Fairy Ring

While visiting the cemetery today my daughter spotted a fairy ring, otherwise known as a toadstool ring.  Being a fairytale junky I was all kinds of excited.  I didn’t think these appeared in the U.S.  I thought they only grew in England, Ireland or Scotland.

Here is my friend Kierah, making a wish in the middle 🙂

So what is a fairy/toadstool ring?  Wikipedia says- Fairy rings occupy a prominent place in European folklore as the location of gateways into elfin kingdoms, or places where elves gather and dance. According to the folklore, a fairy ring appears when a fairy, pixie, or elf appears. It will disappear without trace in less than five days, but if an observer waits for the elf to return to the ring, he or she may be able to capture it.

Fairy Chronicles says- They are usually found in places where fairies have had a gathering. Toadstool rings tempt people, who are hoping to see fairies, back to the same spot over and over again. However, non-magical people cannot see fairies; and fairies seldom meet in the same place twice, so it is somewhat silly to return to a toadstool ring in the hopes of glimpsing fairies. Toadstool rings are thought to be bad omens by people who mistrust fairies.

I love fairies, so no bad omens here!  I’d love to get more pictures, but I think I’ll let the fairies be for now.  I’m just glad to see such a beautiful and rare thing 🙂