It’s actually felt like Spring today. Relatively mild and the wind and rain that has been with us since October (it seems) has relented. I even saw a bumblebee whilst out and about. Alas, I couldn’t identify the species so it won’t be appearing in today’s blog post. I walked around my number 2 patch (a local nature reserve, Jackson’s Brickworks) as it is the best place locally to see Spring develop. 6 Canada Geese, 6 Buzzards, 5 Mallards, and 3 Moorhens were all there, as were some rather shouty crows and many other birds in song. And some plants were beginning to emerge, and one classic Spring plant was in flower…
What: Cowslip Primula veris L.
When: 4th March 2020
Where: Jackson’s Brickworks LNR, Cheshire (VC58), UK
Who saw it? Me
How was it recorded? Using the iRecord app.
Is it bigger than a blackbird? Probably as tall as a blackbird.
What is it? As the scientific name suggests the Cowslip is a member of the Primula family. It is evergreen, so keeps it leaves all year round, and flowers in early spring. The flowers are bright yellow and are slightly shrouded by a long green corolla. The flowers are mostly clustered together. Cowslips occasionally hybridise with another Primula species, the Primrose P. vulgaris forming the ‘False Oxslip’ Primula x polyantha. The Cowslip is native to temperate areas of Europe and western Asia.
A fact I have learned about this species: The leaves are used in Spanish cooking as a salad leaf.
Is it charismatic in my opinion? Yes I think. Although as ever it’s hard to assign charisma to a plant. This is one of the true signs of spring, and with all signs of spring gives us a clue that winter is almost over (March 4th, day of writing is in the Meteorological Spring, but not the Celestial Spring).
A Species a Day 