My top four wildflowers, rated for bristles, prickles and thorns, are: 1. Nature's Forgotten Folklore: Myths and Magic in Islington, Richard Meyers. The tap roots in an established clump run deep and are brittle so tend to snap off when land is cleared, then spring back into life. Hay bales divided walkway areas; wildflowers were planted in all manner of containers, from old boots to shopping trolleys. The word "alkanet" derives from Middle English, from Old Spanish alcaneta, diminutive of alcana, "henna", from Medieval Latin alchanna, from Arabic al-inn, "henna": al-: "the" + inn, "henna". Teasel and 4. Two or three drops of the essential oil with some sugar has been used to cure flatulence. 3AM. The Evergreen Alkanet (A. sempervireus) is also found in Great Britain. That is a different Alkanet, Dyer's Alkanet. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Alkanet addresses stomach and duodenal ulcers, jaundice, and intestinal worms. Many herbs, including vervain (Verbena officinalis), sage (Salvia apiana), elder (Sambucus nigra) and, of course, St Johns wort (Hypericum) are believed to reach the peak of their powers on the feast of St John. Farmers have been bringing in their crops since Lammas (1 August) but it is traditionally a busy time in the still-room, too, foraging hedgerows for herbs, berries, fruits and fungi, preserving them in alcohol, syrups and drying them. It is on the noxious weed \"monitor list\" so it is just recommended that we remove them. Traditionally, heavy crops of berries, especially holly (Ilex aquifolium), predict a hard winter, as do thick skins on apples and onions. The corolla is rather small, between funnel and salver-shaped; usually purplish-blue, but in some species yellow or whitish; the calyx enlarges in fruit. Its thought that green alkanet was introduced here from the Mediterranean area and the name, alkanet, is derived from the Arabic for henna. The ground, dried berry is very aromatic and has a robust, peppery taste. Allspice was used by the Mayans as an embalming agent and by other native South Americans to flavor chocolate. They are set in delicate dark green foliage that turns a rusty red in dry weather. Also called Goud, Ode. This is a plant known as the Green Alkanet. Set the cup down into a pan containing a few inches of water. If you are trying to solve a problem you're facing, you should consider hiring a professional witch that cast spells safely for everyone involved. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. Alkanet. One of its folknames is Kiss Me Quick. Its glossy leaves are purple underneath; in full sun, stem, stalks and flower bases are tinged with purple. They named it Aspirin (acetyl + spiraea ulmaria) after the plants earlier botanical name, Spiraea ulmaria. The many offspring of our first Hedge Woundwort, which came from an Ecology Centre wildflower sale, reappear each spring. The bees love the flower. Green Magic - Flowers, Plants and Herbs in Lore and Legend, Lesley Gordon, p.162. The secret of controlling alkanet is to wrench out (wearing gloves) the brittle, unpleasantly hairy flower stems as they age and before they go to seed (they will almost immediately produce new. Perhaps if we mentioned in passing to our neighbours that our Taraxacums were doing well this year, we might do a little to reinstate what is, after all, quite a handsome flower. Woke me up.). Well, you can eat the flowers. Thanks for a marvelous posting! The book is available free, while stocks last, from The Islington Ecology Centre, 191 Drayton Park, London N5 1PH (By personal visit rather than by post.). I think my mistake was confusing it for the annual borage. Wild Carrot grows in sandy soils, hedgerows, grassland, along roadsides and on cliffs. Tiny PINK flowers appear in bands around these eggshaped thistles attracting bees, and butterflies such as the Red Admiral and the Comma. Green Alkanet is common and widespread in the southern part of the UK, less so in the midlands and north, and only found in the east and south of Ireland close to the coast. The selection of native plants includes Chickweed, Milkwort and Shepherds Purse small and easily overlooked by many of us. During this stage, in its first year, it can be pulled up easily and moved to a sunny place where humans will not brush against it. I have reached out to some friends of mine who have ties to Caribbean Island Natives still living today for their perspective. Hedge Woundwort has no problems with dense shade or London Clay: small plantlets are easily pulled up and replanted elsewhere. Even in the rush of the modern world, most of us pause to acknowledge the changing of the seasons. It is known for its beautiful blue-purple flowers that bloom in the spring and summer. Its YELLOW flowers proved unattractive to insects, and it appears that only one insect, an aphid, lives ON it. They gathered the fresh, sweet tips of spring greens such as Good King Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus), dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) and chickweed (Stellaria media) for food and medicine. No insect cares to even rest its wings by perching on Yellow Loosestrife, which has been used, rather, as an insect deterrent. Wax tinged with Alkanet, and applied to the surface of warm marble, stains it flesh-colour and sinks deep into the stone. It is important to harvest them while they are still green because once they ripen, much of their aroma evaporates. At the Ecology Centre we are provided with gauntlets tough, rugged gloves reaching almost to the elbow for tasks involving prickly plants. 8000wildflowers Posts: 278 March 2016 Thanks both (nutcutlet and Jimmy). This wildflower is a member of the pea family and an important plant for wildlife. Stems branched, stem leaves unstalked. Leave flower (and root) intact for the bees. Also known as Queen Annes Lace, this is a dainty, frothy wildflower. True solstices, in winter and summer, are fleeting moments when the sun reaches its northernmost or southernmost point, but the day around that point will be the very shortest or longest of the year. Old herbalists would also claim its worth as an aid against other pestilential disorders. The larva are carnivorous, so each is given its own plant; they feed on the flowers and seedpods. Its folknames include Grandmothers Nightcap, Plum-puddings, White Robin and Thunderbolts. In this booklet for Islington Council, Conservation Ranger Richard Meyers collects some of the stories, folknames and legends surrounding our local wildlife There are traditions from a rural way of life before the industrial revolution, and tales from other countries who share some of our flora and fauna. Pour into lip balm tubes or slider tins or small 1/2 ounce tins. The hair stings and sticks into skin. As for how it got its name, a website called www.honeytraveler.com, which looks at honey worldwide, shows photos of Vipers Bugloss seeds that show the perceived resemblance between the seed and a vipers head Echium is a Latin word taken from the Greek echis for viper; bugloss is Greek for ox tongue, referring to the roughness and shape of the plants leaves. www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/wild_carrot This may be true for humans, but one wild carrot, planted in the garden here, was eaten, possibly by mice. Its WHITE flowers provide autumn nectar for insects, including the Red Admiral and Comma butterflies; its BLACK berries are an important food source for birds in winter. Prunella vulgaris has a long history of use in traditional medicine. It is very vigorous and grows well, and has pretty blue flowers amongst the green, hairy stems. