Wednesday 14 September 2016

Wandering

Hi, folks!


Today was a scorching hot day, which is pretty unique for mid-september. Oh well, it's better than rain and cold!

Remember my last blogpost, a few months ago? I wrote about Kralingsebos, a forest/lake in my city. Today, I went there and visited the small botanical garden next to the lake.


The botanical garden


Small, but cozy and quite pretty!



I don't know why, but this statue really appealed to me.

The yellow flowers in the centre are from the Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). (Click!)

Common marigold (Calendula officinalis) (Click!) in the medicinal herb garden.

One of the most spiritual trees in the word: the fig. Here the common fig (Ficus carica). (Click!)

Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Actually not a crocus! (Click!)

I met this beautiful frog, today. Frogs symbolize peace, fun and transformation and are often related to emotional healing. The frog is connected to the healing ceremony of water.


The lake


During my wander around the lake (not the entire lake: way too hot!) I ran into a massive amount of hops! Naturally, being a true hedgewitch, I couldn't resist and harvested some strands to take home. They are now drying for medicinal use in herbal teas.


Hops (Humulus lupulus). (Click!)

One of the most charismatic herbs. Aren't they pretty?




When the sun shines in th clear water and you can see all those water plants and small critters... Oh, boy!


For questions and comments: leave a message below. I always respond!


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Sunday 13 March 2016

Strolling though the woods

Although I live in a big city, I always try to find the best spots of nature to explore. Today, I went for a hike in Krlingsebos; a forest in Rotterdam with a lake in the middle. The area is around 700 acres and known for it's passable paths (even for wheelchairs).

The spring weather was so nice and I really enjoyed my walk! It was nice and quiet and I almost forgot the forest lies in the middle of my crowded city.


A hart's-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) under the trees. Click here for more information about this fern.