Vernacular species names

Vernacular names for species are typically very local, varying from county to county within the British Isles. The ones listed here will not be exhaustive.

Flowering Plants

Ash - Esh, Hampshire weed, Widow-maker

Bittersweet or Woody Nightshade - Deadly nightshade

Bladder Campion - Spatling Poppie

Bluebell - Granfer Griggles, Crow's toes

Bramble - Black heg, Blegs

Bristly Oxtongue - Milton Keynes weed (Buckinghamshire)

Broad-leaved Dock - Docken, Docken

Charlock - Runch, Runches

Cleavers or Goosegrass - Bobby Buttons, Clyders, Clydon, Clivvers, Goosegrass, Gosling weed, Goose bumps, Gollenweed, Herriff, Hairiff, Sweethearts, Kisses, Sticky Willy, Sticky grass, Sticky weed, Stickleback, Stick-a-back, Sticky bobs, Sticky buds, Sticky William, Claggy Meggies, Robin-run-in-the-hedge

Columbine - Granny's bonnet, Granny's nightcap

Common Bird's-foot-trefoil - Eggs and bacon, Ham and eggs, Butter and eggs, Hen and chickens, Cocks and hens, Tom Thumb, Fingers and thumbs, Granny's toenails, Lady's fingers, Lady's slipper, Cuckoo's stocking, Dutchman's clogs

Common Comfrey - For all comfreys: Knitbone, Nip-bone, Ass-ear

Common Dogwood - Bloody Dogwood

Common Nettle - Stinging Nettle

Common or Black Knapweed - Hardheads, Paintbrush

Common Poppy - Corn-poppy, Field poppy

Common Ragwort - St James' wort, Staggerwort, Stammerwort, Yellow tops, Stinking Willie, Mare's fart

Common Sorrel - Sour docks, Sour dogs, Sour ducks, Sour grabs, Sour sabs, Sour sap, Sour sops, Soorocks, Vinegar plant, Vinegar leaves, Rain, Green sauce, Bread and sauce, Sugar stick (stems only)

Common Toadflax - Butter and eggs, Bunny mouths

Corn Cockle - Kiss-me-quick

Corn Marigold - Dunwich Buddle, Johnny Buddle

Cornflower - Bluebottle, Blavers

Cornsalad - Lamb's lettuce

Cow Parsley - Queen Anne's Lace, Lady's lace, Fairy lace, Spanish lace, Kex, Kecksie, Queque, Mother die, Mummy die, Step-mother, Grandpa's pepper, Hedge parsley, Badman's oatmeal, Blackman's tobacco, Rabbit meat

Cowslip - Hey-flower, Peggles, Paigles

Crab Apple - Scrogs (the fruit only)

Creeping Thistle - Thistles in general: Dashels, Milky Dashels, Dicels, Donkey's breakfast

Cultivated Daffodil - Daffys, Daffa-downdilly, Daffy-downdilly, Lent lily, Lenten lily, Easter lily, Glens

Dandelion - Jack-piss-the-bed, Pissy beds, Piss-in-bed, Pittley beds, Tiddle-beds, Wet-the-bed, Dog's posy, Old man's clock, Peasant's clock, Swine's snout; (and for the seeds) Fairies, Parachutes, Sugar eaters

Deadly Nightshade - Belladonna, Dwale

Elder - Boortree, Boontree, Borewood, Battery, Dog tree, Ellern, Fairy tree, Piss-weed

Feverfew - Bachelor's buttons, Featherfew

Field Bindweed - All bindweeds: Barbine, Bewllbine, Bethwine, Cornbine, Withybine, Withywind, Waywind, Lady, Lady-jump-out-of-bed, Granny-jumps-out-of-bed, Robin-run-the-hedge, Sanke's meat, Devil's guts, Sussex lily, Wild lily

Field Scabious - Pincushion flower, Lady's pincushion, Blue bonnets

Field Wood-rush - Good Friday grass, Sweep's brooms

Fool's Parsley - Fool's Cicely, Poison Parsley

Fox-and-cubs or Orange Hawkweed - Grim the collier

Foxglove - Fairy gloves, Fairy bells, Floppy dock, Tod-tails

Garlic Mustard - Jack by the Hedge

Germander Speedwell - Bird's eye, Cat's eye, Eye of the child Jesus, Farewell, Goodbye

Goat Willow - Sallow, Pussy Willow

Great Mullein - Aaron's Rod, Hagtapers, Adam's flannel, Our Lady's candle

Great Willowherb - Codlins-and-cream

Greater Plantain - Rat's tails, Angels' harps, Banjos

Green Alkanet - Bird's-eye, Evergreen Bugloss

Grey Willow - Sallow, Pussy willow

Guelder Rose - Water Elder, Cramp Bark, Snowball tree, Common Snowball

Hawthorn - Above all, May (especially just for the blossom), then: White-may, Whitethorn, Thorn-bush, Quick, Quickthorn, Mother-die, Bread-and-cheese (leaves only). For the fruit only: Awes, Asogs, Azzies, Aglets, Agags, Arzy-garzies, Boojuns, Hoppety-haws.

