Cowslips are very easy to find in Ballyyahoo, once spring sets in.
They grow like magic, in many of the fields around the tiny town.
The ones in the picture grow in a lovely meadow behind a little house that belongs to Biddy, The Witch of Ballyyahoo.
Biddy loves to see the Cowslips arrive because she knows they mean that spring is here.
The evenings will get longer, the sunset later and of course it brings the end of the cold weather of winter.
Cowslips grow less than a foot high and have several flowers on each stem. Each flower has five little petals and in the centre are some spots of pale orange.
Some years ago, cowslips were in danger of disappearing from Ireland altogether. That’s because too much of the land they grow in was being used for large farms and other developments.
The fragile little Cowslips need green fields to grow.
We are lucky in Ballyyahoo that there are so many fields and that nobody sprays them with the chemicals that kill them.
It used to be said that yellow flowers would keep witches away but if you asked Biddy, she’d say that was a load of old cow manure.
Witches like Biddy love nature and flowers, especially the bright yellow ones that appear in spring, like the Cowslip and another delicate little flower – the Primrose.
However, if you were talking to Biddy she might also tell you that if you were to eat a primrose you might see a fairy.
But that could just be a story, Biddy, like most Ballyyahooians, love to tell a story.
By the way, you might be interested to learn that Cowslips and Primroses are cousins. If you look closely you can tell because they both have raggedy-looking leaves.
You can read more about primroses here.
Ballyyahoo – encourage your children to love nature.
THE WITCH OF BALLYYAHOO
You will love this wickedly funny adventure story from Ballyyahoo.
Gerry discovers a magic stone and learns that there’s a villain on the way.
Something terrible’s going to happen in Ballyyahoo and only Gerry can save them
AMAZON.COM – THE WITCH OF BALLYYAHOO
AMAZON.CO.UK – THE WITCH OF BALLYYAHOO
Praise for The Witch of Ballyyahoo
“A great read – another great story.” – Paul Watters
“A great read for all ages. Easy to read again and again. Can’t recommend it highly enough.”- Chris Coyne
“Inventive and clever, I can’t wait to see what Gerry is going to get into next!” – Heather G.
“Anyone who believes witches ride broomsticks and boil toads in a cauldron should read The Witch of Ballyhoo and meet a real live witch whose travels everywhere on the back of her hoover and is determined to keep the people in her village safe from harm.’” – J. Considine.
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