Hens and Chicks

Asarum stopped in to visit his cousins on a perfect autumn afternoon. He found Levisticum hard at work trying to divide some plants.

Levi wiped his brow when he saw his cousin approaching. "Hello, Asarum. I'm glad for an excuse for a break. Can I get you some tea?"

They enjoyed the cool drink in the shade of a grove of coral bells. When they were refreshed, Asarum offered to help Levi with the task. "Thank you!" Levi smiled. "These hens and chicks are getting too much shade here, and I have to move them over by those sunny rocks."

Together, the two fairies lifted the succulent plants one by one off the ground, then pushed them carefully up the slope to the rocks. They tucked them into little bits of soil here and there among the stones. Then they hauled up a small quantity of water to help the plants get established.

When they returned to the garden, Levi gathered up a few of the little "chicks"—the baby succulents that grew off the "hen." He put them in a pouch for Asarum. "You can take these back with you to the woodlands if you want. Just put them in a little bit of soil when you get there and they will be fine."

Asarum thought for a minute. Then he carried the pouch up to the rocks. He planted the chicks alongside the hens. "These belong here," he said. "I don't think they would thrive in my homeland. But by planting them here, this is my promise that I will come back and visit. Please take care of them for me until then." He waved his hands over them, and when he stopped, their tips were tinged with orange. And to this day, you can still find some hens and chicks that bear this mark.