The survey was undertaken by YouGov on behalf of Plantlife, and found that 80% of people didn’t know the name of common dog-violet.
Only 11% of 16-24 years old felt they could confidently and correctly name wildflowers.
“It’s exciting to know that people have told us they want to know more about the ‘extraordinary ordinary’ pop of colour in a normal day” said Trevor Dines, Plantlife’s botanical specialist.
The results showed that the ability to name wildflowers varied between the different age groups.
For 16-24 year olds, less than half could name bluebell and only four% could name red clover.
In comparison, for those aged over 55, the results were 83% and 45% respectively.
This month, Plantlife launched its Great British Wildflower Hunt, a large-scale interactive guide to wildflowers.
Plantlife hope the guide will improve people’s understanding and increase Britain’s connectedness to nature, while also making nature more relevant to young people.
Marian Spain, chief executive of Plantlife said, “Lots of us love wildflowers but can feel uncertain around them and want to know more. The Great British Wildflower Hunt is designed to do just that.”
Plantlife’s interactive identification tool includes nearly 50 flowers to identify and allows hunters to filter photos by colour, mark off flowers spotted and earn flower points to be shared on social media via #WildflowerHunt.
Find out more about the Great British Wildflower Hunt.
Main image: Common bird's foot trefoil is a widespread species of wildflower, sometimes known as 'bacon and eggs'. © Trevor Dines/Plantlife