Oh oh you make me homesick for the UK with your lovely writing about the hawthorn! Mayflower we called it and my granny used to say, in response to taking off layers of clothing in the warming days of Spring, "never cast a clout, until May is out!" Meaning don't get fooled into thinking that it's Summer until you see the hawthorn in bloom. She was Irish so she knew her hawthorns!
Here in Cyprus, there is a very very hardy version of a hawthorn (Crataegus azarolus) near me. I call out "Awens" to her when I walk past in appreciation of her grit, determination to survive and sheer beauty at this time of year.
Love this glimpse of your Cyprus home and the new species of hawthorn you have befriended. And what an endearing memory of your Irish granny, thanks for that. It's a bit early for hawthorn to be flowering here, as well, but apple blossom has begun so hawthorn can't be too far behind. xo
Hawthorns are wonderful trees, we have a lot here in Scotland, even bringing their wild charisma into the middle of Edinburgh. I love the story of the porcupine getting its quills from the hawthorn
I started working with hawthorn leaf tea medicinally this past year. My herbalist friend calls her “rose’s sexy grandma.”🌹 She certainly has a mythic, crone quality to her, in my heart & body’s experience.
Lydia, love “rose’s sexy grandma”! Interesting to hear of your experience with her gifts, I too am feeling drawn to hawthorn’s heart medicine on an emotional level, seeking awakening. Thank you for being here. xo
Oh, I love the name "princess bed" for this robin's nest! They look so lovely and serene nestled in them. Maybe you will post about Iowa's hawthorns, I would love to know more. Hawthorn species can be challenging to identify, it seems, as they often hybridize, and their size, leaves, flowers, fruits, stamens and anthers are different each to the other. Even on one tree, flower size varies, but according to my source it looks as if Downy Hawthorn (C. mollis) can grow the largest flowers of our regional species, from 1.6-3 cm across. It is found mostly in southern MN along the MN-Iowa border so it must grow in your state as well. I will be looking for them on my hikes this year! xo
I love to think of them casting their spell around the world. Thank you for letting me know about the hawthorns in Edinburgh, picturing them makes me happy. xo
A wonderful collection of words about the hawthorn. Reading this took me straight back to the lands in Montana where I grew up and lived until the last four years. There are multitudes of thornapples along the mountain streams there. You have described them just as they are, especially their scent. I very much enjoyed reading of their presence and place. Especially this: "hawthorn lives in two worlds at once: the mortal world of living and dying, and the immortal world of myth and story. She marks a threshold to the Otherworld..." This so fits with the feel of the land where they grow in Montana. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of your homeland, Jenny. So interesting that you call out Montana as a hawthorn-rich land. I have a book about that written by Bill Vaughn, a magazine journalist who lives on acreage in Montana located "in the middle of a community of hawthorns stretching for hundreds of miles." You must read! "Hawthorn: The Tree That Has Nourished, Healed, and Inspired Through the Ages."
Oh oh you make me homesick for the UK with your lovely writing about the hawthorn! Mayflower we called it and my granny used to say, in response to taking off layers of clothing in the warming days of Spring, "never cast a clout, until May is out!" Meaning don't get fooled into thinking that it's Summer until you see the hawthorn in bloom. She was Irish so she knew her hawthorns!
Here in Cyprus, there is a very very hardy version of a hawthorn (Crataegus azarolus) near me. I call out "Awens" to her when I walk past in appreciation of her grit, determination to survive and sheer beauty at this time of year.
Love this glimpse of your Cyprus home and the new species of hawthorn you have befriended. And what an endearing memory of your Irish granny, thanks for that. It's a bit early for hawthorn to be flowering here, as well, but apple blossom has begun so hawthorn can't be too far behind. xo
Hawthorns are wonderful trees, we have a lot here in Scotland, even bringing their wild charisma into the middle of Edinburgh. I love the story of the porcupine getting its quills from the hawthorn
There is one small hawthorn on our ranch in SW Colorado that is buried in a scrub oak. I seek it out as often as possible.
I love that you know where your one tree is and that you visit the queen regularly! xo
Awesome work here, Carmine. Thanks.
Thanks so much for reading, David. I would love to read your take on the magical hawthorn one day.
Oh, now you've got me dreaming ....
I started working with hawthorn leaf tea medicinally this past year. My herbalist friend calls her “rose’s sexy grandma.”🌹 She certainly has a mythic, crone quality to her, in my heart & body’s experience.
Lydia, love “rose’s sexy grandma”! Interesting to hear of your experience with her gifts, I too am feeling drawn to hawthorn’s heart medicine on an emotional level, seeking awakening. Thank you for being here. xo
These hawthorns have showier flowers than the ones I see in Iowa. The robin in her princess bed is stunning.
Oh, I love the name "princess bed" for this robin's nest! They look so lovely and serene nestled in them. Maybe you will post about Iowa's hawthorns, I would love to know more. Hawthorn species can be challenging to identify, it seems, as they often hybridize, and their size, leaves, flowers, fruits, stamens and anthers are different each to the other. Even on one tree, flower size varies, but according to my source it looks as if Downy Hawthorn (C. mollis) can grow the largest flowers of our regional species, from 1.6-3 cm across. It is found mostly in southern MN along the MN-Iowa border so it must grow in your state as well. I will be looking for them on my hikes this year! xo
I love the legend of the porcupine getting his quills from the hawthorn! What a great image.
It is! There goes hawthorn being useful again…
Happy May Day, Carmine!
Thank you, Laura! xo
Loved this, and now I am quite sure we have some variety of hawthorn on our property. Wishing you lots of flowers for your May Day.
And thank you so much for kindly restacking this. <3
How envious I am. You are blessed! xo
You are such an evocative writer! Your words paint pictures
Thank you, lovely person. xo
I love to think of them casting their spell around the world. Thank you for letting me know about the hawthorns in Edinburgh, picturing them makes me happy. xo
A wonderful collection of words about the hawthorn. Reading this took me straight back to the lands in Montana where I grew up and lived until the last four years. There are multitudes of thornapples along the mountain streams there. You have described them just as they are, especially their scent. I very much enjoyed reading of their presence and place. Especially this: "hawthorn lives in two worlds at once: the mortal world of living and dying, and the immortal world of myth and story. She marks a threshold to the Otherworld..." This so fits with the feel of the land where they grow in Montana. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of your homeland, Jenny. So interesting that you call out Montana as a hawthorn-rich land. I have a book about that written by Bill Vaughn, a magazine journalist who lives on acreage in Montana located "in the middle of a community of hawthorns stretching for hundreds of miles." You must read! "Hawthorn: The Tree That Has Nourished, Healed, and Inspired Through the Ages."
Early this morning I began reading Bill Vaughn's book "Hawthorn." It is wonderful!
Glad you are enjoying it! I love all the threads it pulls together.
The books sounds like one I do need to read. Thank you for the recommendation!