Fire Dragons-2013

The Fire Dragon~

Today I thought I would do, the not so friendly Fire Dragon. Unlike the White & Silver Dragons who are friendly toward the humans. The the fire dragons are probably the worst of them all, even the Green dragon that I did about 4 weeks ago. Besides being a very unfriendly dragon, these fire dragons are the rarest of the three species - Draco flameus. 
History of the Fire Dragon~   
These dragons are virtually unknown probably do to the fact that they live inside active volcanoes and their natural surrounding are the great rivers of lava and fiery caverns in the belly of the earth. In their world of fire and incandescent molten rock this is where the (father) fire dragon dwells. This is where courtship and mating takes place. Interesting mating in a volcano... Well that's a dragon for ya! Apparently this is also where the fire dragons have their rituals too.
Fire dragons spend their infancies in theses suffocating surroundings, only venturing outside when reaching maturity and only for brief hunting expeditions. These nocturnal creatures, usually sadly forth enveloped in the flames when darkness reigns, but only if the weather is very dry and the sky is clear. Water and humidity are a great threat to these great creatures since these elements can cause a disease caused by scale corrosion, which is a fatal  and very painful in all Red - fire dragons. This horrible disease will cause the dragons scales to flake off slowly at first from the dragons body, then coming off in large quantities at a time. This then leaves the dragon very sensitive skin exposed and vulnerable. This exposure not only causes dreadful burns, that is produced from the red hot lava, but also total dehydration too.
 On their excursions into the outside world. Fire dragons set vast expanses of land a flame, scorching everything in their path. They avidly devour the charred remaids of many animals left in the ashes.
The life style of the Fire Dragon~  

The fire dragons mouth breathe fire, which is formed from a mixture of Phosphorus and methane which is produced and stored in a second stomach of these dragons. Then the mixture ignites on contact with the oxygen immediately after it leaves the dragons mouth. 
The Fire dragons favorite food is composed of hydrocarbons such as oil and bitumen which it consumes in huge quantities. They also use these substances to clean and shine their scaly armor an occupation to which fire dragons devote many hours - in taking great care of every single scale and are always on the look-out for any suspicious looking blemishes on any of their scales. Now this is not a question of vanity in the case of the Fire dragon. Although there are a bit vain and conceited at times. This is strictly do to what I was talking about earlier in this blog about the fire dragons dreadful disease - that they can get from water and high humidity area's called - scale corrosion, which is fatal. So you can see why the fire dragon would take, much of his life time taking care of his armor or his scales. 
His scales, which cover him head to tail are made up of a type of metal and asbestos. The scales of the fire dragon can range from a wide variety - from bright golden yellow to red, copper and black. These iridescent type scales are the dragons only from of protection against their fiery breathe when they belt out those fiery breathe.  When they do, the fire will consume their body. So this is the reason why they take such care of their armor. Makes since to me! There is alot more to the fire dragon then I thought, when I first started reading and researching about the fire dragons. I found this part about their scales fascinating and how such a dragon that is  portrayed  as a evil dragon to be humble in a weird kinda way. 
Areas of Sighting of the Fire Dragon~  
It has been reported that dragons of this species used to be abundant in the volcanoes of Iceland. They would venture as far as Ireland and Northern Britain too. In Italy a small colony of this charming species of dragons has survived in Sicily. These mysterious but fascinating beast have large families of servant made up of mainly of salamanders and other igneous creatures.

I have always loved and been fascinated with dragons whether they be good or evil. I believe in my heart that there are dragons that still exist today, it's just that they are hidden deeply in the un-touched forest and deep caverns of the earth... Wendy

  

The Banshee-2013

The Banshee
From the Irish the word Banshee has two meanings, one 'bean sidhe', which means ~ women of the faeries. And the other meaning of the banshee is 'the gaelic', which means ~ ban sith. They both describe a spirit whose screeching and howling under the windowsills at night foretells that a death of a member of the household. This is how the legend is told.

Throughout time, mankind has looked for omens that portended doom, both on a societal as well as a personal level. 

The Roman augurs were soothsayers who claimed to be able to predict the future by examining the entrails of sacrificial victims, studying the flight of birds, the timing and location of the thunder storms. And even by a throw of the dice...

In Celtic Traditions, if a clock chimed at an inappropriate time or stopped. If a swarm of bee's were seen at the door. And if a rooster crowed at night, it had an ominous significance that death was not far
way. And one way to confirmation would be sought by keeping an eye out for anything unusual, like a bird, especially the rook or raven perched on a windowsill.

In Scotland, a 'bean nighe,'who is said to be a ghost of a women, who had died in childbirth could be seen wailing and crying, washing the shrouds in the nearest Ioch of those who were to die. 

