Nature Happenings #2
Primrose tea and bee flies
Hello, Emma here. This week we’ve noticed a big increase in the number of flowering primroses popping up along many of our local paths and woodlands. One of the first to flower, when we lived in the woods they would shine like little suns through the brown leaf litter, lifting our spirits with the knowledge that spring was finally coming.
We also associate the flowering of primrose with our first sightings of bee flies, so we are now eagerly awaiting the appearance of these adorable little flies that buzz between the primroses, drinking up the sweet nectar through their long proboscises.
Benji loves to pick and eat the flowers as we walk, but we also like to make a tea with the flowers and young leaves of primrose. A slightly sweet, sunshine filled drink that can genuinely lift spirits, as primroses contain chemicals that can help sooth anxiety and headaches. This is the sort of drink that tastes best made outdoors, so we’ll be taking out our Kelly Kettle this weekend in search of abundant primrose patches, gathering a few (just about 10 flowers for a pot of tea) to sit by a stream and drink it, soaking up the sunshiny goodness.
Let us know if you try it - and if you spot a bee fly!
