Plant and butterfly friends

A late summer walk in Stanmer Park truly lifts the spirit. Although it may be considered a city park, it retains the ancient natural features that we experience in the chalk downland landscape that runs 100 miles along the South Coast of England. From a distance all that can be seen is the brown grass that has gone to seed but as one approaches the grassland and looks to the ground a whole new world opens up before them.

Plumes of butterflies rise from the meadow, it seems to have been a good year for butterflies as I have spotted an array of species from fritillary to comma, painted lady, red admiral, peacock , common blue, brimstone, large and marbled white.  The late John Muir my inspiration and who is known as the founder of the modern conservation movement always has the perfect words of admiration for nature's delights:

'The butterflies coloured like the flowers waver above them in wonderful profusion, and many other beautiful winged people, numbered and known and loved only by the Lord, are waltzing together high over head, seemingly in pure play and hilarious enjoyment of their little sparks of life. How wonderful they are! How do they get a living, and endure the weather? How are their little bodies, with muscles, nerves, organs, kept warm and jolly in such admirable exuberant health? Regarded only as mechanical inventions, how wonderful they are! Compared with these, Godlike man's greatest machines are as nothing.' - John Muir

​Left to right  below : Dwarf thistle & gatekeeper butterfly - Scabious- Round - headed rampion

The meadow plants were a true delight, a new friend around every corner. The first sight was the dominating wild carrots standing tall and proud with their feathery 3-pinnate leaves beneath their umbrella-like heads distinctive of the carrot family, their forked bracts fringing the umbels that tell them apart from other umbellifer species. Hugging the earth were countless dwarf thistles which draw the butterflies and other pollinators to them such as the gatekeeper butterfly pictured above. The intense beauty of scabious and the dark blue flowers of round-headed rampion stood out as beacons of hope. Ladies bedstraw straggled the shorter grass whilst the golden yellow flowers of melilot reach to the higher grass. The keen eye will see the tiny flowers of eyebright peeping from the grass and the even smaller wild thyme beneath even the dwarf thistle.  The last yellow rattle flowers were spotted with its now visible seed pods from which it is named. Red bartsia and yarrow spring up occasionally and the knapweeds brighten the grass mixed with the lower bright yellow flowers of autumn hawkbit and catsear. Too many plants to mention though it would be amiss for me not to write of the bell-shaped blue flowers nodding on thin stalks of the harebell carpeted by the bright yellow trefoil flowers.  Now I am topped up and ready to go home, plants truly give so much.

​Left to right below : Eyebright- Catsear- Harebell

VERVAIN - VERBENA OFFICINALIS.

As with any herb that incudes ‘officinalis’ in its botanical name it has a long history of use, this coupled with the fact its generic name ‘Verbena’ is a Roman term for alter plants used for sacrifices points to a very interesting plant.

However it is pre-Roman that its connections with healing and spirituality begin. Vervain is thought to have been used similarly to Sage in the Native American traditions, purifying and cleansing ceremonial and living spaces.

Individuals have also used the plant for their own protection against infection and calamity. Worn as a talisman around one's neck it is said to help with headaches and poisonous bites. It is thought that it can used for both creating spells and as a antidote for spells. In short this plant has played a key role in healing  practices in the British Isles. Due to the fact it is not a true native of Ireland there is little evidence of its herbal use in this Country.

As with many plants with a key role in folk traditions, science also points to why this plant has been used extensively. The plant contains ‘verbenaline’ which is a chemical renowned for its ability to reduce fevers and pain.  An infusion of this plant can induce sweating and used with yarrow is an effective herb for coughs and colds. More often than not the plant has been used as an external application for inflammations and sores. Internally it also can be taken as a strengthening tonic.

After a motor accident I used the mixture of vervain and yarrow to ease pain and strengthen my recovery.

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The response to my meditation courses this year has been heart-warming as people have told me how the sessions have really helped them switch off, relax and calm their minds for the first time. People with anxiety, ADHD and autism have said the meditation has really helped them.
 
One of the most frequent questions  has been :

'Before your course I had never thought in terms of my own indigenous roots in these lands, please can you tell me more?'

This article is in response to this question but before we look at the source material let us briefly examine the word  'Tradition' and what it means in terms of the meditation practices that I offer.

In all the courses that I run I encourage the participant to connect with the tradition that unfolds within them, the thing that most resonates with them and informs them of their own inner worlds for tradition is always welcoming and inclusive but at the same time personal and intimate. I believe the tradition chooses you, it is the essence of who you are and is in the blood, bone and spirit of your being.  It may be that you are attracted to several traditions and each of them speaks to you in different ways. As each tradition informs us of the world that we belong to, it must also follow that there is a common thread that unites them all, I feel it is imperative that we find this common thread.

Reclaiming my own tradition.