As you can see there, is quite a bit of folklore in many different country's and cultures too. We have Ireland, Scotland, the traditions of the Romans and Celtic too. And we have only just began. 

The Banshee was thought to belong to the fairy world and dwell in a fairy mounds, but to shun the society of other fairies.

She is described many different ways. So many in fact you will find that, I have quite a few different pictures, of different artist that have depicted their versions of what the banshee would look like. Some would say she is described as a smallish woman, others as a more larger. The banshee has been been described to have white, black, gray, brown and even pale blonde tresse in their hair. Their complexions range for waxy white, bluest hue's, blackest swampiest look , ghostly like, to even almost human looking. 

She would appear in the birthplace of the man or woman who was about to die. Mostly in the early morning to the late evening. She could be heard wailing from as far as she approached the house. Sometimes though not always she came right up to the windowpanes. When she went away, there was often a fluttering sound as if a bird was flapping it's wings nearby...

 In Celtic folklore the banshee only ever warned families of pure Celtic Blood and wouldn't accompany them overseas if they had emigrated but could be heard in their homes if misfortune's had befallen upon them on the other side of the world... She also attached herself to places, such as crossroads and certain trees or streams, which then became imbued with an eerie atmosphere. 
Many morality tales have sprung up around the myth of the banshee,  especially regarding men who have offender her.
Perhaps these old wives tales were told to young boys to make them respect women and to live temperate lives. 
It is interesting to note that the banshee is always portrayed as a female spirit and it makes for a certain symmetry that mankind is brought forth into the world and ushered form it by women.

The christian version of the banshee paints her as a demon wailing for the souls that ascend to heaven and thus escape her master's clutches. 
She is also sometimes considered to be the soul of a unbaptized child or a woman who was too proud too surrender herself to God-
Interesting thought- Another interesting theory about the 
banshee is that the myth of her is evolved form the professional
mourners who were paid to wail at the funerals of important
people. They were often wise old crones, dressed in black and 
paid in drink. Perhaps they found no respite in death and were
condemned to continue this offering as a punishment for their 
insincerity. 
Wendy 

Human looking banshee

 Ghostly banshee 

Swampy banshee

 Ghostly banshee

Demon banshee

Demon banshee

 Spirit banshee

Enticing Elves-2013

Enticing Elves~
These Mischievous Elves spirits take pleasure in deluding travelers who step into territory or their forest. They might remove signs or turn them to another path towards their forest, that goes deep in the woods where the path will at some point vanish. These Enticing Elves take pleasure in watching humans going through their forest and thinking they are going to have a nice day walk then return to their camp site on the edge of their forest. So they watch for the perfect moment to remove the signs that were put up by the human park rangers which of course drive them crazy too. Neither campers nor park rangers would ever know, in ancient times and present if their signs were lost do to mischievous Enticing elves.

These elves might adopt more magical means by urging mortals to venture beyond what they would normally go and by getting them to get deeper and deeper into the unknown of their realm. 

These tiny elves are able to shape-shift into any different kinda animals, vegetables and even minerals as they move through the vegetation in the forest and lust valley's that surround the forests. There are faeries too that might even manifest as a familiar tree, a fellow traveler with useful directions, or as an alluring sound.

These Elves are very mischievous creatures you might say. They have been know to use a friends call in distress in a human voice or use mysterious musical tones to draw humans deeper into their forest so they will n ever find their way out.

This is an trick of the West Malaysia's Orange Bunyi Elves. Zaire's Elaka are human  devouring dwarves, they use tinkling bells which can be heard for miles in the trembling air, which will distorted any man's senses and sense of time, space and mind. For the woodland elves, they use seduction as a temptation to the humans for which they cannot resist. In Greek mythology, the woodland elves were dominating the woods of the deity pan, ruler of the lustful and pursuit and unwanted advances that led humans to the state of alarm named after him PANIC...

 The sexual charge of the forest motivates many of its denizens were the Sweden's wood caretaker's (Skagsro) or a woman of the forest which may materialize as a tiny beautiful woman, in an elegantly dress that is showing her shapely naked body thought very thin white linen type of material. Being that she is in the deep woods her clothes wood be a bit damp to so that would add to the seduction. It could also be a exquisitely naked woman all but for her long auburn locks. She will approached the hunters and woodsmen beckoning them away from their safety of their campfire, to come with her into the woods. Once the men are smitten, they are forever at her beck and call, enticed into the trysts depths of the forest after dark.  Thus the men are then entrapped, they lose their way, many lose their minds.

But though she is an tricky elf and disruptive; she is a respectful dalliance with a (Skagsro), an may be worth a gamble, even today, since she can reward on a hunted if well pleased by tributes. Other forest spirits live, and give. They also take life on the edge of our world - by drown into the human habitation for food and other sustenance, physical or emotional. A German Holzfrouen , wood - wives, similar to the Skagsro, are enticed by the scent of baking bread and may turn up in a kitchen to borrow something or ask in the woods for a barrow to be mended. To give of time and skills willing is to be rewarded with wood chips, which may turn into Gold....

