Alliaria petiolata – You know when spring is near when you see these large green leaves start to appear on woodland margins or in hedgerows, amongst other places. It soon grows and the clusters of small white flowers soon show. If the large leaves are crushed they will give off a distinct smell of garlic. The whole plant is known for its medicinal properties, as well as for flavouring foods. Garlic Mustard is a foodplant for the Orange-tip butterfly. The caterpillars feed on the elongate seedpods. It is also an important food source for other butterflies as well as moth larvae, and other insects.
© Peter Hillman ♦ April & May 2020 ♦ Local woodland margin, South Staffordshire ♦ Nikon D7200
You may find my ‘Page of Life‘ of interest, which allows easy access to all species of flora and fauna featured on this site, and might be considered a useful reference.
Nature Journeys 
I’m especially taken with those leaves. The texture is wonderful, and the variations in the greens is equally nice.
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The leaves are realy quite something, and the small flowers can appear almost out of place. After the dark days of winter the leaves appear so fresh in early spring, promising better days a head
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A Beautiful little plant and so important to insects 🙂
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Indeed it is 🙂
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Garlic mustard is persona non grata here as it is very aggressively invasive. There are pulling parties organized to get rid of them which is not very easy. That said, the flowers are very pretty and the leaves attractively textured.
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There are so many invasive and, for many reasons, undesirable plants that many folks find attractive anyway; I’m as guilty as a few, I suppose. Among them, to name just two, are the Russian thistle in northern Minnesota and wild ginger here in New Zealand. From your title, my mouth started to water thinking about a fresh-grilled hamburger.
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Sorry, no hamburger 🙂 Garlic Mustard is native here, but we do suffer our own invasive species as well, so I can understand what you mean.
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I don’t think we have this in our area. Pretty little flowers. Nice pictures Pete!
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Thank you, Sandra 🙂 From other comments from other parts of the world it is invasive there, where it is native here. May be it is good you don’t have it there.
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🙂 I’ll admire from afar in that case! Take care Pete
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Very nice capture, Pete. I echo Steve above, we have no critters interested in this plant and it is very invasive. I spend hours pulling it from my yard every spring, but it is increasing in all the neighboring land. A Sisyphean task!
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It is native here, but I understand. We have our own invasive species here which overrun the native flora which is never good.
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When I nipped out for a quick walk after work I noticed lots of this and said to myself ‘I know what this is now, it’s garlic mustard.’
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Nice one, Jill 🙂
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Lovely photos. I’m not familiar with this plant at all. Sounds like a ‘herb’ to cook with? 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 It is native here in the UK, and it can be used flavour foods, yes like a herb. It also had medicinal properties.
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How interesting …I have never heard of this before 🙂
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It is native here, and fills the woodland margins out. Makes a change from bracken and nettles 🙂
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Very nice shots! I see it everyday now, unbelievable!
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Thank you! Yes it seems to have done better this year than any I have known!
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Absolutely!
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Garlic mustard? Sounds like I found the next wort I’ll be planting! I love nature.
Thanks for sharing this post.
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Thank you 🙂
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