Ha! I have heard it said that “the Devil makes work for idle hands,” maybe he does, I don’t know about that. Today we are going to talk about Monkey Business, of the botanical kind.
I just want to mention the star of today’s show.
Pretending to be Old Nick himself, this beautiful little innocent is one of our ASBO lambs. Born into the wild, this one has survived. I just met him about an hour ago and I was struck by his inner beauty.
I wish he was mine 🙂
Let’s talk about flowers (and hanky panky)
Primroses are lovely.
No question about that.
The Cowslip is so tall and strong.
Handsome even, that is just another word for beautiful.
But…
Should we leave them alone together?
I don’t know how much that you know about the birds and the bees but if you leave Primroses and Cowslips alone together then there is a very fair chance that they will get up to Hanky Panky.
This is a flower called the False Oxlip, real Oxlips are very rare and a species in their own right. A False Oxlip is the result of a liaison between a Primrose and a Cowslip. We are not here to judge.
It seems to me to be a very beautiful offspring.
His mum was not what I would call a looker.
But I noticed his sister.
Beautiful animals.
A Tramp in the Woods 
Beltane fire for you? I think that sheep is a good looker; looks like a nice coat of wool he has there. Who knew flowers would do hanky panky…….well, you did, of course!
LikeLike
You just can’t leave them alone together. Thank you Sarasin 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is an important day, Colin. My birthday. It used to be a national holiday in my honour. And as a man of Wales I am of course inordinately fond of sheep. 😳
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even the devilish ones? Thank you Andrew 🙂
LikeLike
Sorry, I forgot to say Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday my friend 🙂
LikeLike
Dai’d in the wool Welshman, I should have said. Thanks Colin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a great story for MayDay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much 🙂
LikeLike
OMG I’m so in love with the siblings. Really, in LOVE. Thank you so much for this post. Love the LAMBS and the beautiful flowers. Baaaaa and kisses on the sheep.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Gigi 🙂 I liked that little black one so much if he had been a bit older I might have stolen him. I wonder if my Landlord would notice a Ram in my flat? He didn’t notice the butterflies.
LikeLike
I almost think the hybrid cross is the prettier of the two! Love the lambs – they look so pure and innocent! Unlike the primroses and cowslips! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Eliza 🙂 I agree, the hybrid makes a very nice little flower. I don’t see them very often though. Primroses seem to grow best in the shade and the Cowslips like the sun, so there are not that many places where I find them growing together.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So do I assume that primrose and cowslip are in the same family and if so how close is the relationship and the lambs are certainly beautiful and so is the false oxlip
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you John 🙂 Primula veris and Primula vulgaris, the Cowslip and the Primrose are very closely related and P. veris x vulgaris = P. polyantha.
LikeLike
Ahah. But I think the Oxlip is prettier that all. Often crossbreeds in people and animals as well as plants seem to bring out the best.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the lambs ❤
Also, loved "We are not here to judge." LOL
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Joey 🙂 I worry about the little lambs but it is nice to have them wandering about the villages here.
LikeLike
He sure is handsome 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you RR 🙂 He is a little devil. I do hope that somebody sees the value in him and that he has a good life. He was just outside of the gate to the field where we keep our own sheep yesterday. I could so easily have opened it for him. The trouble is that he would stick out a little bit amongst our white sheep 🙂
LikeLike
You are right about the goings on in the primula family! We have primroses in our ditches (fairly recent arrivals) and cowslips in the grass. Since the primroses arrived we have had such a selection of primulas growing in the garden – all shapes and sizes – all different! The lambs are adorable and their Mum (though not a looker) has a nice face.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Clare 🙂 The False Oxlip has to be one of the best hybrids though. Almost worth encouraging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I quite agree 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
A delightful post. I was either smiling or laughing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Elen 🙂
LikeLike