The reputation of ivy – eiddew or iorwg in Cymraeg – is rather unfavourable. It climbs plants and walls, its short strong broomlike roots that grow out of its shoots gripping tightly, and covers woodland floors and gardens like an advancing flood. But contrary to common belief it does not throttle plants it climbs upon, rather using them as climbing support, and surely it will shade out some of their light with its dark, shiny, evergreen leaves.
In late autumn, you can see its flowers opening in the hedges, little spheres similar to the microscopic images of the Coronavirus, a centre with dozens of round satellites, yellow with pollen. And theses satellites explode their sweet scent that makes you turn your head, and in the same way attract late bees and insects that feed on their nectar. Ivy’s advantage is its late season when fewer plants compete for the attention of pollinators.
By the mid winter months, the black berries provide food for birds, and the tangle of its long shoots is dense enough to give them shelter too. For wildlife it’s a veritable super plant. To us it’s poisonous – though in the past it was used for a variety of medical applications, including cold sores and swollen feet.
Winter is a time to be grateful for evergreen plants, and it’s no wonder that we celebrate Christmas with decorations of pines, yew, ivy and holly. Because they’re evergreen, our ancestors believed in these plants’ special powers to ensure another cycle of life in the year to come, as well as in their medical and spiritual attributes. A powder made from its berries was used to treat a hangover, and taverns decorated their doors with sprigs of ivy as a sign of quality of their ales and wines. It was believed that someone who lived in a house covered by ivy was safe from evil.
Heavy with symbolism, ivy was carried by young women in the hope of a partner and fertility, weddings were decorated with ivy as a sign of faith, and the Celtic druids worshipped it as a symbol of peace, as they saw it making connections between different plants. As always, Christianity went one step further and made a connection with eternal life.
If you could do with an hour or two of peace, come with us on one of Gwreiddiau Gwyllt’s walks or other nature activities. The project (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund) is also collecting nature resources in Welsh, and the resource is available online www.gwreiddiaugwyllt.cymru. And remember that you can search for the names of species in Cymraeg and Saesneg on the website of Llên Natur.