(Queen Anne’s Lace)

Sanctuary, on a personal level, is where we perform the job of taking care of our soul.

~ Christopher Forrest McDowell

In the language of flowers, Queen Anne’s Lace is said to represent sanctuary. Dictionary.com lists sanctuary as (along with the churches and temples) “a sacred and holy place; any place of refuge, asylum; and a tract of land where birds and wildlife, esp. those hunted for sport, can breed and take refuge in safety from hunters.”

At this time of the year, Queen Anne’s Lace is the most prominent flower in the meadows surrounding our pond. The amount of wildlife taking refuge in those meadows sometimes astounds me. There are spots where the grass has been beaten down by the deer where they sleep at night. Every year the number and variety of birds increase. (Prior to our time here on this property, the former owners mowed pretty much everything except the pond.) Turtles walk up from the pond and lay their eggs at the edge of the wildflower meadow where it’s lined with rocks. Killdeers lay their eggs in the rocks in the springtime. There are foxes, rabbits, snakes, lizards, toads, frogs, the dreaded groundhogs, and very likely a lot of creatures I haven’t yet seen. Or may never see.

Our newest sightings include cedar waxwings and an eastern king bird.

There are also a whole host of insects, including honey bees. One of the prettiest sights are the fireflies at night. Thousands upon thousands of them dance through the flowers and grasses beginning at dusk and lasting well into the evening.

And when the moon is shining, the Queen Anne’s Lace seem to glow right along with the fireflies.