i've seen posts about the juhannus tradition of picking 7 wildflowers and putting them under the pillow to meet a spouse in a dream. so what wildflowers are common in finland? like what flowers often get picked for juhannus
(just as a curious non-finn from a country that doesn't really celebrate midsummer but also as a flower lover)
Hello! Some common wildflowers at this time of the year include:
Mäkitervakko (commonly known as tervakukka, Lychnis viscaria, syn. Viscaria vulgaris, Silene viscaria), lemmikki (Myosotis), niittyleinikki (Ranunculus acris, syn R. "acer")
Ahopäivänkakkara (Leucanthemum vulgare), kissankello (Campanula rotundifolia), harakankello (Campanula patula)
Koiranputki (Anthriscus sylvestris), laidunpoimulehti (Alchemilla monticola), valkoapila (Trifolium repens)
Puna-apila (Trifolium pratense), ahomansikka (Fragaria vesca), niittynätkelmä (Lathyrus pratensis)
Depending on the year (how cold or warm it has been) some of these might have already bloomed by Midsummer or might bloom later.
Another one that you see a lot at this time of the year is komealupiini (Lupinus polyphyllus). This is an invasive plant in Finland.
While these are not commonly included in the bouquet for magic, another two iconic flower at this time of the year are keltakurjenmiekka (Iris pseudacorus) and juhannusruusu (Rosa spinosissima 'Plena').
For my Finnish followers, please feel free to add any common Midsummer flowers I might have forgotten about!
All photos from the Finnish and English Wikipedia articles.