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 5. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I'm glad to be always learning though. Some gardeners used birds to decide the best time to plant. This is an extract from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens new book The Witches Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine by Sandra Lawrence, published by Welbeck. Used in herbal teas and herbal tobacco, a poultice of its leaves was used on wounds, bites and poisonous stings, and it was inhaled to treat bronchitis. Dog Rose 3. Days had been getting longer since the winter solstice (21 December) and people were tired of root vegetables, dried beans and withered herbs. It is masculine in nature, very manly. Wear gloves when handling the leaves, which may cause dermatitis. The bright yellow flowers of the common gorse, with their light, coconut fragrance, meant kissing was back in season. A native wildflower which sends up long stems of YELLOW flowers each year, this one is most definitely not a bee favourite. The flowers, tiny LILAC snapdragons, bloom from May to September. All of the leaves are bright green, hairy, and very shallowly toothed. The shrub Nerium oleander is a drought-tolerant Mediterranean bush with narrow, dark-green leaves and trusses of pink or red flowers. Later settlers who cured meat this way became known as buccaneers, which eventually came to be the word buccaneers. I want you to feel the lovage give it a small corner of your garden, find it a place in your kitchen, and it might find a place in your heart Recipes include Lovage, Lettuce, Pea and Cucumber Soup, and Courgette and Lovage Pasta. Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I've read stuff from.Many thanks for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this page. In the countries where allspice originates, the leaves are also used in cooking or smoking meat and are known as west Indian bay leaf, though it doesnt taste much like the other sort of bay leaf. One of the most magical winter flowering plants is witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), whose tiny pale spidery flowers punch a strong perfume into the air. Allspice comes from a tree in the myrtle family that grows in Central and South America. . A wildflower of fields, pastures and lawns, Self-heal likes clay soil and sunshine. But the wildness isn't just displayed in the existence of this plant that pops up persistently in all these unnoticed spaces. Dreamstime is the world`s largest stock photography community. Its flowers are visited by many insects for pollen and nectar; its leaves are foodplants for the Silver-studded Blue Butterfly and the Six-spot Burnet Moth. Birdsfoot Trefoils YELLOW flowers bloom from June to September over a mat of small, dark green leaves. It has very pretty blue flowers which look like forget me nots but aren't - slightly darker blue I think. It is not generally considered a native, but it is not an uncommon hedgeplant in Devonshire. There are many spiritual and cultural contexts for cannibalism and it is also true that colonizers and, indeed, many groups throughout history used the charge of cannibalism to demonize others. Varieties: Pimenta dioica,Pimento officinalis, orEugenia Pimenta. Its stamens are hidden inside narrow flower-tubes which end in a white eye in the centre of a blue flower. It could damage young seedlings, though was also said to herald a good growing season. True alkanet (A. officinalis), also known as common bugloss, bears purple flowers in coiled . The Evergreen Alkanet (A. sempervireus) is also found in Great Britain. Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae, This article is about green alkanet. Seach #WildmorningswithChris to find and watch. Garlic Mustard is a food plant for the Orange Tip Butterfly. The daisy-like feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) was believed to reduce fevers, inflammation and headaches. These are followed by pods bearing many tiny seeds, which are easily scattered by wind. bats, hedgehogs, frogs and toads) and games, with Wildlife Rangers on hand to answer questions. The berries of Lords and Ladies, aka cuckoo pint (Arum maculatum), for example, were believed to ease gout when beaten with ox dung. In its glory days, five plants from a wildflower sale at the Ecology Centre provided many blooms for bees. The BURGUNDY flowers of this wildflower, irresistable to many small bees and other insects, appear in June and bloom until first frosts. It is happy in dampish shade and can be hard to eradicate. The prickly heads were used for combing teasing the knots out of sheeps wool. One way to is to make a liquid/feed compost by soaking the plant. For oil-based products, infuse oil by placing approximately 1 TBSP in cup of oil. In The Secret Life of Plants, David Attenborough describes how the flowers turn to the wall on which they grow to disperse their seeds. Blessed be. Edith painted the wildflowers, birds and other wildlife she saw, walking or cycling through countryside around her home in Orton, Warwickshire. I wrote that post in 2008 and I think others have made similar comments in the past. Hiring a Professional Witch will save you time, money, and frustration! A cold snap was known as blackthorn winter because frost suddenly arrived after the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) had blossomed. Bees absolutely love it, but what started as a few volunteer plants has gotten way too weedy all because of my ignorance and no one warning me about it despite all the training I've had. It really hurts as well because of all the tiny hairs on the leaves. 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