Also this white flower has many names. Cow parsley, wild baked parsley or keck. In Swedish “Hundkäx” that, with a Haddock style, translates to “Dogs biscuit”. The plant is like the dandelion sometimes considered a weed. With its rapid growth and long roots it is hard to control for the keen gardener. So if you hear someone barking in the garden they probably chasing “dogs biscuit”.
Ha de Gött!
Thrift (armeria maritima) also called sea thrift or sea pink. A sturdy little plant that grows in the poorest and salty soil. Normally close to the sea but nowadays also at the side of the road. Not because it likes fast cars but from the salt spread during winter to melt the ice.
Ha de Gött!
Sometimes you just feel like these. All mushy and squeezed. With all the white and bright colored flowers I felt it was time for the beautiful brown color. Some animal has nibbled on one of the mushrooms but I dare not.
Ha de Gött!
In Swedish this is named “Strandglim” (Silene uniflora) and it is very common on the beaches around Sweden. It is a herb that thrive in the poor soil at beaches and rocks. This specimen had a little visitor, a beetle. Don’t know if it is John, Paul, Ringo or George, but I hope he comes out with some flower power. Ha de Gött!
Dear child has many names as the Swedish proverb goes. This little flower (Cardamine pratensis) must be loved in the English speaking world. I could find four, Cuckoo flower, Lady’s smock, Mayflower, or Milkmaids. In Swedish “Ängsbräsma”.
Cuckoo flower makes my imagination go, cuckoo. Referring of coarse to the film “One flew over the cuckoos’s nest” from 1975 with Jack Nicholson and directed by Milos Foreman. I quite often feel I would fit right in there, and I guess if you read by blogs you know what I mean.
Lady’s smock. Don’t know if I dare to go there. Moving along smartly to the Mayflower. Yes it starts to bloom in May so the name makes perfect sense but that’s no fun. Instead thinking of the famous ship that sailed from England to North America. Imagine the scene when they arrive and being greeted on the beach by John Wayne saying “Howdy, pilgrim”.
Milkmaids. Oh, the scene with milkmaids walk giggling over the field with buckets in their hands. Sun is shining from a clear blue sky, cows moo to be milked. Bee’s buzzing around the flowers and a cool breeze tangles the girls hair. The milk makes that special noise as it sprays to the bottom of the tin buckets. Giggling continues as they talk about this evenings dance and the boys there.
Well that’s another story. Ha de Gött!
Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata). In all the green this beautiful flower lights up. In Swedish it is called “Mandelblom”. Ha de Gött!
Have a fantastic weekend.
Dandelion (taraxacum). This bright yellow flower has a bad name for some. With its extremely successful survival strategy it’s considered a weed. Many gardeners have cursed it with aching backs and hurting knees. With the thick leafs it can suffocate surrounding plants and completely take over the garden. In Swedish it is called “maskros” and that translates, with my usual creativity to “worm rose”.
Some love this flower. Children love to see how the seeds fly away like paratroopers in the warm summer wind. The grassing animals eat it with pleasure, I think. With its long roots it has a good resilience to dry weather. Bees also like it and many think that the honey tastes better. Again a reason for the gardeners to dislike it. Once the bees got the taste set on the dandelion they don’t do their job pollinating the fruit trees. Ha de Gött!
Today I bring you the key to heaven. In Swedish this orchid is called “Sankt Pers Nycklar” that translates to Saint Peters Keys. According to the folklore Saint Peter is the gatekeeper to heaven, sorting the souls to be let in or sent away. A bit like the sorting hat in the Harry Potter books.
The English name is Early-purple Orchid (orchis mascula) and it can be 50 to 60 centimetres high. Not so common on the west coast of Sweden. I was lucky that my father-in-law pointed it out to me before the roe-deer ate them. You can find it all over Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. Ha de Gött!
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis). This shy little flower is absolutely beautiful with its small white flowers and green leafs. But be careful with the innocent bride look. It is quite toxic and can give you problems like nausea, vomiting and irregular heartbeats. Sounds like a good wedding party.
There is maybe a good murder story with lily of the valley salad after a few years as married. Ha de Gött!
UlleHaddock 