(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.
You said this is an old post; I wonder if the text is new-
The fact that the creatures return and you grow the meadow to let them says something about both of you. Nature goes where it is comfortable, and even though you let your land be a sanctuary, your family are still *people* which is a nervous making species for nature.
Creatures know- where they are welcome. They do. The peaceful gathering of life there doesn’t just say something about the land, it says something about you.
Amuirin: No, the text was brought back too, although it fits almost as well today as it did when I originally wrote it.
Thank you for your kind words. 🙂 It’s so good to see you around the blogosphere again. 😀
So when you revived this post, did it also revive one on the other site? Because what posted over there today has me REALLY confused!!!
🙂
And I adore Cedar Waxwings. We get them around here in the winter months. The joy is in seeing them up close enough to see their gorgeous markings. I love that they were names WAXwings because I think their feathers do have a very smooth, waxy look. Completely unruffled in any way. Also, the contrasting mask and those dots of yellow and red are so stunning.
Christina: It shouldn’t have. The post over at the Bogs blog is about mint. I hope. I better go look.
It’s mint. Or was about mint as I’m going to post something new in a minute. About food. And cooking. Maybe that will be less confusing than the mint. 😉
Thank you for the quiet respite of this photo. I needed a little sanctuary today.
You’re welcome, Alto2. I hope it helped.