On the fully open flowers, the stem tops of these blooms looks like a cluster of graceful birds.
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‘To the medieval mind those fluttery petals were akin to bird’s wings – the association stuck. Columbine from the Latin columba meaning dove gives us the link to the Holy Spirit while aquila gives us the eagle – and Christ in the form of an eagle soaring heavenwards ’
Source: The History Jar
Interestingly one of the birds I heard today was the Collared Dove, (for the first time since using the Merlin Bird Id). The Collared Dove is shown first on the list below.
