Absolutely Nothing To Discover : Lily Of The Valley, by Micki Myers

Lily of the Valley always reminds me of soap — probably because that’s where you tend to encounter it. It seems the most antique of scents, and well-suited for soap because it smells so nice. Drawings of it also look really pretty on soap wrappers, the little white bells delicate and fairy-like.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find the sneaky little bells popping up among the ivy and thistles that line the alleyway leading to my house this morning. I’ve never seen them before, but they’re rhizomes, like irises and ginger, who each year send up new shoots from a woody root. With luck, they’ll decide to stay and welcome in the Spring next year too.

Next time you see Lily of the Valley, and think how lovely and innocent they look, remember that every part of them is extremely poisonous. Make no mistake: eat these instead of sniff them and you will be made dead.