"How now, mad spirit!
What night-rule now about this haunted grove."
Will Shakespeare
It's believed that on the night of the vernal equinox, Crocus Dell at the foot of the ancient Oak is the site of much reverie as all the faeries and elves of Olde Breuckelen celebrate the end of winter. They sup on the nectar of a thousand snow crocus that bloom here in the week prior and the locals know to bolt fast their doors and windows to thwart their drunken mischief.
OK, I made that up. I became a little boy again with a head full of fantastical nonsense the minute I saw this carpet of crocus at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Fairies and Elves live here I thought to myself -for sure, and that giant eye on the oak- that's to ward off Goblins.
