A Peep over the Hedge

One wet day last week (and there have been plenty of those) when we were walking along one of the bridleways which passes some of our fields I took a little peep over the hedge.

We hadn't really meant to stop but the sight of the foxgloves made us wander through the gate for a closer look. It is not unusual for foxgloves to appear in abundance in recently cleared hedges and coppices.

The rain wasn't ideal photographic conditions but hey ho!

All the wet and warm weather has made everything grow at quite a rate.

There is quite a lot of debate as to where the name foxglove comes from. The Latin name Digitalis refers to the way the flowers can slip over a finger.

It is a potent drug to treat the heart. I still remember from my early student nurse days that Digoxin "slows, strengthens and steadies the heart". This does of course also make it lethally poisonous. Most animals have the sense to leave it alone.

So back to the name. There is some thought that the colloquial name originates from the name folksglove referring to the faerie folk. So does that mean the faerie folk have slipped by here and accidentally lost their gloves?

Perhaps they will be back for them later!