The Song Of The Totter-Grass Fairy

The leaves on the tree-tops

Dance in the breeze;

Totter-grass dances

And sways in the trees-

Shaking and quaking!

While through it there goes,

Dancing, a fairy,

On the lightest of toes.

A native wildflower of England and Wales,

Totter-Grass is sometimes called "Quaking-Grass".

In bloom from June to September, this plant's

dainty, heart-shaped purple-and-green flowers

are a reminder of the warm, carefree days of

summer when a winter chill is in the air.

The seeds of Totter or Quaking Grass  provide 

 an excellent food source for wild birds. 

"The Song Of The Totter-Grass Fairy"

Poem and Illustration 

Cecily Mary Barker

(1895-1973)

Official portrait painter of English flower fairies