Dear Gardeners, What Is It About Fairies? by Rose Young, Landscape Designer
(An article similar to this was published in Fairie Magazine #22 in 2011 under the title:
The Mystical Language of Nature)
The practical logical type might ask this question to the whimsical nature lover, "So what is it about Fairies?" Did you know Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous writer of the Sherlock Holmes detective series, believed in Fairies? His father had drawn and painted beautiful pictures of them and in 1922 Conan Doyle wrote a book called, "The Coming of the Fairies’ complete with the famous Cottingley Fairy photos.
Many people say Fairies are childhood fantasy and folklore, just an imaginative tale made up to explain an otherwise unexplainable event to a child. Such as . . . a single fern frond waving to you from the woodlands when you can’t feel or see a breeze and everything else is still. Or when the morning dew glistens delightfully, blades of grass sparkle with colorful reflections that illuminate a certain twinkle as if it was winking at you.
Have you had one of those special moments when you have a thought and its as if someone heard you? Days later there is your thought manifested? Like the time I was hoping to see a hummingbird up close and within a day or so not only did I see one but it hovers in front of me as if to say, "Hello, I heard you!" I feel so fortunate when I find heart-shape rocks on my property or when I take 30 photos of the yard and find in 10 of them colorful orbs floating in the scene. These things happened when I felt especially grateful for nature's beauty.
Is it possible my conversations of appreciation to the large oaks, wild ferns, meadow rue and jack in the pulpit were overheard? Or my cherishing the sound of peepers heralding spring and the melodious hum of crickets and tree frogs who sing me to sleep. Always I am grateful of the of dragonflies eating the mosquitoes. And has someone noticed, when I wait and watch for the silent signals of firefly light on warm June evenings, as I run out into the darkness to celebrate their arrival? The Mystical Language of Nature)
The practical logical type might ask this question to the whimsical nature lover, "So what is it about Fairies?" Did you know Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous writer of the Sherlock Holmes detective series, believed in Fairies? His father had drawn and painted beautiful pictures of them and in 1922 Conan Doyle wrote a book called, "The Coming of the Fairies’ complete with the famous Cottingley Fairy photos.
Many people say Fairies are childhood fantasy and folklore, just an imaginative tale made up to explain an otherwise unexplainable event to a child. Such as . . . a single fern frond waving to you from the woodlands when you can’t feel or see a breeze and everything else is still. Or when the morning dew glistens delightfully, blades of grass sparkle with colorful reflections that illuminate a certain twinkle as if it was winking at you.
Have you had one of those special moments when you have a thought and its as if someone heard you? Days later there is your thought manifested? Like the time I was hoping to see a hummingbird up close and within a day or so not only did I see one but it hovers in front of me as if to say, "Hello, I heard you!" I feel so fortunate when I find heart-shape rocks on my property or when I take 30 photos of the yard and find in 10 of them colorful orbs floating in the scene. These things happened when I felt especially grateful for nature's beauty. 
Sometimes nature in my yard is so wonderful I imagine I have traveled like Dorothy over the rainbow. Numerous visits of bluebirds, blue jays, goldfinches, chickadees, cardinals, and even the occasional hawk, falcon and owl hoot. They all travel through the yard at various times to visit and feed. And guess what? I don’t have any bird feeders - not a one. They enjoy what is growing in the yard wild and homegrown. 
Even if you don’t believe in Fairies you can have all of this anyway if you love your yard. Just don’t be surprised now that I’ve told you when you see a fern frond waving at you or a twinkling glint of dew noticeably catching your eye, fore these are the added benefits to loving nature. And yes let’s keep telling children, 'It’s just a little Fairy saying, Hi!' It makes for nice stories when you share your garden time with young children or grandchildren, or just you . .
. and the Fairies. Remember there is always some hidden truth in every myth and legend.
. and the Fairies. Remember there is always some hidden truth in every myth and legend. With much gratitude to our natural world,
Rose
