Old man's beard

Climb into the natural history and folklore of wild clematis...

Whether we’re off to work, doing the school run or taking a more leisurely wander through wherever our beautiful corner of Worcestershire happens to be, we pass miles of hedgerows on a daily basis. How often, though, do we stop and take a closer look at what’s in there?

Hedges are wonderful for wildlife, steeped in folklore and are full of plants that have been used for hundreds of years by those who lived nearby. Hawthorn and blackthorn brighten our days with spring blossom and autumn berries but what of the scramblers, the sprawlers and climbers that thicken our hedgerows? One such plant is wild clematis.

Traveller’s joy, love vine, virgin’s bower, smokewood, skipping ropes, hedge feathers, woodbine, Devil’s guts…perhaps the vast number of names for wild clematis hint at the prominence of this plant in our countryside.

The feathery-tipped seeds will be adorning hedgerows across the county very soon – looking messy to those who like a tidy order but a banquet for birds like goldfinches looking for food through autumn and winter.

The pale green-creamy flowers don’t have petals, just four sepals (normally there to protect for the petals) that open to reveal the inner workings of stamens and styles. As the seeds ripen, turning from green to brown, long feathery ends emerge that help them disperse on the wind. The flowers grow in clusters so keep an eye out for balls of the wispy white seedheads hanging entwined amongst other hedgerow plants.

Creamy lemon/white flowers of wild clematis against a background of green leaves

This native clematis, despite being a successful climbing plant, is actually a member of the buttercup family and is the only member of that family to have woody stems. In the past, these were used to make baskets but it’s these hollow stems that explain some of the plant's more colloquial names. When lit, the large vessels of the stems allow air to be drawn through them and don’t burst into flame – they were often broken off and smoked. The feathery seedheads were used as tinder – they dry quickly and take a spark easily but they don’t last long.

Once thought to provide a cure for leprosy because of its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to treat skin irritations, it also contains the toxin protoanemonin (found in all members of the buttercup family) that can lead to severe abdominal pain if ingested.

Lesne's earwig - long thin body that's relatively light brown/ginger in colour, no wings

During late summer the flowers provide an important nectar source for bees, hoverflies and other insects. The caterpillars of butterflies and moths can be rather fussy and wild clematis is the only foodplant of several moth species that can be found in Worcestershire – small emerald, small waved umber and Haworth’s pug. It can also harbour a rather rare earwig. Lesne’s earwig is smaller than our more common earwig, gingery in colour and with no wings protruding along its abdomen (they can, however, look rather similar to the untrained eye).