#bloodroot

COLOURS OF THE NIGHT

It is finally done! I have lost SO MUCH sleep trying to finish it in time for the convention, but it all worked out in the end :’)

(And a big, heartfelt "thank you" to my friend @amoaliquis who kindly lit the proverbial fire under my arse when I most needed it.  You truly are THE best, I hope you know that <3)

So because I spent a considerable amount of time on this piece (mainly due to skill issues lol), might as well elaborate a bit on some of the symbols I decided to use in this artwork. You can find these ramblings under the cut if you're interested ;)

It's an earth song,

And I've been waiting long for an earth song.

It's a spring song,

And I've been waiting long for a spring song.

Strong as the shoots of a new plant

Strong as the bursting of new buds

Strong as the coming of the first child from its mother's womb.

It's an earth song,

A body song,

A spring song,

I have been waiting long for this spring song.

An Earth Song, Langston Hughes

Photos from the Mon River Trail, where the Earth sang her spring song oh so beautifully this morning.

This bloodroot that I harvested on Walpurgisnacht in the Ozarks is about to be the main ingredient in a sacred heart working for the month of June. I am almost finished with my elderflower amulet bag and this is next.

In modern folk magic the sap can be used as a substitute for blood. I am using the root as a symbolic “heart.”

A couple of things to keep in mind working with bloodroot. It is very, very toxic. I handled mine with the gloves I use for foraging nettle. Also, it is considered endangered in much of its native range. It is not illegal to gather it in Arkansas, but in many states it is. Even though it was abundant in the area I foraged I only took one root out of respect for its declining numbers.

This plant is another lesson in carefully handling plants you are not familiar with. “The bright red/orange sap acts as a strong irritant, which may result in rashes or caustic burns.” “There are a lot of folk remedies that use bloodroot sap as an ingredient for things like chemically burning off warts or even skin cancers with “black salve”, but these are extremely not recommended.” (science.org)

“Bloodroot is poisonous to both livestock and humans in large doses. Alkaloids are found throughout the plant that affect the nervous system. Ingestion causes vomiting and potentially a fatal coma in those that overdose.” (cornellbotanicalgardens.org)

I handled it very carefully when cutting a couple of leaves for my Walpurgisnacht arrangement, which science.org said was fine (just to immediately wash away any sap and maybe wear gloves on principle) and made sure that no cuttings fell in the floor where Marcy could get them—a good practice in general with pets. I handled the root carefully with the gloves.