bloom just as the Bluebells are fading, replacing the blue carpet of a spring woodland with a golden-yellow one. In common with Lamium album, the White Dead-nettle, this creeping perennial of the Mint (or Dead-nettle) family is much more nettle-like in appearance than is its close relative Lamium purpureum, Red Dead-nettle. Indeed, this spring wildflower is sometimes referred to as Yellow Dead-nettle.

This plant prefers damp places and partial shade. Being a perennial, Yellow Archangel takes a time to become established, but once it get going, it crowds out most other plants. Some colonies are thought to have survived in some places for hundreds of years in undisturbed sites.

In Britain and Ireland the main flowering period of this wildflower is May and June, but following a mild winter you may find Yellow Archangel in bloom as early as April.

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