Catkins at Candlemas
Despite the cold and the rain, the Alder and Hazel catkins along the lanes are full of promise and hope: Spring is on its way! At the half way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox is Imbolc; the Celtic festival that celebrated new beginnings and the re-awakening of the earth. Now celebrated as the Christian festival of Candlemas, when candles are lit for the Virgin Mary; imbolc was linked to the goddess Brigid, who represented fire, the return of light and the sun, healing waters and motherhood.Traditionally Alder was a mysterious tree because it grew along the margins of the land and the water, in the areas where, it was thought, the fairies lived. Believed to be protected by the Adler or Elf King, in Celtic mythology its trunk was the entrance to the realm of the fairies, which may be why it was unlucky to cut the tree down. As the days start to lengthen, Alder trees are flourishing in the wetlands where they can be easily spotted by their distinctive reddy-brown male, and green oval female catkins.
Hazels are sometimes classified as bushes, because they are often multi-stemmed, with several shoots branching out just above soil level giving them a dense spreading habit. This also makes them ideal for coppicing and the resulting large base or stool can reach 2 metres in diameter. In early Spring, the new growth is so pliant that it can be easily shaped and bent whilst it is still growing, which makes it ideal for making staffs, shepherds’ crooks, walking sticks and weaving.
With a reputation as a magical and wise tree, Hazel rods and wands were believed to provide protection against evil spirits and enable people to contact the spirit world. The wisdom from these contacts could help to heal people; forked twigs could be used to divine for water or buried treasure, and it was believed they could also help to increase a cow’s milk yield. By the Medieval period, Hazel had become a symbol of fertility and a Scottish Halloween custom involved placing two Hazelnuts on hot embers; if they stayed together, the couple they represented were well matched.
The names Hazel and Hazel nut come from the Anglo-Saxon words haesel knut. A haesel is a hat or a cap, so the name mirrors the way the leaves curl around the nut like an old-fashioned headdress or hood. Hazel nuts are high in protein and can be stored in their shells for long periods, so they made an excellent winter food source and were ground up with flour to make bread. A variety of cultivated Hazelnuts called Cob nuts or Filberts take their name from St Philibert's Day on 20 August, when they were supposed to start ripening and up until the First World War, Holy Cross Day on 14 September, was traditionally given as a school holiday for children to pick nuts.Eating Hazelnuts has health benefits because the nuts contain high levels of vitamin B Complex (B1, B6, B9) and vitamin E. The B complex is good for people with anaemia and during pregnancy because they help in the production of red blood cells and the vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. It's not just people who like eating Hazelnuts, mice, squirrels, jays, pheasants and pigeons all enjoy eating them and five different varieties of moth are all specialist Hazelnut feeders including the narrow-winged leaf miner whose larvae live under a folded down leaf edge. Click here to watch 'A year in the life of a Hazel Tree'. Whatever the weather, take some time out to enjoy the Alder and Hazel catkins as they send us a clear signal that Spring is on the way, and every day there will be another bud or flower to enjoy.By Jane Halliday, all images Woodland Trust media library (WTML). You can find out more about the mystical beliefs surrounding Alder and Hazel and their medicinal properties from the following publication and websites:G Kindred: The Sacred Tree 2003 ISBN: 978-0-9532227-5-9https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/treelore.htmhttp://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/dartmoor-flora-and-faunahttp://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/Alder.htmhttps://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythology-folklore/hazel2/https://www.yourhealthremedy.com/medicinal-plants/health-benefits-and-medicinal-uses-of-hazel-corylus-avellana/
With a reputation as a magical and wise tree, Hazel rods and wands were believed to provide protection against evil spirits and enable people to contact the spirit world. The wisdom from these contacts could help to heal people; forked twigs could be used to divine for water or buried treasure, and it was believed they could also help to increase a cow’s milk yield. By the Medieval period, Hazel had become a symbol of fertility and a Scottish Halloween custom involved placing two Hazelnuts on hot embers; if they stayed together, the couple they represented were well matched. The names Hazel and Hazel nut come from the Anglo-Saxon words haesel knut. A haesel is a hat or a cap, so the name mirrors the way the leaves curl around the nut like an old-fashioned headdress or hood. Hazel nuts are high in protein and can be stored in their shells for long periods, so they made an excellent winter food source and were ground up with flour to make bread. A variety of cultivated Hazelnuts called Cob nuts or Filberts take their name from St Philibert's Day on 20 August, when they were supposed to start ripening and up until the First World War, Holy Cross Day on 14 September, was traditionally given as a school holiday for children to pick nuts.Eating Hazelnuts has health benefits because the nuts contain high levels of vitamin B Complex (B1, B6, B9) and vitamin E. The B complex is good for people with anaemia and during pregnancy because they help in the production of red blood cells and the vitamin E acts as an antioxidant. It's not just people who like eating Hazelnuts, mice, squirrels, jays, pheasants and pigeons all enjoy eating them and five different varieties of moth are all specialist Hazelnut feeders including the narrow-winged leaf miner whose larvae live under a folded down leaf edge. Click here to watch 'A year in the life of a Hazel Tree'. Whatever the weather, take some time out to enjoy the Alder and Hazel catkins as they send us a clear signal that Spring is on the way, and every day there will be another bud or flower to enjoy.By Jane Halliday, all images Woodland Trust media library (WTML). You can find out more about the mystical beliefs surrounding Alder and Hazel and their medicinal properties from the following publication and websites:G Kindred: The Sacred Tree 2003 ISBN: 978-0-9532227-5-9https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/native-trees/http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/treelore.htmhttp://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/dartmoor-flora-and-faunahttp://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/Alder.htmhttps://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythology-folklore/hazel2/https://www.yourhealthremedy.com/medicinal-plants/health-benefits-and-medicinal-uses-of-hazel-corylus-avellana/
