My backyard is a bevy of flying architects, nuthatch, cardinals, brown thrashers, titmouse, and Carolina wrens are building in every birdhouse, gardenia bush, and holly. The thrashers outside my bedroom winter that hatched last week are already gone. Peonies, roses, iris, lavender etc. etc. are flourishing. Redolent peonies can live for a hundred years and the roots were used to treat convulsions. In the middle ages peonies were used to ward off evil spirits and to reduce pain in childbirth. In Asia the tea made from peonies is thought to improve memory. Did you know peonies are one of the most popular image used as a tattooo?
