Day 7: Connecting with nature to improve my wellbeing in the dark days of winter, by spotting some Primroses flowering in December
Venturing out during the storm
My goodness what a crazy weather day! Storm Darragh (named by the Irish Meterological Service) meant that there was an amber weather warning for 80 mph winds in our area today. Last night, all our phones had sirens go off to warn us of the red weather warning which is north of us! This morning I thought I would have a slow walk around the front garden to see if I could spot anything unusual for December. I was not disappointed.
A Winter Surprise
The front garden is small, it has a mini pond that I accidentally made in the summer you can read about my mini pond safari here Dark Days December Challenge: Day 5 Connecting with Nature – Doctor Melissa Palmer The front garden also has a small pond, a mini wild flower meadow, a raised flower bed at the back near the front wall which has a Buddleja, a Fusia and a Cotoneaster (which I filmed earlier this week) Dark Days December Challenge: Day 3 Connecting with Nature – Doctor Melissa Palmer it has now lost nearly all of its’ beautiful red leaves.
I walked slowly past the pond and saw some Primroses flowering. I would not have spotted them until the Christmas break if it had not been for this December challenge. Beautiful, delicate, pale yellow petals with a egg yolk orange centre – in the photos you can see the anthers loaded with pollen – for any brave pollinators who are flying about in December. The winter honey bees won’t leave the hive in this weather!
December Primroses
The impact on my wellbeing
I cannot begin to tell you how surprised I was to see this plant flowering in winter. There were new flowers that you can see in the photos. But also there were battered flowers (that you can see in the YouTube Short). Primroses are not strangers to my gardens. Both the front and back garden are adorned with primroses in the early Spring. I usually see them start to flower in February and then they come into their own in March. As the warm Spring sunshine starts to grace us with it’s presence, the Primroses carpet much of the back garden’s open space and have started to spread in the front garden. These Primroses brought joy to a dark, stormy December day – they were food for my soul as we head towards the darkest days of this year.
The meaning of Primroses
In English folklore the Primrose is a symbol of young love and new beginnings. This is because they are associated with early Spring and new life. Further research, found that Primroses will flower in December if it has been particularly mild. We have been in double figures since the Autumn equinox – apart from the odd day where it was frosty or on particular day when it snowed in November. I delighted that the mild weather has given me the gift of these beautiful flowers. These yellow jewels have brought some light to the darkest days of the year.