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treefolklore.bsky.social
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Just lose yourself in the yellow haze 🌼✨

Why are we lied to about wildflowers in Ireland and the UK? As a society we have been taught to think that anything growing wild is a weed & if the grass grows beyond the sole of a shoe it must be cut. As of yesterday these white and red Clover flowers are gone & soon so will the bees🔥💮🌸

In Irish folklore the Fox has a long established bond with the Fairies 🦊🧚🏻 Acting as a messenger & guardian of their doorways the little folk gifted each Fox a magical Pearl as a token of their friendship 🧡 Should you find such such a Pearl it will be bestow upon you tremendous good luck 🦪🪄

In Ireland Nettles support around forty different species and many of these support other creatures which feed upon them 🐞🦋 One of the most useful properties of Nettle, beyond using them to make soup or tea, is that carrying a piece in your pocket will render you immune to lightning strikes 🌿⛈️

The Elder, known as Trom in Ireland, is intensely magical & important to biodiversity 🦋💮 Burning the wood of the tree would bring misfortune and even death whilst if a baby's crib was to be made from Elder then slowly but surely the infant would sicken and be taken away by the fairies 🧚🏻‍♂️☠️

In Norse mythology, a squirrel named Ratatoskr scurries along the branches of Yggdrasil 🌳spending eternity delivering messages between the eagle Hræsvelgr, perched at the tree's peak, and the dragon Níðhöggr, who gnaws at its roots constantly stirring tension ensuring their rivalry never ends 🐿️⚔️

Cow Parsley enjoying life by the River Lagan🌿☀️ Not long ago nothing grew here but as a result of tougher financial times rather than awareness wildlife is given a chance🌿🦋 Cow Parsley was called Dead Mans Flourish and it was believed that someone would die if the plant was brought into the home ☠️💮

Blackbirds live for about four years during which they grace us with their beauty and ethereal song 🪶🎶 If you collect a feather of a Blackbird, place it beneath the pillow of a loved one & they shall tell you the their innermost desires and their darkest secrets...but do you really want to know? 🪶🐦‍⬛

In the Ogham, Furze appears as Gort which means "meadow" & was once of great importance and added monetary value to a piece of land 💰 Sacred to Lugh, the shining former King of the "Tuatha Dé Danaan" it was prized as food for livestock🐄🌿 Carrying a sprig will keep you from getting lost 🌼

In Norse mythology, a squirrel named Ratatoskr scurries along the branches of Yggdrasil 🌳spending eternity delivering messages between the eagle Hræsvelgr, perched at the tree's peak, and the dragon Níðhöggr, who gnaws at its roots constantly stirring tension ensuring their rivalry never ends 🐿️⚔️

Ireland lies under a blanket if Hawthorn blossom 💮 We know it as a fairy portal but in ancient Rome it was used to close doors 🚪✨i Sacred to Cardea, Roman Goddess of Doorways & Hinges,Hawthorn would be hung on a newborn's door to strengthen Cardea's power as she protected the sleeping baby💮🩷

Breakfast time 🍲 When we crop our public areas of grass these little folk have nothing to eat 🌼 🐝

Dandelions are known as Caisearbhán in Irish 🌼☘️ A lifeline for pollinating insects, the seeds are a popular source of food for beautiful native birds such as Goldfinches 🐝💛 When you blow the seeds and count those that remain then the present time in the Celtic Otherworld will be revealed to you 🌼⏳

Nettles have long been a symbol of loneliness & desolation but they are very, very healthy for you 🌿 In Ireland, it was once believed that having a three meals of Nettle during the month of April (May depending upon who you ask) would keep you healthy and free from illness for the rest of the year🌱

Nettles have long been a symbol of loneliness & desolation but they are very, very healthy for you 🌿 In Ireland, it was once believed that having a three meals of Nettle during the month of April (May depending upon who you ask) would keep you healthy and free from illness for the rest of the year🌱

Surrounded by mist this Hawthorn was both ancient and beautiful 🌳🤍 When fog descends in Ireland you can be sure that fairies are about. The fairy mist is known as Féth fiada and it's shimmering clouds hide the magical folk from the eyes of humans 🧚🏻‍♂️☁️ #FairytaleTuesday

