In early spring the first of the wildflowers to bloom are the Caltha palustris. Also known as Marsh Marigolds or Cow Slips. Picture the flowers growing out of hummocks in a swampy pasture and you guessed it…slipping cows.
Far Guy saw these first. Just to prove he was not seeing things we turned around and went back to have another “look see.”
There they were amongst the brown…blooming. A REAL sign of spring for us here in Minnesota!!
The color yellow always cheers me up, and I must admit it is my favorite color for flowers…but you probably knew that already.
Hooray! I remember how eagerly I used to watch for cowslips in the marshes and bloodroot in the woods, first flowers of spring.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! I used to drive around Door County as a hospice social worker and eagerly anticipated seeing cow slips. It was a contest between a nurse and me who would see them first. I'm no longer working and I haven't seen any this year....yet. I'm going out looking this weekend. I love yellow flowers too. Happy spring Connie.
ReplyDeleteOh Happy Day! Flowers are blooming. They sure are a pretty color. Happy Spring. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI think it's your favorite color for anything, isn't it? I always think of you when I see yellow. :-)
ReplyDeleteLife's good when the yellow shows up, isn't it? Good for you to get out and see spring!
ReplyDeleteHooray for blooming wildflowers! Hope spring is on it's way for you.
ReplyDeleteAlways a joy to see the first signs of spring! When I was teaching, I always had the children make lists and draw pictures about what new plants and birds, etc. they saw as they ventured outside after a long winter. I love the yellow too!
ReplyDeleteI think yellow flowers are the first spring flowers just because they are like a ray of sunshine after a dreary winter and God knows we need cheering up. Dandelions, daffodils, Cow Slips....
ReplyDeleteSo glad you went back for another look see...and took a picture! That does cheer a person up. :)
ReplyDeleteYellow is my choose for spring flowers too.
ReplyDeleteReally? Cow Slips? In the UK we might call these Marsh Marigolds but a Cowslip is called Primula veris. Funny how different countries use the same names for different plants.
ReplyDeleteVery cheerful though on a cold spring day.
they haven't pop here yet
ReplyDeleteLovely flowers and I learn something from you each and every time. Are you sure you weren't a teacher in your last life?
ReplyDeleteI remember picking Cowslips as a child growing up on the Canadian prairies. A couple of years ago I bought a small pot of Cowslips at a plant sale, planted it in the back garden where it lived but wasn't happy. Last year I moved it to the front yard and now is big enough to separate into THREE plants. and yes, it is blooming now.
ReplyDeleteThey'll soon be in bloom here, but I didn't realize these were Cowslips.
ReplyDeleteI see that you are interested in native flowers. native flowers are the best but there's less and less space for them.
ReplyDeleteI never knew why they were called cow slips! We have a similar plant here that we grow in our gardens, but when I looked them up, I see that they are a different species in the ranunculus family. They spread too easily and become invasive. I like your wild harbingers of spring better.
ReplyDeleteI love wildflowers! Usually I am traveling too fast to see what they are, exactly, and I generally don't have the opportunity to stop. Your pictures of the cowslips make me smile. Yes, spring is coming!!
ReplyDeleteGood eye, Far Guy!
ReplyDeleteAnd I learned something today in your post. I'm just glad "slipping cows" isn't anything like "cow tipping."
Makes me realize that these are what I see blooming in the ditch in front of a nursery here, but I don't think I have seen them anywhere else.
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