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. 

Geranium silvaticum - Wood cranesbill - Géranium des bois

Hey guess what? 

These are all over the place all summer long, 

at most altitudes people walk around in, 

and they are edible! 

Yeah, just pick a bunch (make sure they are not in a polluted spot) 

and scatter them in your salads or picnic!

Tussilago farfara - Tussilage - Coltsfoot

I took this photo yesterday, 20th of Feb, in Verbier snowshoeing along around the Marlénaz and Bisse du Levron area.

So this happy yellow head sticks out right after the snow has melted away, a month or 2 before its leaves will start to grow! The leaves are what gives the flower its name in English: Coltsfoot, because they look like the imprint of a colt's foot. The leaves are white and soft on their underside and actually quite robust, they are excellent to use if you have forgotten toilet paper! ;)

You can pick a few flower heads and boil them in water with honey & lemon to make a syrup that is soooo yummy! But it is also good for your throat, which is what most people need at this time of year!

The syrup will keep, but I find it so delicious that it usually disappears the same day I make it!