So next time you go wondering off in the woods don't

go to far and always bring your own directions. Don't 
listen to soft voices in the breeze and beware of the talking animals. And for all you men out there. Beware of the Sweden's or Skagsro Elf. Who is the woman of the forest who can be very alluring without much clothing. It might sound like a lot of fun at first. But as she has you in her grips you might find your self so deep in the forest that you may never will see the light of the sun again or any of your friends or family. So beware. Of the Enticing Elves & Faeries.
Wendy

   Cynthia Blog

Great New Blooms For the New Spring for your Hummingbird Gardens-2013

Great New Blooms For your Hummingbird Garden for the coming Spring~

There are many different kinds of Hummingbird flowers. And I've gone through quite a few. But since spring is on its way, I thought I would go in a little more detail on some of my favorite flowers which have been my hummers favorites and a few new ones for you all to try if you would like~

For the first flower I would like to cover the Bee Balm~

This is one of my favorites and my Hummers too!

I could find 4 different variety with pictures too. 

This is the one flower that makes your Garden a hummingbirds come and stay to make it their home. 

It is in the Zones of 3 - 9 in the planting zones-

There is the- 
                    Bee Balm - Grand Parade - zones 3-8

                    Bee Balm - Purple Rooster - zones 4 -9

                   Bee Balm - Coral Reef - zones 3-8

                   Bee Balm - Jacob Cline - zones 4 -9

The Bee Balm plant,also called Monarda, is an aromatic Eastern North America herb that belongs to the mint family. It grows into a bushy, vertical stalks and produces the most brightly colored flowers in the spring to late summer. This plant develops colorful, spider - shaped flower blossoms in the early to late summer months. These flowers are Red, Pink, lilac, & will bloom in large heads or whorls of about 20 - 50 flowers at the top of the stems. Growing two to three feet tall, depending on the variety, it has a stem that is square, grooved and hard. Fine dense hairs cover much of the stems and leaves & the Bee Balm roots are short slender, creeping rhizomes.

The Bee Balm is easy to grow in any ordinary garden soil as well as in heavy clay soil; It requires a part shady to sunny area to grow. It will thrive in any moist soil that is rich in organic matter such as manure, compost, or leaf mold and it prefers alkaline soil conditions. In the fall you will want to prune your Monarda plants to within an inch of the ground or in your large Pot. 
Note: Like other members of the Mint family, Bee Balm's can become invasive. So you want to have a large area for the plant to grow. This being your home that you may own or keep the plant in contained in large pots or dividers in your garden. Another helpful hint. I always but mulch of old leaves an wood chips on the top of my Monarda plants in late Nov, to keep the roots warm from the frost and snow. This will protect them for the next coming spring. 

The Abutilon' Canary Bird (Canary Bird Flowering Maple ~ Abutilon' Canary Bird is a marvelous hummingbird plant that has survived in 6 degrees weather. This hibiscus is relative to the maple - like foliage and will grow up to 6'tall to 3' wide. It will start flowering in early summer with large dangling 3" wide canary yellow , bell-like flowers and will continues until the first frost. So for those in the northerly zones - The Abutilon Canary Bird makes a great Center piece for a container plant, good winter drainage is key! For Maximum cold tolerance in the ground~ It needs sun to part shade. This is  a winner as the flowers go for the hummingbirds or just for a great flower for your garden for the folks who live in the colder climates..

This is a new one I found for all of you and it's a Beauty.. Its Called "Black Drooping Lily-of-the-Nile. Its zone is 7-10 at least. It will get to 24" in height and it's sun to part shade. It is originally from South Africa - Cool! This Fully deciduous South African agapanthus can be found in open meadows in its surrounding mountain ranges. The clumps of strap-like green leaves are topped in July with 2' tall spikes of dark purple - black pendulous flower in July . The hummers love this one! You may need to ask for this one by it name and use the photo that I have provided too. Enjoy.

This one looked very interesting to me  too! Besides the flower the name catch my eye!

It called abutilon hybridum 'Voodoo'(Voodoo Flowering Maple)Its a beauty but I have found a few details in it's zones. It says zones 7-10 zones which usually means the flower can handle frost and snow but with this flower I've read that the Voodoo will continue to flower into the 20's degrees. It doesn't say if it can go lower so it might be a test plant for you to try. It is a very cool plant so you could always put it inside your home if all doesn't go well in the cold winter outside to safe the plant. That is what I would do. This of course is just an idea.    