My exploration of my indigenous roots has been a life-long pursuit. As with many Westerners in the 21st Century I felt I was exiled from my spirituality for it was divorced from my everyday life. It has often felt to me that life has moved on, that the spiritual life of the past has been replaced by a materialistic and separatist culture fed by a greed that gnawes at the soul that longs to feel complete. To be termed a ‘modern seeker’ or to have a ‘modern perspective’ on things just didn’t cut it for me. A modern person didn’t just pop out of the ground newly made for today’s society we are connected to an ancestral legacy going back to the beginning of things. We are all indigenous people of the land to which we belong to with our own spiritual lineage, which is wanting to hold us as we traverse our life experiences. Reclaiming our roots is the first step in connecting with the natural world for being present to nature means to know oneself.

The Irish tradition

There are three key reasons why I use the Irish traditions as my source material for courses:

• By entering the story of one land we excavate a deep furrow to reach the treasure of our inner worlds.
• Ireland has a huge body of extant Medieval source texts which connect us to a tradition borne from the Western Isles.
• The Irish mythology speaks to me in my heart and is the tradition I personally have a natural affinity with.

The recording below introduces the chant we often use before meditating followed by some written information on the story behind the invocation from the Irish tradition.

 Our latest foraging walk at the beautiful site of the Sustainability centre was filled with many plant delights. At this time of year, the butterflies are bursting with colour above nectar filled plants and nature's exuberance is bursting with enthusiasm, the late John Muir always seems to find the perfect words for such an occasion :

'The plants are as busy as the animals, every cell in a swirl of enjoyment, humming like a hive, singing the old new song of creation... Insect swarms are dancing in the sunbeams, burrowing in the ground, diving, swimming, a cloud of witnesses telling nature's joy'

John Muir 1838 - 1914

Meet the plants: ( hover on the plant to discover its name)

Please note that if you have any medical conditions please check with a medical herbalist first before taking any plant and only harvest it if you are 100% sure what it is!

We were first greeted by the upright vibrant blueish violet flowers of the self-heal plant (Prunella vulgaris) which is a low growing herb that provides ground cover hugging the earth and providing nectar. It is an edible plant that acts as astringent for wounds and for internal bleeding.
 Cleavers or sticky weed clambered amongst the strong woody nettles, both plants full of nutritious value especially earlier in the year. I demonstrated how nettles could be turned into natural string and how the bedstraws (Rubiaceae family) to which cleavers belongs to were used for bedding by our ancestors.

Agrimony has upright bright yellow flowers which brighten up field margins, road verges and hedgerows. A plant that is well worth harvesting, it lifts the spirits making an invigorating tea for many complaints from aching joints to sore throats. It is  a good general summer tonic.
Vervain contains ‘verbenaline’ which is a chemical renowned for its ability to reduce fevers and pain.  An infusion of this plant can induce sweating and used with yarrow is an effective herb for coughs and colds. More often than not the plant has been used as an external application for inflammations and sores. Internally it also can be taken as a strengthening tonic.
Dock is known as the cure for the nettle sting and this extends to any burn, scald or blister as the juice of this plant has many healing properties. Ironstone quarry workers are said to have rubbed freshly cut dock on their forearm sores. Science is now calling dock a placebo but I have found dock incredibly effective when treating insect bites! It's root is rich in iron.

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Left to right - Dark Mullien  - Striped Lychis moth

As I gaze at a single plant a unique habitat unfolds before me. My heart melts as I watch the shield bug as a nurturing mother guarding her newly hatched offspring of wingless nymphs, young woodlice explore the velvety leaves released from eggs carried in a tiny pouch of this delightful crustacean. The most exciting find is the caterpillar of the striped lychnis moth which is a nationally scarce priority species of the Downs where I work with a preference to this single plant which I am focusing upon - the dark mullein.

This is why nature exploration is endless as we can explore a single plant for a lifetime and then look outward to the key biomes of the world from tundra and boreal forest to rainforests and grasslands then move our focus to the specialised habitat of the chalk grassland and to a single species. 

Our July story continues with an abundance of flowering bramble which cuts and stings and yet provides the perfect feeding station for our winged beauties as noted by John Muir:

'Insect swarms are dancing in the sunbeams, burrowing in the ground, diving, swimming, a cloud of witnesses telling Nature's joy.'

John Muir spent his life celebrating nature and urging people to protect it, his attitude to all species surely needs to emulated:

'I always befriended animals and have said many a good word for them. Even to the least-loved mosquitoes I gave many a meal, and told them to go in peace.'

As I continue along the path I spot the distinctive spikes of the yellow flowers of the agrimony marking this time of year amongst the large white flower heads of the wild carrot with its hidden secret, just one small central dark red floret that produces nectar!

