Coltsfoot
Tussilago farfara

• Flower: Solitary yellow flower head on a scaly stalk. with thin ray flowers surrounding the disk flowers; disk to 1" across.
• Leaves: Basal, 2-7" long and broad, heart-shaped, slightly toothed, upright, whitish beneath (often not apparent at flowering).
• Height: 3-12".
• Habitat: Roadsides, rocky open soil, and waste places.
• Blooms: February-June.

These early blooms might be mistaken for dandelions by their blossoms--but the stalk is scaly (rather than the smooth hollow and milky dandelion stem) and the leaves are heartshaped. Often found in clumps on barren rocky soil. Herbalists make cough-drops out of the leaves.