It's that time of year, winter is dragging on in a damp fashion, compounded by lockdown. It's dreary many days. We don't often see snow here and have few frosty mornings. It's not that cold most days but it rains... frequently.
The upside of our climate is that spring comes early and green things thrive. And the landscapes here are truly glorious so when we do have a clear blue day, we get to take advantage of it... when we can leave the house.
Daffodils are a sign of spring all around the UK, but they flower earliest here, well except for the Isles of Scilly which are off the coast of Cornwall as they have an even milder climate than we do in Cornwall. Daffodils are grown here and sent to the flower markets and muddy brown fields with brilliant yellow stripes are common.
The Daffodil is the national flower of Wales and is worn on St David's Day which is the first of March. In Welsh though, it is known as St Peter's Leek. Originally, the national plant was believed to have been the leek but the Daffodil was adopted in the 19th Century. I am not sure what the daffodil has to do with St Peter!
As much as I love Daffodils however, the flower I grew up with as the first flower of spring was the humble, shy Snow Drop. A flower that is strong enough to flower while snow is still on the ground but fails to thrive if picked.
Galantamine is a drug used to treat Alzheimer's to help slow the cognitive decline. It was first isolated from the common Snowdrop but was later produced from Daffodils. Although daffodils are still used, it can be produced commercially.
It's still dark right now. It's some time till the clocks change, but here at least, the world is green. So my spring tartan is mostly green with black but there are threads of yellow and white... either for daffodils and snowdrops or snow / frost and the returning sun if you live somewhere a little colder!
If you want to look at my pinterest board it is here!
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