What to Forage This Week: Four Late-April Plants at Their Spring Peak

Late April in the UK is one of the best foraging weeks of the year. Not the very first flush of spring — that rush of chickweed and early nettles is behind us now — but the settled, abundant middle-spring that foragers know well. The hedgerows are fully leafed. The woodland floors are still lit before the canopy closes. The plants that peak in late April and early May are at their most tender, most nutritionally dense, and most accessible.

This week: four plants worth your attention. All in good condition, all with genuine science behind them.

1. Hawthorn Blossom (Crataegus monogyna) — The Hedgerow’s Heart Tonic

The hawthorn is the defining plant of the English spring. In a good year, by the third week of April the blossom begins to open — those tight clusters of creamy white five-petalled flowers, sweet and slightly almond-scented, covering the thorned hedgerow trees in what feels like a collective announcement that winter is genuinely over. This year they’re slightly early.

What the science says: A 2022 review (PMC9498108) confirmed that hawthorn blossom shares the same bioactive profile as the berries — flavonoids (vitexin, hyperoside, quercetin), oligomeric proanthocyanidins, and chlorogenic acid. A 2020 study in Phytomedicine (PMC7452443) found that hawthorn flower and leaf extracts demonstrated vasodilatory effects in human studies, supporting the cardiovascular traditional use. A 2021 comprehensive review (PMC8659235) summarised the evidence: hawthorn’s cardiovascular benefits — blood pressure regulation, improved cardiac output, anti-atherosclerotic activity — are among the most consistently documented of any European medicinal plant, with multiple randomised controlled trials in humans. The evidence grade here is notably stronger than for most wild plants. This is not a “might do something useful” herb.

How to use it: Scatter individual flowers over spring salads. Steep a small handful of fresh blossoms in cold water for 4–6 hours for a fragrant, pale infusion. Pack loosely into a jar with raw apple cider vinegar, leave 2 weeks, strain — an excellent hawthorn blossom vinegar for dressings.

Safety: Very safe as a food. If you take cardiac medications (digoxin, beta-blockers, antihypertensives), consult your GP before using therapeutically — hawthorn can potentiate their effects. Pick only from fully leafed trees with the characteristic small lobed leaves; confirm ID before consuming. More on hawthorn here.

2. Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) — The Overlooked Aromatic

Ground ivy is one of the most overlooked plants in the British foraging canon — partly because it’s so ubiquitous it becomes invisible. It’s a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) — the square stem, kidney-shaped scalloped leaves, and small purple flowers are completely distinctive once you know what you’re looking for. Right now it’s in flower across most of the UK, growing low along hedgerow bases, garden edges, and shaded banks.

What the science says: A 2022 study in Foods (Šeremet et al., PMC8909519) found ground ivy rich in protein, calcium, potassium, and insoluble dietary fibre. The dominant phenolic compounds were rutin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and rosmarinic acid — a well-studied anti-inflammatory compound found in rosemary, sage, and other aromatic Lamiaceae. A separate 2022 PMC study (PMC8949430) confirmed antioxidant activity significantly higher than vitamin C, alongside anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Rosmarinic acid has demonstrated anti-allergic properties by inhibiting IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation in vitro — potentially relevant to hay fever sufferers, though human trials are limited.

How to use it: Finely chopped in herb butter with wild garlic and lemon. A few sprigs added to soups at the end of cooking for a complex herbal note (remove before serving). Cold-infused overnight in water — mild, aromatic, interesting.

Safety: Avoid in pregnancy (contains pulegone). Avoid with liver disease. Use in culinary amounts. Do not confuse with true ivy (Hedera helix) — ground ivy has a square stem, scalloped kidney-shaped leaves, and smells pleasantly minty-aromatic when crushed. True ivy is waxy, non-aromatic, and woody-stemmed.

3. Cleavers (Galium aparine) — The Spring Lymphatic Tonic

Cleavers — goosegrass, sticky willy, sticky Jack — is one of the most familiar plants in the British countryside. The tiny hooked hairs covering every part of the plant make it cling to clothing with remarkable tenacity. Right now, in late April, it’s at its absolute best. Pick the top 5–10cm of each shoot, where the leaves are youngest. Within three or four weeks the plant will flower, the stems will toughen, and the window will close.

