Pixie Nook

𓆣𓍊𓋼✮⋆˙ Side Note ~ Merry Christmas everyone, I hope the holidays are treating you all well!! I apologize for not writing much as of late once again because of school (;0;) I hope to write a bit more now that it appears that I have more time, we shall see! :3

Okay, Harebells! Yet another flower that is shaped like a bell; these flowers are thin papery and appear as a blue, violet, or even purple. The Harebell goes by many a name. Such as Bluebell (even though bluebells are totally different plant), bellflower, lady's thimble, witch's thimble, heathbells, fairies' thimbles, dead men's bells, and Scottish bluebell. The scientific name for the Harebell is campanula rotundifolia. Harebells tend to flower from June to September, so in the summer and fall.

These flowers are not toxic to humans, and are safe around children. Actually, they are a great source of Vitami…

~Faerie Flora~ Lily of The Valley Stories!~

⭒ ༘ 𓍊꒰ა𓆏໒꒱ 𓍊 ༘ ⭒ Side note ~ Hi everyone, sorry for being on hiatus for so long, school and homework has just been eating up my free time and I haven't had a moment to write another one of these Faerie Flora articles, anyway I hope you enjoy this one, and I'll try to write these when time permits me!

It's time to talk about Lily of The Valley! The small white flowers that look like tiny bells. Lily of the Valley go by several names such as May lily, May bells, muguet des bois (French name for the flower), our Lady's tears, Eve's tears, and Mary's tears. The scientific name for this flower is Convallaria majalis, the first part meaning valley and the second part meaning belong to Maia or May since May is it's flowering month. It is al…

~Faerie Flora~Bluebell Tales!~

So Bluebells! The little blue flowers that look just like bells (hence the name). Bluebells have quite the number of nicknames such as dead man's bells (like the foxglove!), fairy flowers, witches' thimbles, cuckoo's boots, lady's nightcaps, cra'tae (crow's toes), wild hyacinth, british bluebell, and granfer griggles. A lot of nicknames I know! It's scientific name is Hyacinthoides Non-scripta.

The Bluebell is known to be a toxic yet dizzyingly lovely flower (it like the Foxglove and the Harebell) are called Dead Man's Bells. All parts of this flower are toxic because they contain toxic glycosides that are poisonous to humans. If any part of this plant is eaten it can cause serious stomach upset, and if eaten in large quantities it could be fatal. The symptoms of Bluebell poisoning are upset stomach, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bradycardia, tachycardia, and arrhythmias. If this flower is touched it ma…

~Faerie Flora~Fly Agaric Folklore!~

Tell me, when you think of the word "mushroom", you first thought is probably the Fly Agaric, right? That one red mushroom with white spots. Well this mushroom is known as the Fly Agaric, as I mentioned, and the scientific name is Amanita Muscaria. It has also been given the nickname "toadstool" for quite some time.

The Fly Agaric his known to be an enchanting mushroom, but also a toxic one. It has psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. It is safe to touch even without gloves, but just make sure to wash your hand after, just in case. This mushroom however, is inedible and poisonous. If ingested this mushroom can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, agitation, ataxia, visual and auditory perceptual changes, lack of awareness of time, space distortion, and central nervous system depression. So whatever you do, don't eat it.

The Amanita Muscaria has an interesting…

~Faerie Flora~Wolfsbane Mythology!~

"Tell me, Potter, what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

-Professor Snape

Funnily enough, wolfsbane and monkshood are actually the same plant! The plant wolfsbane goes by many names, monkshood (as we discussed earlier), Aconite, leopard's bane, devil's helmet, and blue rocket. The scientific name for wolfsbane is Aconitum napellus.

Wolfsbane is closely linked to werewolves. It is said that the plant when brewed into a potion can be used to bring on lycanthropy and make one a werewolf or cure it. (Fun fact: The potion Remus Lupin took was made from wolfsbane, whilst it didn't cure him from being a werewolf it did allow him to keep his mind for the cycles he took it on.) It's also said that werewolves can be repelled by it or tamed. The plant wolfsbane has also been known to keep vampires away as well.

~Faerie Flora~Foxglove Folkore!~

Foxgloves also know as Digitalis purpurea, dead mans bells, and witches gloves are a flower that is commonly assosciated with faeries.

In Ireland the name foxglove came about because it was said that faeries gave the flowers to the fox to wear on its paws like gloves giving it the magical ability to sneak up on poultry in complete silence.

In the Scottish borders, foxgloves leaves were strewn about babies' cradles for protection from bewitchement, while in Shropshire they were put into children's shoes for the same reason.

Picking foxglove flowers is said to be unlucky. Here in Devon and Cornwall, this is because it robs the faeries, elves, and pixies of a plant they particularly delight in.

~Faerie Flora~Faerie Rings~

Faerie Rings, also known as Faerie Circles, Elf Circles, Elf Rings, or Pixie Rings, have many tales, myths, and folklore(Swifties I see you) revolving around them.

According to English and Celtic folklore, you must treat the Faerie Rings with respect and to tread carefully. Some info states that Faerie Rings were caused by faeries or elves dancing in a circle. If you were to step into said Faerie Ring you would be forced to dance with the faeries, and what seems like 5 minutes dancing could actually be 5 years.

Some legends say that if you step into a Faerie Ring you'd be able to have Faerie Sight and have the ability to see faeries. Others say that Faerie Rings are where the veil between the human world and Faerie world thins and that when stepped in, you'd be instantly transported to another world. Where a concrete…