Druid Ceremony for Planting a Tree

"In earth and water will you grow.  

In the air will your leaves speak as you reach 

towards the fire of the sun.  

We respect and honour and admire you, 

O tree, and all trees,

for you represent both Peace and Power - 

though you are mighty you hurt no creature. 

Though you sustain us with your breath, 

you will give up your life to house and warm and teach us.  

We give thanks for your blessing upon our lives 

and upon our lands.  

May you fare well in this chosen place.  

Awen." 

Crocus sativus

Happy Vernal Equinox lovers of the outdoors!

As far as I've noticed, the purple spring crocuses bloomed for the very first time yesterday, right in time to greet the official first day of spring! My friend Heather and I were amazed at their perfect timing! These magical beings open in the sunlight in the late morning and close up to sleep at night or on rainy days. So in honor of our colorful friends, I've decided to make it our plant of the month and write up a brief profile.

The genus, Crocus is botanically in the Iris family (Iridaceae) and includes about 80 species of varying styles. The plants grow from corms, solid, bulb-shaped stem bases that grow underground, storing food and nutrients. This designs them as very hardy perennials, able to withstand a variety of habitats. They can be found in woodland areas, as well as scrub habitats and meadows. The flowers are tube shaped and can be dissected into 3 lobes.They are a great to plant in flowerbeds or around your house because they will return year after year for up to five years, they require little maintenance, and they are a colorful way to start the season. They can be found in a variety of colors, lilac, mauve, yellow and white being most common.Crocuses typically have three stamens, which are the little hairs in the middle of the flower. The spice saffron is obtained from the stamen of an autumn-blooming species. These saffron hairs are picked with tweezers by hand, hence the reason saffron is so expensive. Statistically, the general consensus is that it takes 140 flowers to make just one gram of dried saffron! There is also no substitute for the bitter-sweet unique flavor of saffron.There seems to be varying opinions on the crocus in general as an edible. To be on the safe side, I would deem the only edible crocus as the saffron-producing Crocus sativus,The name of the genus Crocus is derived from the Greek work and is thought to be a loaned word from a Semetic language, such as the Hebrew word karkom, the Aramaic term kurkama, or kurkum in Persian and Arabic, all which mean saffron or saffron yellow.

With spring just over the horizon, many of our plant friends are emerging back up from the earth such as chickweed and cleavers here in the Hudson Valley. These two hardy medicinal weeds apparently survive the winter hibernating under the snow and then flourish in the warmer seasons.