Love, love, love Cowslips...

Love, love, love Cowslips...    In the spring my father used to take my younger sister and I for walks in the countryside through the meadows and by the meandering streams - we loved to see Cowslips in masses on the banks of the streams and under the hedgerows.  I have a lot of plants in my garden that remind me of my Dad and childhood.  I was sad to see that agricultural 'advancements' have diminished the likelihood of seeing masses of these pretty flowers nowadays.  
The Cowslip is a cousin of the Primrose and is also an early spring flower. As such, it is closely associated with much English folklore and tradition, including adorning garlands for May Day and being strewn on church paths for weddings. Formerly a common plant of traditional meadows, ancient woodlands and hedgerows, it was picked in profusion across the country for many celebrations. But the loss of these habitats to the advancement of agriculture caused a serious decline in Cowslip populations and now fields coloured bright yellow with the nodding heads of Cowslips a rare sight. From: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/cowslip