Buttercups

It has been very hot recently and the bears have spent most of their time out of doors. Sometimes their pals come round for the day as well and they can all have a picnic outside for their lunch. They usually play games first thing (when they have extra loads of energy) and then, when it gets very sunny and hot, they will sit in the shade of the trees in the garden and chat and drink cold lemonade and snooze.

They were sitting outside the other day when Crackers started to tell them all about the names of some of the wildflowers in the garden.

Most people don't like to see wildflowers in their green lawns and dig them out, but the bears like them and let them stay.

Anyway, Crackers told them that one of their favourites was called a buttercup - a pretty little yellow flower on long stems - sometimes you see them in the grass verges at the sides of the road too, and they can definitely be found in the fields in the countryside.

Tommy wanted to know why it was called a buttercup, apart from the fact that it was yellow.

Crackers explained that there was an old saying that if, when you held a buttercup underneath someone's chin, you could see the yellow colour reflected back, then you knew that they liked butter.

So they tried it out amongst themselves. They all have different coloured fur, but it still seems as if they all love butter!!

The only exception is Custard, because no-one could see any yellow reflected on him, since he is yellow all over anyway! The other bears think he probably does like butter because he eats it on his toast (and lots of other things), even if his chin can't prove it!

They also found a really unusual buttercup, one none of them had ever seen before. It was double-headed! Two flowers on just one stalk! Amazing!

When you are next out in your garden, or walking down a country lane, or in a grassy field, look out for any buttercups and test each other to find out if you like butter too!! Who knows? You might also find an unusual one like the bears did! Look closely!