Hazel - Halse, Hezzel, Ranger, Lamb's tails (the catkins)

Hedge Bindweed - All bindweeds: Barbine, Bewllbine, Bethwine, Cornbine, Withybine, Withywind, Waywind, Lady, Lady-jump-out-of-bed, Granny-jumps-out-of-bed, Robin-run-the-hedge, Sanke's meat, Devil's guts, Sussex lily, Wild lily

Himalayan Honeysuckle or Flowering Nutmeg - Pheasant berry, Flowering nutmeg

Hogweed - Cow parsnip, Bilders, Caddy, Eltrot, Limperscrimps, Cow-weed, Kirk, Chirk, Keks

Holly - Hulver, Holm, Hollin

Honeysuckle - Woodbine

Hybrid Bluebell (H. non-scripta x hispanica) - Granfer Griggles, Crow's toes

Lady's Bedstraw - Lady's tresses

Lesser Burdock - Bachelor's buttons, Button sourees, Beggar's buttons, Love leaves, Sticklebacks, Sticky bobs, Sticky Jack, Sticky Willy, Cleavers, Velcro plant

Lesser Periwinkle - Blue Betsy

Lords-and-Ladies or Cuckoo Pint - Cuckoo-pint, Cuckoo flower, Jack in the pulpit, Parson in the pulpit, Devils and angels, Red-hot-poker, Willy lily, Snake's meat, Cows and bulls

Lungwort - Jerusalem cowslip, Jacob's coat, Soldiers and sailors, Mary-spilt-the-milk

Marjoram - Oregano

Meadow Crane's-bill - Jingling Johnny

Oxeye Daisy - Dog daisy, Horse daisy, Moon daisy, Moonpenny, Marguerite

Pedunculate Oak - Sussex weed

Primrose - Spinkie

Quaking Grass - Quaker grass, Toddling grass, Totty grass, Totter grass, Tom's tottle, Dithery dock, Dothery Dicks, Wigwams, Silver spoons, Golden shekels

Red Campion - Adder's flower, Robin Hood, Cuckoo flower

Rosebay Willowherb - Bombweed, Fireweed, Ranting widow

Rowan - Mountain-ash, Witch wiggin tree, Keirn, Cuirn

Scarlet Pimpernel - Old man's weathervane, Poor man's weatherglass

Smooth Sow-thistle - Milky disels, Dindle, Silver and gold

Snowdrop - Candlemas bells, Mary's taper, Snow piercer, February fairmaids, Dingle-dangle

Spring Crocus - Nottingham crocus

Stinking Iris - Roast-beef plant, Gladdon, Bloody bones

Summer Snowflake - Loddon lily, Snowflakes

Water Figwort - Water Betony, Brook Betony, Brownwort, Fiddlewood (stems only), Stinking Christopher

White Clover - Milky blobs, Sheepy-maa's, Bee-bread

Wild Carrot - Queen Anne's Lace, Bird's-nest

Wild Cherry - Gean, Mazzard, Murry

Wild Teasel - Brushes and combs, Venus's basin

Wood Anemone - Wind-flower, Grandmother's nightcap, Moggie nightgown

Wood-sorrel - Alleluia, Cuckoo's bread and cheese, Granny's sour grass

Yarrow - Yarroway, Staunchweed, Poor man's pepper

Invertebrates

Australian Lawn Shrimp - Lawn shrimp, lawn prawn, landhopper, woodhopper, Australian mud shrimp

Common Pill Woodlouse - billy baker, monkey pea, grammer zow, parson's pig, chiggy wig, cheese log, daddy granfer, granny grunter, damper, slate cutter, hardy back, penny sow, cheesy bug, nut bug (There's a fascinating article about the vernacular names of woodlice on Dr Tamsin Baxter's website at https://www.icge.co.uk/?p=woodlice.)

Common Rough Woodlouse - billy baker, monkey pea, grammer zow, parson's pig, chiggy wig, cheese log, daddy granfer, granny grunter, damper, slate cutter, hardy back, penny sow, cheesy bug, nut bug

Common Shiny Woodlouse - billy baker, monkey pea, grammer zow, parson's pig, chiggy wig, cheese log, daddy granfer, granny grunter, damper, slate cutter, hardy back, penny sow, cheesy bug, nut bug

Common Striped Woodlouse - billy baker, monkey pea, grammer zow, parson's pig, chiggy wig, cheese log, daddy granfer, granny grunter, damper, slate cutter, hardy back, penny sow, cheesy bug, nut bug

Leopard Slug - Great Grey Slug

Vulgar Slug - Spanish slug, Lusitanian slug, Iberian slug, Killer slug

Butterflies and moths

Brindled Poplar Tortrix - Grey Poplar Bell

Brown Bark Moth - Plain Bark Moth, Golden-brown Tubic, Batia unitella

Golden Argent - Brassy Y

Knapweed Bell - Knapweed Root-borer

Red-barred Tortrix - Fruit-tree tortrix, vine tortrix

Birds

Chaffinch - Fleck-lenny

Dunnock - Shufflewing

Goldcrest - Woodcock Pilot

Great Tit - Tomtit

Green Woodpecker - Yaffle, yaffle bird, laughing Betsey, yaffingale, yappingale and Jack Eikle

House Sparrow - Spuggie, Spadger

Jay - Devil Scritch

Mistle Thrush - Stormcock

Song Thrush - Mavis, Throstle

Wren - Stumpy Toddy

Insects other

Cream-streaked Ladybird - Four-spot ladybird

Fly - unnamed 2 - Acalyptrate muscoid

Fungus weevil - unnamed 1 - Ambrosia beetle

Hairy Shieldbug - Sloe Bug

Harlequin Ladybird - Asian ladybird, Multicoloured ladybird, Asian lady beetle

Housefly - unnamed 4 - Yellow-winged Bristleshin (Steven Falk)

Pied Plumehorn - Great Pied Hoverfly

Ragwort Flea Beetle - Tansy ragwort flea beetle

Red Mason Bee - Red mortar bee

Red-legged Shieldbug - Forest Bug

Tiger Hoverfly - The Footballer

Yellow Cereal Fly - Grass Fly

Arachnids

False Widow - False black widow, Cupboard spider, Dark comb-footed spider, Brown house spider.

Non-flowering Plants

Yew - Tree of death, Tree of the dead