Cow or Ox?

Not great focus (should have changed lens but dog on lead and field full of cowpats was incompatible with lens change). Anyhow - we found this by a stream on our walk near Newmarket today and think that it's an Oxlip - but it could be a cowslip.... More to the point I was shocked to discover that the smaller version are cows-lips and not cow-slips.

[simon peter thorne]

Beautiful Judith

[Diana Moss]

Nice shot Judith, I have never heard of" cow -lips "

[bernadette mcelligott]

heard of the others, but never cow-lips Mmmmmmmmmmmm very nice shot even with the dog and cowpats lol

[Judith Greenwood]

@snowy @cookie123 We were just discussing the fact that if it's an ox-lip then maybe the other is a cows-lip - whereas I'd always said cow-slip. Either way - it's nice to see so many about when they used to be a rare sight.

[Helen Moss]

beautiful - and now you know why I always thought they were cow-slips not cows-lips!

[Jen Dee]

Lovely!

[Graham Harcombe]

Maybe those other things were cowp- hats. But don't be tempted to try one on! Whatever they're called, you found a very pretty little clump.

[Isla Wight]

You had me wondering there - just googled it and apparently it is in fact cow-slip:

"Old English cūslyppe, from cū ‘cow’ + slipa, slyppe ‘slime’, i.e. cow slobber or dung"

Oxlip has a similar etymology but has lost an 's' along the way:

"Old English oxanslyppe, from oxa ‘ox’ + slyppe ‘slime’; compare with cowslip"

[Isla Wight]

Sorry - with all that pedantry - forgot to say - what a nice pic - good focusing on the blooms - they're such a gorgeous pale yellow.

[Judith Greenwood]

@islawight Yet again 365 is an education. Well there you go - I'm glad it's a cow-slip. Such a pretty flower to be named after cow slime though. Thanks for the research!!

[Helen Moss]

ooh, interesting. I think cow-slip is nicer too (although not sure about the slobbering part. ) Now I wonder if Isla could sort out my car-flick from my calf-lick!