Graveyard Dirt: Two Worlds and In-between

Gorse (Ulex Eureopeaus)
On the hillside near where I live, the gorse is in flower. Gorse, Ulex Eureopeaus, although flowering as beautifully as many an expensive garden shrub, is a plant of wild places and the name is from the Old English gorst meaning a "waste" or uncultivated place.

You will sometimes see it referred to locally or an old maps as furze or whin. In the Druidic calendar, it typified the sun at the spring equinox and fires of gorse were lit on the hills to celebrate this. At Midsummer, blazing gorse branches were carried around cattle to ensure their health for the coming year. However, like mistletoe, it was thought unlucky if brought inside the home.

Despite gorse's extreme prickliness, horses, cattle and sheep like to eat the young or crushed growth. It is extremely nutritious for them, so was often collected as winter fodder in the uplands. It was also the preferred fuel for bread ovens as it burns with a fierce heat.

Source: Sunday Times Weekend, January 11th