Hello my friends! 

Who doesn’t love a flower in the spring?

Firstly I meant to post this yesterday but forgot to click schedule and it sat in my drafts, which is a bummer because its kinda broken my posting streak…oh well!

I’m not really a massive fan of Valentines day and while I thought about writing something cutesy I’m personally of the opinion that you should show love to the people you care for everyday not just the one day that our calendar dictates.

*Not that it matters now being a day late!

Still, we’ve miraculously had a few days of sunshine which I’ve taken full advantage of and tried to spend as much time outside as I can. There are so many pretty spring flowers in bloom at the moment that I thought I’d go for a wander with my camera and wanted to take you with me so you can enjoy the pretty countryside too! I hope these little glimpses of spring colour bring as much joy to your week as much as they did mine.

Ready?

Let’s go!

To start my spring wanderings I was met with so many Snowdrops, these jolly little flowers are truly a sign that winter is ending and the sun is coming out more, they are also known as the ‘fair maid of February’. There are a multitude of different varieties of Snowdrop including these ones that have a grumpy face (which I’ve never noticed before!).

Also as a side note while we look upon these little flowers and think they’re cute have you ever noticed that some Snowdrops have little green hearts on the insides of their inner petals!

There’s an old English superstition says that if you bring a snowdrop into your home your eggs and milk will spoil…I’ve pressed snowdrops and can confirm this didn’t happen -although I drink oat milk, which isn’t really milk.

Completely off topic and unrelated to spring time flora but my neighbours have sheep! They’ve been moved into the fields my garden backs onto and I’m totally in love. Aren’t they beautiful!!

Anyway, on we go…

I really love how vibrant all of the colours look in this photo, it reminds me of Easter and fills me with joy that maybe the grey days of winter are behind us. In a few days all of the flowers should open properly but I couldn’t resist the deep purple colour. 

Because they bloom so early in the year while other plants are still sleeping, crocuses are often considered to be symbols of spring (obviously) but also hope, cheerfulness and the end of cold winters.

I don’t know about you but I love a daffodil, happy, yellow and bringers of joy daffodils or as they’re scientifically called narcissus are little trumpet shaped bursts of colour. 

The main mythology about these lovely flowers stems from the Greek tale, a beautiful youth Narcissus who one day saw his own reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with it refusing to look away until finally he died, and was turned into the flower that bears his name, symbolizing vanity and rebirth.

Also they brighten the world.

At one point I was looking at the flowers so intently I didn’t realise I was being watched until this beautiful robin starting chirping at me. For a moment I felt like I’d stepped into a disney movie, but instead of joining him in song I snapped his piccy.

These are Hazel catkins the long, golden-yellow, dangling male flowers of the hazel tree (and are often called “lamb’s tails” for their appearance. They start appearing in January until April and can grow unto 12cm long, they are one of the earliest signs of spring among the trees and sparkle golden against the bare branches. These catkins appear alongside tiny, bright red female flowers. 

As you know I love plant folklore and hazel sticks can be used for something called Water Dowsing. The dowser holds the two ‘Y-shaped’ sticks and then with the stem pointing forward, and walks across the land; the stick is believed to move when passing over water, its an old practice rooted in folklore, hazel is often chosen due to historical associations with fairies although you can also use willow or peach sticks as well.

Pink heather symbolises love, tenderness and romance and was popularised by Queen Victoria who wore it as a good luck charm. Not only does it grow pretty much everywhere but it’s also the main caterpillar food plant of my favourite wetland moth the Emperor. I did a post about raising some of these amazing creatures last year (if you fancy giving it a read the link is at the bottom).

A staple of the British woodlands Wild primrose is a low growing, native perennial with soft yellow flowers. It likes to grow in woodland, hedge banks and shady areas with well draining soil. Primrose is one of our key pollinator plants in the early spring and feeds all the butterflies and bees that wake up during warmer spring days.

Apparently faries love these flowers and leaving primroses on your doorstep will ensure fairies will bless your house, while putting primroses in your cowshed will convince them not to steal the milk. Equally destroying primroses was thought to anger them.

Now, this is a new one for me, I’ve seen these little bright yellow flowers each spring but not really paid them any heed. This flower is Lesser Celandine, a native UK perennial that flowers from January to April and is a member of the buttercup family and is important nectar source for queen bumblebees emerging from hibernation.

Well, thats enough wandering for one day.

I really hope you enjoyed these flowery photos and snippets of folklore that is associated with some of them and that they bought a little brightness to your day because being out in the sunshine filled me a great amount of positivity and happiness. Next week I’ve got another update on my Alice jacket to share! 

As always thank you so much for reading my friends, and have a lovely week! 

Ps. My Emperor moth adventure is HERE if you fancy giving it a read!