Finger Hats

I remember being fascinated when I learnt at primary school about the poisonous nature of foxgloves. They contain a powerful poison that affects the heart. 

My daughter's colleague gave me a plant that she had raised from seed last year and I planted it on Ollie dog's grave. I've been looking forward to it blooming ever since. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that it is pure white, I was hoping for pink or purple.

This morning I noticed that the first florets to open had fallen to the ground. I picked them up and loved how they fitted over my fingers. I decided to photograph them on MrQ's hand. MrQ has large elegant hands, his father said he would make a good goalie. 

I've done a bit of research this evening. Though it's obvious, it hadn't occurred to me before that the name Digitalis comes from digit or finger. The German vernacular was fingerhut which translates as fingerhat but means thimble. The Old English name translates as fox's glove. It was insinuated that foxes wore the flowers on their paws to silence their movements as they stealthily hunted their prey.