The Crazy World of Betty Bee

This is a post about Fairy Fingers, otherwise known as the Common Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. It has many other names and they mostly refer to fingers or gloves, in fact the scientific name Digitalis means “finger like” and is a reference to the way a single flower fits neatly over a human finger.

Betty and I see the Foxglove in very different ways. For me, to take in the whole flower I have to step back and the very shape of a Foxglove means that by the time I am far enough back to see the whole thing I am also seeing  a lot of the other plants around it. So I see it as a very modest, subtle and beautiful flower.

Betty’s view is somewhat different…(she is usually stoned when I see her)

To her it is just….

GROOVY BABY!

This is where Buff-tailed Bumblebees go to relax after a hard day in the fields. The amount of times that I have found her lying comatose outside of a Foxglove… It just doesn’t bear telling.

A lot of flowers lay claim to medicinal properties. I know of one that can cure the bite of a seven headed serpent and I always pick and carry Common Centaury when I see it (Just in case) however not all of these claims have been scientifically proven.

The Common Foxglove has been proven and licensed for use. The medicine Digitalin is an extract of Digitalis purpurea and is an important drug used in the control of heart conditions.

  

Foxgloves are very poisonous. Pretty much every part of the plant is poisonous, the leaves, stem, seeds and flowers. I don’t know about the root but I wouldn’t mess about with it. Foxgloves can kill you.

Symptoms of Foxglove poisoning include blurred vision, confusion, irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, vomiting and nausea. .. and death. Regular users like Betty can also expect hallucinations and seeing halos around objects and loss of appetite.

Don’t worry Crocodiles are very dangerous too but also very beautiful. The only difference between a Foxglove and a Crocodile Is that one you don’t put in your own mouth and the other one you don’t get in it’s mouth. That’s all you have to remember.

Well that is about all that I have to say about Foxgloves and is probably more than you wanted to know anyway. The Sun is shining, Poochy is whining. Fizz and I need to go out and explore the wonderful world of nature (and work on our tans). Thanks for looking in.