Yes its a peony. Fr the looks of it, it'w been in the ground for a year. If you move it, it will not flower for another 1-2 years. If you do plan to move it, do so in the fall o(and then mulch) r best in the spring.

Thanks so much. I'm told it will never flower in the shade is that true? If it isn't i will leave it alone.
Also any idea how it may have gotten there? there are no other homes on that side so it didn't sneak under the fence it and wasn't there 3 years ago when i started this area. It just popped up this year and it didn't look like a weed so i left it to see what it was. (like i said I'm new to this whole flower thing I've always grown veggies only)

Oh neat. Congratulations. You said you cleaned the area up. That must have given the peony an opportunity to flourish. As ianna wrote, fall is the best time for moving.

Last year, I cleaned out a heavily overgrown bed. This year a peony popped up - isn't that funny? I experienced the same thing as you.

littlebin posted this link on the peony forum. It's relevant to your question regarding sun exposure and flowering. A friend of mine has found that a couple of cultivars do well in partial shade, but very few.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sun Shade

Thanks so much for the info. I really appreciate it

It does need good sun - so a possibility is the reduce the plants that are shading it or simply moving it to another location.

Below is a link to how to take care of your plants. I buy from this lady who comes here in Toronto once a year. I*'ve about 5 peonies in my front yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: peony envy