Violent is an ugly construct. We see violent acts as negative and something that we need to discourage. This belief excludes our own violent acts and wishes such as wanting to see people punished for acting in a way we disagree with or calling someone a wanker when they drive badly.
We are sometime happy to celebrate violence in fiction and there are whole entertainment franchises built around violent acts: James Bond, WWE and countless crime thriller book series.
Each of these brings a beauty to violence. They choreograph violence to apply a veneer of logic and comprehension to aggressive, hurtful actions. In real life this doesn’t happen. Many times somebody will get punched in the face and fall over and that is that. However, there is a target and an aggressor.
In nature violence is much more random. Stinging nettles will sting any bare skin with which it comes into contact regardless of whether that person is here or villain. And you might be feeding your roses great fertiliser but they will still make your hands bleed if you touch their thorns.
The picture at the start of this piece is of foxgloves in the woods near my house. This beautiful flower grows wild all across the fields and gardens around here. It is a beautiful flower that, fully grown, stands around a metre high and attracts you to look closer at its deep purple and pink hues.
The foxglove is also violent. It contains toxic cardiac glycosides. Ingestion of any parts of the plant can result in severe poisoning. Symptoms include nausea, headache, skin irritation and diarrhoea. In severe cases it can lead to visual and perceptual disturbances and heart and kidney problems.
The foxglove is a classic villain. It will use its beauty to draw you in, to tempt you to come closer and maybe take a cutting to put in that new vase you bought. Beware because all along its leaves are fine hairs that can cause rashes and skin irritations.
The official warnings tell us that any part of the flower could be fatal if ingested. But, you may ask, who is going to ingest a flower? Who is going to make a tea from its leaves? And I would reply who is going to step outside the secluded cabin in the woods at dead of night when they hear a strange sound?
The Foxglove Murders anyone?
To find out more from the Woodland Trust about foxgloves click here:
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