Primula veris - cowslip - primevère

As the name suggests it is one of the first spring flowers to appear in the fresh & wet areas of our alpine regions.

The flowers can be used to help as an expectorant when one has a cough in the spring months.

Viola sylvatica - Violette - Violet

Wow I just discovered something fascinating about violets : they are cleistogamous & self-fertilizing. 

Uhhhh, what does that mean? 

Dont worry I just learned myself! It means they flower in spring as a barren flower without seed. In the fall they flower again and are so small you almost dont notice them, but these are without petals and contain alot of seeds!

Nature is just soooo cool!

They are edible and can be put into salads and desserts, which is a cute thing to do!

I took this pic today! Yippeee!

Cydonia oblonga - Quince tree - Cognassier

 These flowers are from a quince tree in my garden. 

They come out in May, sometimes while it is still snowing!

I can't wait to see them with our honey bees this spring!

The fruit smells sooo good that I wish it didn't have to be cooked for hours before eating!

Achillea millefolium - Common yarrow - Achillée millefeuille

A magical plant!

 The leaves from this flower are as it says, thousands, millefeuille. 

They help stop hemorraging. 

I once cut my finger and tied a leaf around the cut and it stopped! 

I had been bleeding non-stop for a good 5 minutes, 

and no amount of pressure I was applying was helping. 

You can make a delicious tea out of the flower heads to help with feminine problems. 

Just be sure not to give this to anyone who has any blood issues!!! 

Grasshoppers like them too!

Salvia pratensis - Sauge des prés - Wild Sage

This is one you see all summer long in the fields. 

You can use & eat the flowers as decorations in salads. 

The leaves are used to make infusions that are supposed to make your throat feel good. 

It is particularly tasty as a sirop in summer. 

Nigritella rhellicani - Orchis vanille - Vanilla orchid

This cutie grows between 1500-2500 meters so you will only find it in the mountains. They don't grow very tall, so you have to get onto your knees to stick your nose on it to find out why it has the word vanilla in its name. Ohhhhh! It is soooo worth it!

Wild orchids are all protected in Switzerland, so don't pick it when you see it please!

Daffodils

Spriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!