I just realised something about that nursery rhyme they keep repeating about the legend of the werewolf (lifted straight from the original "Werewolf" movie with Lon Chaney, by the way).
The curse actually require TWO things for the change to take place: the moon must be full, but also, the wolfbane must be in bloom. Well, that doesn't seem like such a terrible affliction to me. Wolfbane doesn't actually BLOOM for longer than a month. I know. I grow the stuff.
There are varieties of Aconitum (most often called Monkshood) that will bloom as early as July, but most will not until August or September. So what are we talking about? Two transformations a year, at the most? Maybe only one since this is Maine after all and the growing season is short? I know people who get migraines more often than that who would gladly trade for a couple of ¢â‚¬Ëœbad hair' nights a year in a cell.
In case anyone is interested in this sort of stuff, the name ¢â‚¬Ëœwolfbane' came about because Aconitum is extremely poisonous and was distilled to poison the tips of arrows used in wolf hunting in Europe. They were more concerned that they actually KILL the wolves rather than wound them, so they didn't mind making the kill inedible.
Too bad Grandmamamama Edith never thought to add a Victorian era glass and iron conservatory onto Collinwood¢â‚¬¦¢â‚¬¦.it would have been SO authentic to such a house, (not to mention a FABULOUS set to tape in!) especially in a place like Maine where it would have provided a rare place to grow delicate things. And it would have been very handy, considering the amount of strange plants, weird herbs and deadly botanicals the locals seem to require.