plant of the month: elder
The scientific name for elder is Sambucus nigra – the nigra refers to the very dark colour of the berries. What to look for:
fact file
stories
Read Cicely M Barker's poem The Elder Flower Fairy:
When the days have grown in length,
When the sun has greater power,
Shining in his noonday strength;
When the Elder Tree's in flower;
When each shady kind of place
By the stream and up the lane,
Shows its mass of creamy lace —
Summer's really come again!
Hold a fairy party as close to midsummer as you can – the best time of year ‘to try to find them’. If you have an elder tree, host a picnic under it and tell fairytales. How big do they think a fairy is? Collect an umbel so children can attempt estimates using the image of the poem (left) as a guide.
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