Tag: Creation

Beauty of the Natural World

GREEN-VEINED WHITE BUTTERFLY

My piece last week about Dolly Parton and the reference to her love of butterflies, prompted my friend Gill Henwood to send me photos of a Green-Veined White Butterfly taken in the Lake District.

The green-veined white is quite a common butterfly (though I have never seen it!). Its habitat is hedgerows, woodlands, garden and parks as well as river areas and damp meadows. It can be seen from Spring to October.

In Gill’s photos, it is taking its ease on sedum plants which are currently turning from their summer green to autumn pink/purple.
The Butterfly takes its name from the prominent green stripes on the underside of its wings. One description I read about this is: The so-called green veins on the underside of the adults are, in fact, an illusion created by a subtle combination of yellow and black scales.”
A comment made from folklore is that if you see a white butterfly at the beginning of summer, it will be rainy. If, however, you see a green-veined white butterfly it is a sign that there is hope for a little sunshine!
a different and more spiritual lore is that “the graceful, darting flight of the green-veined white represents seasonal re-birth, fragility and the clean beauty of the natural world.”

This thought makes the green-veined white is a suitable symbol of Creation on a week-end which includes a new ecumenical festival adopted by the Church of England as it joins churches across the globe in celebrating the new Festival of Creation in Christ, marking the worldwide Christian consensus that the Earth should be treasured and protected as a gift from God.

Lord of creation,
You have created the universe by your eternal Word,
and have blessed humankind in making us
stewards of the earth;
We pray for your world,
that we may share and conserve its resources,
and live in reverence for the creation
and in harmony with one another.
In your mercy, hear us.

[Mr G & Gill Henwood. 5th September 2026]

The Flourishing of Creation

Photo of hydrangea in the Lake District, by Gill Henwood.

A summer pondering from Gill Henwood

Hydrangea : Planted long ago by slate steps leading into a spinney on the edge of a track, the huge shrub now blocks access
but is too beautiful to tame.

Above is a ‘handkerchief’ tree, davidia involucra, also known as the ‘dove’ tree, both from the creamy hanging bracts in the spring, around the small flowers. The tall tree shades the hydrangea which isn’t drooping in the heatwave.
There are underground streams in the spinney, flowing into Black Beck in the vale and on to Esthwaite Water,
our local lake.

The hydrangea suckers, providing new plants to give away. The handkerchief tree sets masses of nutmeg sized seeds, chewed by mice and scattered all over the garden.
Shoots emerge and saplings can be moved and given away too.

Over a century, these plants and trees have made their home in the windswept, rainy Lake District. The spinney shelters them from the western winds and shelters the old farmstead (dating back to at least 1536). People knew where to site their homes, against the slate rock wall, near a spring or stream, and to plant trees for shelter and shade.

We need tall shading trees and shelter today, to learn from our forebears how Creation flourishes despite heat and winds. May we, as stewards in our small ways, pay our part in protecting Creation, not least all creatures great and small.

[Gill Henwood. July 2026]

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen.

‘BELTIES’ at rest

My friend, Gill Henwood, has sent me this photograph of cattle resting from the heat near Coniston in the Lake District.
Here’s her short refection.

The Belties (Belted Galloway cows) and their recent calves have chosen deep shade on the felltop, where a cool breeze is lifting from Coniston Water up the hill towards them.

An essay on how to keep cool. A couple of mornings ago, they were down at the water edge of Tarn Hows. They are free range around the National Trust fells, choosing the best resting places for the young calves. As parents do.

As our heavenly Father does when we listen in Creation to the wind and shade and the weather warnings…

Every blessing,
Gill Henwood

Midsummer Yellow

*St John’s Wort at Fairacres. Photo by Julia Sheffield.*

A few days ago we celebrated the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. (June 24^th,) – Midsummer’s Day.
John has two festivals though I suspect the one this week was preferable to him than the other which commemorates his beheading!

Just before celebrating his Nativity, I visited the Convent of the Incarnation, the home of the Sisters of the Love of God at Fairacres in Oxford. By the entrance there was a profusion of yellow flowers filling a bush of welcome.
I was reminded that the birth of St John the Baptist and this flowering bush are connected. In horticultural parlance it is known by the name Hypericum but it also has a name in religion – that of St. John’s Wort. It flowers mainly in June and usually around the time of St. John’s birthday.

The word ’Wort’ comes from the Old English word, ‘Wyrt’, meaning a plant or a herb or root. It is associated by some with folk medicine and is said to have healing properties in the treatment of mild depression. However, it can affect other medicines adversely so it’s always wisest to consult professional people.

Gardeners know it as a herb with woody roots which the Royal Horticultural Society tells of it bearing yellow flowers mark by black glands and leaves that appear perforated due to translucent glands producing copious seed per plant.

From a religious point of view, it is noted that the flowers have five petals which represent a halo. When cut there is red liquid which becomes a symbol of St. John the Baptist’s beheading.

Religious folklore adds that the plant traditionally wards off evil spirits and demons linking this with St John as a spiritual protector. In medieval Europe people hung sprigs of the plant above doorways to protect homes. During midsummer celebrations the plant was placed in fields and burned in bonfires. This was to protect people, livestock, homes and crops against evil forces.

Oddly, in an age when evil and malice prevail more than ever, we neglect these helpful ceremonies and symbols!

That was certainly not true for Saint Columba. According to Gaelic tradition, Columba always carried a piece of St. John’s Wort not only because of his great regard for St. John but also for its protective and healing qualities.

This is one of the many examples how nature and spirituality are intertwined as God’s great design of Creation of which we are but a part. Living in harmony, care and love for God’s creation which defines us, is something we need to re-discover and put into practice.
May St. John’s Wort remind us of that.

Breath of Summer ~ a prayer

Creator God
who breathed this world into being,
who is discernible within
the harmony of nature,
the perfection of a butterfly’s wing,
the grandeur of a mountain range,
the soaring eagle and humming bird,
thank you for this world
which you have created.
Thank you for summer sun,
which reminds us
that your creative breath
is still alive and active.
Thank you for the warmth of your love,
sustaining this world,
your garden

Prayer from Xavier University Cincinnati #Jesuitresource.org is developed by The Center for Mission and Identity at Xavier University with support from the Conway Institute for Jesuit Education.

[Mr G. 27th June 2026]