One of the first blooming spring flowers! Bright yellow flowers and green foliage are conspicuous, particularly when few other plants have put on growth. Like other spring ephemerals, it prefers to get full sun in early spring, and shade after trees leaf out. Not a true marigold as the common name suggests, but related to buttercups. A showy addition to edible gardens!

THIS SPECIES REQUIRES CONSTANT MOISTURE. It occurs naturally in wetlands and fens where roots have access to the high water table even in dry weather, so needs either a very high water table or constantly moist soil. May be cultivated in particularly wet rain gardens or irrigated beds, but captive plants often find easy success on pond edges.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade, Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet, Wet Mesic

Soil Type: Muck, Shallow Standing Water

Height: 1′-2′

Bloom Color: Yellow

Bloom Time: Apr

Root Type: Rhizome

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract flies and bees. Little data on insect interactions, hosts at least two species of beetle. Foliage is generally avoided by mammalian browsers. Seeds are eaten by some wetland birds, such as ducks and rails, and some small mammals, such as voles and chipmunks.