The wood anemone Anemone nemorosa L. is a common spring-flowering geophyte in temperate deciduous forests. Despite life-history traits generally considered advantageous against herbivory, it is a species susceptible to floral herbivory. We studied the floral herbivory of A. nemorosa in a deciduous temperate forest south of Paris, France, in spring 2008. The browsing rate of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) on flowering shoots was locally very high (7580%) with, on average, 30% of flowering shoots lost by roe deer browsing at the population level. Floral herbivory by roe deer occurred at a time when resources are at their minimum in rhizomes, making the plant vulnerable to herbivory in terms of survival, future growth and reproduction. We believe that floral herbivory may interact with resource allocation and that these factors play a crucial role in the population dynamics of A. nemorosa.