Fun Facts about Spring & Summer Flowers

Enjoy these fun facts about 6 spring and summer flowers! Included are daffodils, bluebells, forget-me-nots, dandelions, sunflowers and daisies.

Children have a natural affinity with nature. Spending time outdoors in green spaces and observing nature, is great for our physical and mental well-being, not to mention being perfect for fun, informal learning!

I’ve chosen spring and summer flowers which can be found all around us. Perhaps you’ll spot them on walks, in parks, in gardens and growing along hedgerows, pavements and roadsides.

Daffodil

4 photographs of daffodils

Aren’t daffodils lovely, bright and cheerful flowers?

They are the birth flower for March and appear at the start of spring, usually between February and May.

Daffodils have a central trumpet surrounded by six petals and are mostly yellow or white.

It is thought that the Romans brought daffodils to the UK, probably from Spain and Portugal. There is, however, one type of wild daffodil that is native to the UK. It is has a deep yellow trumpet with pale yellow petals and grey green leaves and it grows in woodland and meadows.

Did you know in China, daffodils symbolise good fortune, in Japan they mean joy and in France they are a sign of hope.

Giving somebody a bunch of daffodils as a gift is meant to bring them happiness.

Bluebell

4 photographs of bluebells

Bluebells usually flower from mid April to late May and are a wonderful sign that spring and warmer weather has arrived!

Bluebell flowers are a beautiful violet blue colour and have a strong, sweet smell.

They have 6 petals which curl up at the ends and look like little bells.

Bluebells grow in western Europe and almost half of the bluebells in the world live in the UK!

Bluebells like growing in the shade and, as a result, you will find them in woodland, as well as under hedges and fields.

When lots of bluebells grow together, they look like a beautiful blue carpet! They don’t like to be disturbed so we must be careful not to step on them when out walking.

In folklore, it was said that at daybreak (the start of the day), bluebells ring to call fairies to the woods.

Forget-me-not

4 photographs, bottom left shows close up of forget-me-not flowers, top left shows a ladybird on forget-me-not flowers, top right shows a mass of forget-me-not flowers and bottom right shows a brown mouse

Forget-me-nots are little flowers which appear in April and May.

They are usually sky blue but sometimes pale pink or white and all have yellow centres.

You’ll often see forget-me-nots at the front of garden borders and at the edges of paths.

The forget-me-not belongs to a group of flowers called ‘Myosotis’. This word comes from two Greek words, ‘myos’ meaning ‘mouse’ and ‘otos’ meaning ‘ear’.

It was thought that the shape of the forget-me-not petals looked like mouse ears. I’ve included a picture of a little mouse for you to compare!

What do you think?

Dandelion

image shows 4 photographs - bottom left is a roaring lion, top left is a dandelion, top right are dandelion leaves and bottom right is dandelion clock

Dandelions flower from March to October.

The flowers are bright yellow and the clock seedheads are white and fluffy.

They are an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other insects.

The flowers usually close up when it rains and at night. They open again in the morning.

You can eat all parts of the dandelion – the flowers, leaves and roots. They are rich in vitamins A,C and K!

The name Dandelion actually comes from the French words ‘dents de lion’ which means lion’s teeth. This is because of the jaggedy edges of their leaves.

I’ve included a picture of lion’s teeth for you to compare! Do they look like scary teeth to you?

Sunflower

4 photographs connected with sunflowers. Bottom left is sunflowers against a blue sky, top left shows sunflower seed head with a bird eating the seeds, top right showers sunflower head with bees, bottom right shows sunflower seeds

Sunflowers originally came from North America but we now grow them all over the world.

There are over 70 types, from giant to small, and they can be yellow, dark red and orange.

Sunflowers really do love sunshine! Whilst they are growing, they turn their heads to follow the sun. This helps them get as much sunlight as possible to grow bigger and bigger. Amazing!

Sunflowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and ladybirds.

In the autumn, after the sunflower has finished flowering, its centre turns into sunflower seeds. Each sunflower can contain up to 2,000 seeds!

We can eat sunflower seeds and animals, such as birds and squirrels, love eating them too as you can see here!

Daisy

4 photographs of daisies

Daisies are little flowers which bloom from March to October.

You will find them growing in grass in lots of places, such as gardens, grass verges, parks and fields.

Did you know that daisies grow everywhere in the world except Antartica?!

Daisies are actually 2 flowers in 1. The yellow middle bit is called the ‘eye’. It’s made of lots of tiny flowers called florets. Bees love them as they contain lots of nectar! The white petals around the yellow eye are called rays.

The name ‘daisy’ originally comes from the words ‘day’s eye’. This is because during the day, you can see daisies’ bright yellow eyes wide awake. At night, daisies close their petals over their eyes. They open them again in the morning, just like we do!

 

Hope you have lots of fun spotting these beautiful spring and summer flowers!

For more nature-related activities, have a look at my blog on the wonders of gardening with children, as well as growing fairytale vegetables. Each vegetable links to a fairytale!

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