Wild Holly

Writing for the online market is an odd task; like retailers,our work is prepared months in advance, and thus this morning I was hard at work on a series of Christmas (!) articles for Suite 101.  I felt like the stores putting their Christmas trees out in September - are you sure it's time for this? But yes, it is.  The first article posted today is The History and Folklore of the Christmas Holly, and I hope you will check it out.

On one of my rambles through the woods here at Seven Oaks I came across a magnificent stand of wild holly.  I've tried to photograph it, but it's in a place in the woods where sunlight barely penetrates the canopy, and my camera isn't good enough, or perhaps the photographer isn't up to the challenge, of capturing the dark gloom.

But finding the wild holly growing among the pines made me think of Celtic people cutting holly boughs for their festivals thousands of years ago, or the Germans planting holly near their homes in honor of Thor. It made me think of ancient ceremonies and days gone by; of Celtic magic, when the red splash of berries against the dark green was seen as a talisman against the encroaching darkness of winter.

I've tried to transplant some of the holly; no luck.  I've tried planting garden center purchased holly bushes in the garden near the driveway; no luck, they all died.  Holly, it seems, grows where it will at Seven Oaks, and I am a mere spectator.

Today's photo courtesy of Morguefile.com