As far as what the Voodoo Flower Maple looks like~

They are an upright 6 foot x 3 foot wide brush plant adorned with large 2" blood red bell shaped flowers that dangling from the top half of the plant. It will bloom in late summer. This is another hummer favorite too! And is one of the best of the growing flowing plant too.. So I hope you all have good luck if you all choose the beauty of the Voodoo Flowering Maple..

This next Flower is another of my Favorites. I first discovered it in my mother backyard. And watching all the beautiful blue &deep green hummingbirds that would come by every morning and afternoon for some of the tasty nectar that was in these beautiful flowers. This flower is Called - Abutilon - Bartley Schwarz'(Bartley Schwartz
In our winter this flower the Abutilon - Bartley Schwartz - Named after the late California Plants man, although incorrectly spelled 'Schwartz - has been one of the best performers type of flowers. This slightly pendent branching habit of this Abutilon megapotamicum hybrid makes a 4 foot tall sometimes taller x 4 wide bush with these fuzzy green serrated leaves and are adorned with these beautiful salmon -orange bell-shaped flowers that dangle from the out stretched woody branches - good as house plant and outside. Hummingbirds love this one.. This is the one flower to get to start your garden ..

This is my Last flower for you all. But it is a wonderful flower for you Garden. And I hope that with all this info that I have given you, you to will have a happy garden this coming Spring. 

This is Called Saliva - Furmans - Red. Its in the zone of 5 - 10. These are also great for your hummingbirds too.  They are in the Saliva Furman Red - Family. Their mature height grows to 18'' to 24 inches high. Their soil is widely adaptable moisture is moderate . They grow upright and need full sun~
Saliva Furman Reds are extremely long blooming selection and they are a very hardy bloom too. This is one of the reason I choose this flower. Also because its in the zone 5-10 area too. Its tightly branched upright growth habit and its profusion of the very bright red flowers from the beginning of early summer through the fall. This crimson to scarlet looking flowers will produce in a repeated fashion the flushes of reds from May through October. The Saliva Reds are a woody perennial that looks best if cut back in the spring.
The eye - catching red flowers offer an abundance of stunning blooms have a crinkly foliage that will be another of your hummingbirds favorites too. They tolerate a wide range of soils and require only what they need to drain for a quick drink of water.

Well these are six different kinds of great flowers for your garden this coming Spring/ They will make your garden look beautiful and you will have lots of tiny jewels of hummingbirds come to your garden and make their homes near around your garden. I hope these flowers and helpful hints that I have learned over the years well help you in your own gardens this coming Spring.. Wendy.

Ancient Wisdom of Faeries~2013

Ancient Wisdom of Faeries~

Faeries are very old beings. Many of their cultures range from Celtic to the Sidhe, people of the mounds.

To their realm called, 'Pathworking of Astral Travel in other Traditions, it is a oneself, one's environment one's spiritual beliefs. Some see this world of faeries as projection. Still other see it as a journey through space /time /Sidhe/Elven Realm/ parallel worlds or even worm holes thought something as simple as a enormous tree as an enchanted forest. The Questions is...You must decide for yourself what your believe. 

Faeries are great spiritual creatures of the natural world. They have been known to the Nordic, they were the alfar or elves. A vision quest is a great journey into a quest to the unknown reaching to the other worlds in order to learn about merely the Subconscious Realm of their World.

The faerie folk have inhabited the hills, valleys, and deep forests of the earth since the very beginning of time - Shamanism is an old and as Vast as the night sky - The buildings of the fist village. To even some paganism religion that belief in the faerie folk of the ancient, they to belief that these small beings have a respect for the earth, water, air and fire. All environment consciousness which runs so deep in the faerie connections with knowledge and wisdom which are gained from the tees, lakes, rivers, & streams. Protection comes from the rocks and the fire worlds which is important for they to believe in mother nature, who nurtures the planet. From all this they get their magick from the earth. 

Mystical realm which mirrors the astral planes and other portal holes in which they are able to come through both worlds is a way of protecting their children whether they are faerie, in the form of an animal (shape shifting), or anything that is one with this planet, that they have come to love.

The Faeries are acknowledged  in every aspect of life. Along with this comes a respect for all any shape - size of life ... from a tiny lady bug, to the rare spirit bear, to a giant redwood tree or a spring mist.

 Science is causing change in ones environment in conformity with ones will, is only possible to what you believe, in knowledge of human body soul and mind are able to see the most beautiful and powerful divine things in life. Its with the gift of choice that human beings do not answer the laws of the ancient world. The Gods and Goddesses, heroes, heroines of the Earth from the stars were known to the Celts as the Tuadha De Dannan that in habit the Earth, The Tuadha Da Dannan moved into the Realm of the faie or when they cross over into reality of another realm. 

It is wondrous beauty, enchantment and magic of the Earth, the Sea, the Sky and the Faerie Realm is Real...