Sunday, August 3, 2014

Feeling Lucky, Punk?

I think it has been well established now that I work outdoors and see cool nature things all the time.  The other day I found something lucky, which I immediately plucked and took pictures.  After all, the internet says "pictures or it didn't happen".  So, here are your pictures, you weirdo voyeurs.



That is a four leaf clover.  I've actually found a bunch.  Usually they are found in the same patch.  Science says the fourth leaf on a regular trifolium repens (white clover) is most likely a recessive gene found at very low probability.  There are estimated one four leaf clover for every 10000 normal clovers.

According to what we can remember about Druids, they considered clover to be magical, and therefore, rare 4 leaf clovers to be even more so.  They were also thought to be markers of fairy gardens.

Because Christianity borrowed a lot of traditions from other religions, the clover stuff found a new home in the Christian mythos.  St Patrick was said to use the 3 leafs of the clover to teach about the holy trinity.  A four leaf clover looks an awful lot like a cross, and therefore would be extra holy.

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