What the science says: A 2020 study in Molecules (PMC7464609) found that Galium aparine extracts demonstrated immunomodulatory activity — specifically stimulating the transformational activity of immunocompetent blood cells. The researchers identified iridoids, flavonoids, and tannins as the primary bioactive constituents. A 2024 review (PMC11267910) highlighted cleavers’ traditional use in wound healing and skin regeneration, noting experimental evidence for the plant’s polyphenols promoting dermal repair and reducing inflammation. The traditional Western herbalism classification of cleavers as a “lymphatic tonic” lacks direct clinical trial evidence, but the immunomodulatory findings offer a plausible biological basis. Evidence grade: preliminary.

How to use it: Cold overnight infusion — a generous handful of fresh growing tips in a jug of cold water in the fridge overnight. Tastes of cucumber and fresh green things. Mild, hydrating, pleasant. Do not eat large amounts raw without straining — the hooked hairs can be irritating to mucous membranes.

4. Nettle Tips (Urtica dioica) — Still At Their Best

Late April is the last excellent window for nettle tips before they flower, become coarser, and develop the cystoliths that make older leaves less pleasant to eat. Pick only the top two or three pairs of leaves — the very tip of each shoot. These are the most nutritionally dense and most tender. The sting is completely neutralised by heat or bruising — blanching for 30 seconds is sufficient.

Nettles at peak season are remarkable: iron content comparable to red meat (though absorption depends on vitamin C co-consumption), calcium, magnesium, vitamins A, C, K, and B vitamins including folate. We’ve covered the nettle science in full here and the chlorophyll deep-dive here.

This Week’s Recipe: Late April Nettle and Cleavers Soup

A simple, deeply green, nourishing soup that uses both nettle tips and cleavers together. The nettle provides depth, body, and substantial nutrition; the cleavers (added at the end, strained out) contribute their delicate mineral character. Garnished with hawthorn blossom for a moment of late-April beauty.

Serves 4

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
• 1 litre good vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 large handfuls nettle tips (blanched first to remove sting)
• 1 large handful cleavers growing tips
• A few hawthorn blossom clusters (for garnish)
• Olive oil, salt, black pepper
• A tablespoon of crème fraîche or yoghurt to serve

Soften the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add garlic and potato and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock and simmer 15 minutes until potato is soft. Add the blanched nettles and the cleavers. Blend until smooth. Strain to remove any cleavers fibres. Season well. Serve with a swirl of crème fraîche, scattered hawthorn blossom petals, and black pepper.

The nettles provide iron, calcium, chlorophyll, and vitamins A, C, and K. The cleavers contribute quercetin and rutin. The hawthorn blossom garnish adds vitexin-backed cardiovascular flavonoids. This is foraging that genuinely feeds you.

Quick Reference: What’s Good This Week

Plant	Where to find	What to pick	Window
Hawthorn blossom	Sunny hedgerows	Flower clusters	Now–mid May
Ground ivy	Hedgerow bases, shaded banks	Growing tips with flowers	Now–May
Cleavers	Hedgerows, garden edges	Top 5–10cm of shoot	Now — 3 weeks
Nettle tips	Waste ground, hedgerow edges	Top 2–3 leaf pairs	Now — 2 weeks

Identification Safety Note

Three of these four plants are low risk for misidentification. For hawthorn blossom, be aware that several thorned shrubs are in bloom at once in late April. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna): flowers in tight flat-topped clusters, five petals, creamy white with pink anthers, strongly fragrant, on thorned branches with small deeply lobed leaves already present. Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) flowers earlier on bare branches and is largely over by now — but worth knowing the difference.

Never consume any wild plant unless you are 100% confident in your identification. If in doubt, leave it out.

Learn in Person

If you’d like to identify these plants in person — and taste them as you go — I run foraging workshops throughout spring and early summer. There’s nothing quite like identifying a plant in its actual habitat. Dates at chloearchard.com. And if seasonal eating is part of a broader conversation about your health, The Cellular Reset weaves it all together.

References

Šeremet D et al. Comprehensive Study of Traditional Plant Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea L.). Foods. 2022;11(5):658. PMC8909519.
Hügel HM et al. Immunomodulatory Activity and Phytochemical Profile of Galium aparine L. Molecules. 2020. PMC7464609.
Nabavi SM et al. The effect of hawthorn flower and leaf extract on cardiovascular risk factors. Phytomedicine. 2020. PMC7452443.
Hawthorn botanical review. PMC8659235. 2021.

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This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Wild plants can be dangerous if misidentified. Never consume any wild plant unless you are completely confident in your identification. Some wild plants can interact with medications. Always consult your GP before using wild plants medicinally, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication.

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