I think that the greatest gift you can give your children is to restore the natural world that their ancestors once enjoyed🌳🐺🐝

A juvenile Alder (Alnus Glutinosa) growing by a peat stained river on Ireland's west coast🍀 A riverbank without Alder is a sad riverbank🌳🌿

I think that the greatest gift you can give your children is to restore the natural world that their ancestors once enjoyed🌳🐺🐝

Bees suffer in an ever changing world & they need Dandelions and other native flowers to survive🐝🌼 Bees are keepers of great wisdom & messengers to the Otherworld. In Irish mythology they are sacred to Ogma the Honey Mouthed God and the plants that sustain them should be cherished 🍯✨

Known in Irish as Sabhaircín, Primroses produce a strange ethereal glow as they exude their protective magic ✨ Children would gather bunches of Primroses on May Eve or before sunrise on May Day/Beltane to hang in doorways and windows of the family home to keep fairies from entering 🏡🧚🏻

This 500yr old Oak in Belfast is the oldest in Northern Ireland. A sad thing as Ireland was once 85 % Oak dominated woodland 🌳🌱 It sits in a forest destroyed by garden plants such as Laurel & Rhododendron along with non-native trees such as planted Poplars & the highly invasive Sycamore 🪓

Marsh Marigold shining in a Lagan Valley swamp 🌼 Marsh Marigold provides shelter for the smaller inhabitants of swamps whilst the beautiful yellow flowers provide nectar for passing💛🐝 In folklore the presence of Marsh Marigold inhibits the activities of evil fairies & other malevolent beings🌱✨

Wood Sorrel proving that there is no such thing as a dead tree 🌳💮 With its beautifully shaped leaves Wood Sorrel has at times been confused with Clover and the elusive Shamrock 🍀 It was once believed that in order to obtain & strengthen it's song that a Cuckoo needs to eat Wood Sorrel each Spring🌱

Stone Circles are intensely magical🪨 One night a huntsman carrying a dead hare saw a fairy shoemaker sitting atop a stone by a Hawthorn 🌳🌙 He threw the dead Hare at the fairy but it burst into life, threw the Leprechaun onto its back and disappeared beneath the Hawthorn tree🐰☘️ #FolkloreSunday

The beauty of Blackthorn blossoms against a rare, deep blue Irish sky make it hard to understand why, the Blackthorn was, in certain places at a certain time, known as Trog-Aon "the Wretched One" 💮🩷

Wonderful to see Daisies springing up everywhere 💮 They are associated with childhood & innocence and in Scotland were once known as Bairnwort, the Child's Flower 🩷💮 So important to the pollinating insects that we rely upon yet authorities insist on a mowing schedule that destroys wildflowers 💔

Unable to have their own children fairy folk rely upon the abduction of human children to maintain their numbers✨🧚🏻‍♂️ . In place of a child they leave a Changeling crafted from Alder...but not truly living, or truly part of this world, the Changeling will surely sicken and die 🌳✨ #mythologymonday

☀️There is a Flower, the Lesser Celandine, That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain; And, at the first moment that the sun may shine, Bright as the sun itself, ‘tis out again!🌼 🪶 William Wordsworth

The Irish God "The Dagda" possesses many treasures✨ Amongst these is Lorg mór, a great iron staff, as tall as a great Oak, which grants The Dagda dominion over death itself💀 With the terrible end of the staff he may slay nine men with a touch but with the other he may raise the dead back to life☁️✨

Most know the Hawthorn 🍒 as the doorway to the Otherworld But the Alder, ignored by humans, is adored by fairies who not only use the tree to step between our world and theirs (often as they abduct a human child) but also to derive the dyes for their clothing that allow them to remain hidden☁️✨

The slow changing of the seasons is so much fun and can be enchanting ✨ Frogs are quite often the familiars of witches and when you hear croaking they are quite possibly warning their mistress of your presence 🪄 🐸

Ancient Ireland needed no written script but when the time came for one it was special ✨ The Ogham was created by Ogma "the Honey-Mouthed" God 🍯🪶 The 1st letter Beithe (Birch) was inscribed by Ogma to warn Lugh ☀️ that fairies planned to abduct his wife & whisk her away to their Underworld home