Wood Cranesbill - Midsommarblomster

In Swedish, we call this flower midsommarblomster (= Midsummer flower).
The Latin name is Geranium sylvaticum. In England it is called Wood Cranesbill and is the county flower of Sheffield; and in North America it goes by the name of Woodland Geranium.

Depending on soil conditions, the flowers range from a mauve color to sky blue. It can also be found with white flowers. From the flower a blue-gray dye can be produced, which was used in the past to dye war cloaks (according to Wikipedia).

I came across these on my way to the Midsummer celebration; and again it was one of those occasions when the name just popped up in my memory from I-don’t-know-where-or-when.

Veronica and Buttercup

These blue flowers I remember from my childhood as “grandma’s eyeglasses” – in Swedish, “mormors glasögon”. I never had any idea why. Checking the Swedish Wikipedia article now I find the explanation that in the past, extracts from this plant were used to cure various eye diseases. The leaves have also been used to make herbal tea. Another Swedish name for it is Tea-Veronica. The Latin name is Veronica chamaedrys; in English the plant is also called Germander Speedwell.

The yellow ones are  Ranunculus acris –  English: Buttercup, Swedish: smörblomma ( “butterflower”).
A very common wild flower in Sweden.

Grape Hyacinth - Pärlhyacint

Grape Hyacinth - Muscari – Pärlhyacint

The Swedish name means “pearl hyacinth”.
The Latin name Muscari has to do with the scent said to be resembling musk.

Some species are among the earliest to bloom in the spring. They are planted as bulbs and tend to multiply quickly in well drained sandy soil. May be found in woodlands or meadows, and commonly cultivated in lawns, borders, rock gardens etc.

I’ve sometimes had these on my balcony in the early spring, together with daffodils.
The second photo from my (previous) balcony in 2007.

Yellow and blue are the colours of our Swedish flag.

Blue and yellow have been used as Swedish colours for more than 700 years. According to legend, the Swedish king ‘Eric the Holy’ saw a golden cross in the sky as he landed in Finland during the First Swedish Crusade in the 1150s. Seeing this as a sign from God, King Eric adopted the golden cross against a blue background as his banner. (Historians however debate whether  even the crusade ever took place.)

Now this may sound like something every Swedish person would know. As a matter of fact though, I’m not sure I ever heard that legend until I read it just now in the Wikipedia article!

Mosaic Monday: Countryside Outbuildings

See more Monday Mosaics at Mary's Little Red House. 

Waiting For Spring

"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gingerbread House with Icing

... Well, not really gingerbread, of course...

White House in White Garden

Tuesday Blue - Water Under the Bridge

Tuesday Blue: Winter Sky

Tuesday Blue Reflections

I had a post last Tuesday that I called Tuesday Blues. I just picked that title out of nowhere, from the day of the week, and the colour of the flower in the picture. Then I thought maybe I could make a theme of it? But... then I googled it, and found it not to be a very good title to repeat... See the Urban Dictionary definition of the expression. Oh-oh, language is a tricky business sometimes...!

I'll skip the 's' in the Blue... and just try to find some things blue to post on Tuesdays, that's all...

This is a very dull and grey time of the year we're in right now - and for a number of months forward. Not a whole lot of colours to be found outdoors in Nature now, compared to summer and early autumn! Because of this, I might also resort to a trip or two down Memory Lane sometimes to pick up some "leftovers" from the more colourful seasons, to brighten up the greyness of the present... We'll see!

Today's picture, however, is from this month.
The lights are Within, the reflections are Without!