In ancient times, birch bark was often stripped and rolled to make torches and used as a substitute to paper. Birch twigs were also used to make brooms. Birching featured in the French Revolution. One leader of the revolution, Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt, went mad, ending her days in an asylum after a public birching. On 31 May 1793 the Jacobin women seized her, stripped her naked, and flogged her on the bare bottom in the public garden of the Tuileries. [6] There is an old Scottish saying, ‘He’s as bare as the birk at Yule E’en’, alluding to having no clothes or being poor. The birk in this case refers to the birch tree. When stripped of its bark, the birk, or birch, was dried for burning over the Yules. Both silver and downy birch thrive in a wide range of soils, but the downy birch is more tolerant of waterlogged conditions. In Scotland, silver birches are abundant in the eastern and central highlands, where the climate is generally dry but cold; downy birches are more prevalent in the western uplands and coastal fringes, where the land tends to get more of a soaking. Birch woodland on the banks of Loch Long

Birch twigs inscribed with Ogham symbols were carried on a journey as a form of protection: in fact, the Ogham letter ‘B’ derives from the Irish ‘beth’ or ‘beith’, meaning ‘birch’. I’m quite glad I didn’t live in the Dark Ages, with any need to travel: the weight of accumulated talismans (plus assorted essential crystals) would surely have sealed my doom. Find out how to prune English lavender to make it look better and last longer. Photos of my lavender from 2013-2023 are proof that it works! Easy-care evergreen pots to add interest and structure to your garden all year round. 10+ plant choices for evergreen trees, shrubs and grasses for pots.

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Baby cradles would be made form birch to keep the devil away, and people would bring bundles of birch wood into their homes at Halloween to repel the evil spirits. Birch brooms swept out dirt, but also got rid of the devil, and a garland of birch twigs might be hung over the door for protection.

By contrast, terms like " Eton birch" are used for a school birch made from smaller birch tree twigs. Step 2: Place on a baking tray, and roast in a 170C 150C for fan assisted ovens or gas mark 3.5 for 30 minutes. Plant lore is the verdant heart of Scottish folk holidays and traditions. The Yules are no exception, even though at Yuletide the greenery has all but gone, the ground grasped in winter’s frozen embrace. If we look beyond this, nature’s gift and sacrifice is found in the burning heart of Yule – the Yule log of ash or birch. Silver birch bark is what gives the tree its name. It’s paper white, and can be peeled from the tree in sheets. There are often dark diamonds present, and older trees may have far darker trunks, especially towards the tree base. Another device used to immobilise offenders was a birching table, used in Scotland, with two holes in it through which the offender's arms were inserted but otherwise left free and untied. The offender's feet were tied into position and a strap fastened immediately above the waist. [5]I don’t dig up dahlias to store them at the end of the summer. And before you dig your dahlias up, it’s important to know the pros and cons. You… In the Australian state of Victoria, birches for the judicial punishment of juvenile offenders were made of "willow withes soaked in water". Benson, G. Flogging: The Law and Practice in England, Howard League for Penal Reform, London, 1937, Appendix I: The Law and Practice of Other Countries. OCLC 5780230 Birch leaves are bright green, and in spring the trees make wonderful splashes of colour against the darker shades of a pine forest; they will turn a vibrant golden yellow in autumn. The leaves of a silver birch are triangular and finely serrated, while downy birch leaves are more rounded at the base with fine hairs on the underside. Because the two species sometimes hybridise, it can be difficult to tell them apart. Birches by Loch Creran Kermath, BM et al. (2013) Food plants in the americas: a survey of the domesticated, cultivated, and wild plants used for human food in north, central and south america and the caribbean.

The most common tree in the whole of Scotland, and stretching across vast swathes of the planet, the Birch is worthy of our respect, and love. Grind in a good quality herb or coffee grinder. I use a Cuisinart SG20U Electric Spice and Nut Grinder. Roasted Silver Birch Twig Tea Similarly, in parts of Somerset, Ashen Faggot Night was celebrated, where ash replaced the birch. Divinations were made according to the burst and snap of the willow, hazel or green ash bands around the log as it swelled in the fire. Because green wood was used, it would have made quite a loud noise when it did snap. A toast would be raised to the snapping of bands, and the festivities would continue. Linked but distinct from this, Welsh folk looked to their shadows cast by the Yule log from the fire, looking to see who would appear on the walls as headless shadows. Those that did were destined to die. A life demands a life. A gift demands a gift. Soot for the De’ils breakfast

What does downy birch look like?

of broadleaved woodland in the UK consists of birch, and this figure rises to nearly 50% in Scotland, where the upland birch woods also support rowan, ash, willow, juniper and aspen. The bark of a mature silver birch is a beautiful milky white with a texture like paper, and it will peel to reveal dark fissures as the tree ages. Younger twigs may be reddish in colour, becoming paler as they develop. The bark of downy birch is greyish brown, and patterned with darker horizontal grooves. Both species have long and slender branches, those of the silver birch tending to droop gracefully while those of the downy birch are carried more upright. Silver birch bark A birch rod (often shortened to "birch") is a bundle of leafless twigs bound together to form an implement for administering corporal punishment. Ash has so much folklore surrounding it; it’s hard just to focus on a few elements. There is no doubt the tree was held sacred by the people of the UK and beyond. According to Hesiod, the people of the third age of the world (Bronze Age) were born of the Ash tree. Teutonic mythology argues the first people came from the Ash tree with links to Yggdrasil, the world tree, spine of the worlds. Ash and human birth are linked in many ways. In the Highlands, the midwife would make sure the first thing a newborn ate was ash sap. She did this by placing a green ash branch into the fire and letting the sap drip out the other end onto a spoon, feeding it straight away to the bairn just born. Because they rarely live beyond 100 years of age, birch trees rarely achieve a great size, and consequently their use in furniture making is limited. When it is available, birchwood reveals a tight grain that may range in colour from red to white. Mature birch above Loch Tay

In folklore, the birch has deep connections with love and fertility, and is personified as Queen of the Woods, a very feminine presence. Wreaths of birch were once woven as love tokens. A birch ‘switch’, when used to herd a barren cow, was thought to promote pregnancy; if it was a fertile cow, she would bear a healthy calf. Downy birches in Knapdale A huge variety of mosses and grasses thrive in birch woodland, alongside primroses, wood anemones, bluebells, wood sorrel and violets. In the higher regions of the Caledonian Forest the undergrowth may consist of blaeberry and cowberry.Nowadays, we tend to think of Yule as a single day. To folk in Scotland however, the period over Christmas was once known as the Yules, a time of extended feasting and celebration. This idea is reflected in names like Nollaig mhòr, ‘Big Christmas’ – given to Christmas Day – and Nollag bheag, ‘Little Christmas’ or ‘New Year’s Day’. Other traditional names for the season allude to the light it brings to hearth and home such as Oidhche Choinnle , ‘Candle Night’. When Beltaine came around on May 1st, with all its’ links to spring and fertility, it would be the Birch tree chosen as the wood for the maypole. In some places, this festival meant any legal bonds between couples could be lifted for 24hrs, and there was frequently a spike in birth-rate at the start of the following February. It will come as no surprise that these practices left the Christian church apoplectic, but powerless to do much about it. Macculoch, J. (1824) The Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Containing descriptions of their scenery and Antiquities.