The Cuckoo Flower / Blodyn y Gog: Let it Sing for a Long Time to Come
A Welsh exploration of the wildflower in Cymru and its relationship with the elusive herald of spring, by Esther Williams
This month I’ve teamed up with Radicle to publish my essay on the significance of the Cuckoo Flower in Wales. You can read the full post here.
Not so long ago, there was a sound that signalled the start of spring. As the days lengthened and the air warmed, the fresh faces of flowers were accompanied by a simple song; two notes, repeated again and again. It was the call of the cuckoo. Arriving from its winter residence in Africa, the sound was eagerly anticipated amongst Welsh folk, leading to a long list of superstitions and beliefs concerned with when and where you heard your first cu-koo, and the bird’s ability to foretell fates and fortunes for that year.
Read the full essay at Radicle.
Photos taken by Esther Williams in Hook, Pembrokeshire.
See previous Wild Welsh Plants essays at my website:
This is an amazingly lovely piece of writing! I am quite new on here and so happy to have found you, via Radicle. Fascinating! Thank you. Cuckoos seemed to have vanished from South Devon where I live - until I found their refuge on Dartmoor where they *seem plentiful.
Just heard the first cuckoo this morning