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“Question – Why is a primrose like an umbrella? Answer – because at the touch of spring it opens.”
A riddle from County Kerry from the National Folklore Collection
By ROWAN LANNING Ecologist, IRD Duhallow
Latin name: Primula Vulgaris (First Flower)
Irish name: Sabhaircín
Common name: Primrose
Typically flowers from March to May
The primrose is a beloved native wildflower who harkens the arrival of spring and is one of our ancient woodland indicator plants – those whose presence is often most strongly seen in rare ancient woodlands and are slow to expand elsewhere. Typically seen from March through to May, the primrose decorates our woodlands, roadsides, and grassy banks with its blossoms and provides an important nectar source for pollinators including the small tortoiseshell butterfly. Although this spring wildflower is most often seen from March to May, it has been documented as early as December and an early sighting may be a sign of good luck! Several entries to the National Folklore Collection from County Cork state that if you see a primrose (or three, as one specifies) in February, it is a sign that you will not get a cold for the rest of the year! Another common piseog from the National Folklore Collection attributed to County Kerry tells of the protective nature of primrose, instructing to “Guard the house with a string of primroses on the first three days of May. The fairies are said not to be able to pass over or under this string”.
