The Song Of The Speedwell Fairy

Clear blue are the skies;

My petals are blue;

And beautiful too,

As the bluest of eyes.

There are many kinds of Speedwell;

this is the "Germander".

The heavens are high:

By the field-path I grow

Where wayfarers go,

And "Good speed" say I;

"See, here is a prize

Of wonderful worth:

A weed of the earth,

As blue as the skies!"

In America, an old-fashioned,  long-leafed variation of

Speedwell called Veronica is found in many heirloom gardens.

 Grown as a dependable border plant, these perennial flowers

with their lovely lilac spikes are a favorite of bees, 

butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Veronica Flowers

"The Song of the Speedwell Fairy"

Poem and Illustration by

Cecily Mary Barker