Fig buttercup flower

Lesser celandine, also known as fig buttercup, is nice to look at, but is an invasive species in North America.

Fig buttercup

I came across these pretty yellow flowers on a walk near my house.

WIkipedia:

… a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and west Asia. It has fleshy dark green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright yellow, glossy petals. It is now introduced in North America, where it is known by the common name fig buttercup and considered an invasive species. The plant is poisonous if ingested raw and potentially fatal to grazing animals and livestock such as horses, cattle, and sheep. For these reasons, several US states have banned the plant or listed it as a noxious weed. It prefers bare, damp ground and is considered by horticulturalists in the United Kingdom as a persistent garden weed …

Wikipedia nails the location. This was growing in damp areas along a stream. We considered taking some home to plant, but knowing it’s invasive, we’ll probably avoid doing anything to help it spread.

I also posted a version of this on Instagram.