Poisonous Beauty

It's been a beautiful day which saw me return to Hodsock Priory with my parents to enjoy, in greater splendour, the snowdrops. for which the Priory is best known but also to wander round the food and craft fair hosted by Hodsock this weekend.

It was a small arrangement of market stalls but with some fantastic cheeses, meats and other produce, and whilst it was too crowded to find an opportunity to capture the spirit of the fair on camera, I more than compensated in my purchases!

Having been to Hodsock only two weeks or so ago and shared with you my take on the Hodsock snowdrop, I wanted to come away with something a little different and I found that in the Hellebores which adorned the grounds in almost equal abundance.

Several legends surround the hellebore. In witchcraft, it is believed to have ties to summoning demons but I prefer the alternative story behind what is commonly called the Christmas Rose - that it sprouted in the snow from the tears of a young girl who had no gift to give the Christ child in Bethlehem.

Mind you, what a gift to give the Christ child!! The Christmas Rose contains protoanemonin or ranunculin,which has an acrid taste and can cause burning of the eyes, mouth and throat, oral ulceration, gastroenteritis and hematemesis!

That said, it's a beautiful plant with some incredible colouring and detail if you get up close and personal as I like to do with my macro photography, and whatever reputation this little flower has, it's given me something I'm quite proud of today.