Life in Newburgh on Ythan

By Talpa

Floral mug-shot of an eagle in dove's clothing

Here on a day in late June on the Northern Frontier it is a balmy 9 degrees, the wind is howling and the rain is falling steadily. A day for blipping a bloom indoors.

One old name for this pretty garden flower was "Granny's Bonnet", the shape of the bloom resembling the mob caps women used to wear indoors in the 18th and 19th centuries.

These days, however, the plant is usually known as the columbine, from the latin columba "dove", because the inverted flower has some resemblance to five pigeons clustered together.

However the scientific name for the genus is Aquilegia from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), because the shape of the flower petals resemble an eagle's claw.

It's all in the eye and imagination of the beholder!

By the way, should you be suffering an infestation, the dried crushed seeds made into a dusting powder will kill lice very effectively.

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