?Welcome to Meet the Plants Monday, a weekly feature to learn a little more about the plants in our yards and natural spaces.?

Meet our first plant of the year – Eranthis cilicica! The common name is Winter Aconite or Winter Wolfsbane.

This is a very early spring bloomer with small bright yellow flowers that look adorable under small trees or large shrubs. I have them planted in rings underneath my Pagoda Dogwood and Witchhazel and saw them as early as 3/10 last year. Like many other of the earliest flowers, such as crocuses and snowdrops, these are bulbs (actually tubers) that must be planted in the fall.

Site them in a spot where they get part-shade or dappled light and the soil doesn’t completely dry out – they are perfect for a woodland garden and can eventually self-seed and spread (naturalize) if they are happy.

In later spring, the flower disappears and the foliage expands. I plant it among a Sweet Woodruff groundcover and they blend nicely since the leaves look similar. By summer, expect these to die back until the following spring.

I like these because they’re animal-resistant, cheerful-looking, and a little different than the norm. The bulbs are available online or at nicer garden centers – you likely won’t find these at a big box store.

☠️One note of caution – these are related to Monkshood and Wolfsbane, plants in the Aconitum genus whose roots and tubers especially are quite poisonous if ingested, so be careful with placement if you have dogs that tend to dig or small curious children.