I enter a wetter habitat of the noble meadowsweet with her clusters of creamy white flowers against the striking purple flowers of marsh woundwort and clusters of gold flowers of the St John's wort.
I marvel at the joy of the tiny mauve flowers upon the hairy lobed leaves of vervain pictured below, a most useful herb as a relaxant and nerve tonic- nature's unfolding delights truly are marvellous.

 THE FIVE INVASIONS AND FIVE EXTINCTIONS 

In our Woodland Bard Evenings we have been exploring the Takings of Ireland (Lebor Gabala Erenn).
These invasion myths are fascinating for they not only do they cover an evolution of the land but also its destruction as the various attempts of creation end in disaster. When we remember that this was written before science had uncovered so much of the earth’s history, it is incredible the understanding it brings of ecology and evolution.

My interpretation of the story you will find in the above recording. 

We now know that there have been five mass extinctions which demonstrates this concept of whole species being wiped out is exactly how the creative powers of evolution has behaved. 
 
These stories ironically are often called the Five invasions of Ireland. We will continue these stories in more detail but for now the five races in this context would be the first race of  Cessair or Banbha, followed by Partholon, the Queen of which was Dalny, the Neimheadh who’s Queen was Macha and then the Firbolgs and the Tuatha de Dannann.

This theme of extinctions has come to light in recent times as the actions the human race has had upon the earth are becoming more and more apparent. The five mass extinctions were often to do with change in atmosphere and climate and it is the plants that are needed to stabilise these effects. Once there has been a mass extinction the remaining species will then start to thrive. As with the story above it is like a constant balancing act as creation changes and responds to how species colonise, sea levels change and volcanoes erupt. The last extinction which wiped out the dinosaurs may have come from a shower of asteroids hitting the earth. 
 
The further theme explored in the above story is how creation reacts to change. After Banbha is taken down to the sea the Giantess Domnu gives birth to the giants which start as disfigured grotesque beings and then become the most beautiful beings ever known. This as we have already explored is how nature is, embodying all aspects of dark and light. 

 After each extinction or successive wave of evolution the surviving species left can then flourish, they are the ideal species to cope with the new conditions and are now free from all competition.  

 We are currently in a sixth extinction which is a process that usually happens over millions of years. The fact is this latest extinction process is happening a hundred times more quickly than the natural evolution rate.  
 The facts are staggering and I write them here not to induce fear but to bring us into alignment of the truth of what is happening. Today we have to be careful about the sources that we study, we have to make sure the facts have been correctly gathered and researched. 
 
Expert scientists that are well-informed by correctly gathered research include Sir Robert Watson who is the chair of the intergovernmental platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem services, Professor Kathy Willis, a plant scientist and Professor Elizabeth Hadly who is a biologist as well as the important work of Dr Toby Gardner who is a director of Transparency for Sustainable Economies. 
 
For the first time in history scientists and economists from all over the world have assessed human activities and their global impact. Many of these experts have been aware of this crisis for at least 25 years and because of the pressure from gigantic corporations and Governments, the facts have been completely ignored. 
 
Currently we are destroying species from all parts of the world from all different orders and classes simultaneously at the highest rates ever in history! 

 - In 50 years 60% of all birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles have declined.  
- Twenty five percent of our plant species are threatened.   
- Five hundred thousand insects are in danger. 
 - Thirty percent of the world’s soil has been degraded and now has a low biodiversity. 
- Three quarters of all our large animals have disappeared from the areas they are historically found.  
 - Five hundred thousand species of animal and plant species are in danger of extinction. 
 - The land surface has lost ninety percent of its wetlands.  
- Seventy five percent of the land surface which is not covered in ice is being used for just one species.  
 
We currently destroy about ten million hectares a year of Forest per year. In just 40 years we have cut a billion hectares, an area the size of Europe. How can this not have an effect when we are aware plants support our key life cycles? Our crops depend on the soil and three quarters of the world’s food crops require insect pollination. 
 Although climate change is rapidly becoming the biggest issue we need to face, currently habitat destruction is the most serious threat driven by our consumption of mainly soy, cocoa, coffee, palm oil and beef. 
 
The incredible facts to currently note is we do have enough cleared land to feed the world especially when you consider forty percent of our food is wasted and the solutions are economically viable creating jobs and opportunity to come out of our current world recession. 
 
Top economists such as Professor Lord Nicolas Stern and Sir Partha Dasgupta are stating that if companies pay a high price for extracting from nature it will benefit us all creating affordable food without the need for expansion and waste. The banning of CFCs was the perfect example of how quickly industry adapted to create more environmentally friendly products. 

​ The above information is yet another example of how the most ancient mythology is still relevant today and as we continue the story cycle we shall see that working in harmony with the planet that was expressed from what seems as early as megalithic times is paramount to the intrinsic motivation of all indigenous people from around the world. 

If you would like to explore your indigenous connection to the land, join us for our Woodland Bard evenings.
The next one is on Sunday 16th May@6pm, all are welcome.