“What a lonely place it would be to have a world without a wildflower!” ― Roland R Kemler
Every spring I give myself at least one afternoon to go wildflower hunting. And so, since the sun was shining today and the wildflowers were bound to be blooming, I took off for the creek with the dogs, Marley and Frankie. That made them extra happy although Marley, being a not so young dog sort of like me being not so young myself, is tired tonight. He’s snoozing on his bed behind me. Now Frankie, he’s still out in the yard, ready just in case the coyotes start making noise. He’ll want Marley to come out and help him do some barking if that happens. Maybe Marley will be rested up enough by then.
The dogs aren’t interested in the wildflowers, but they have plenty to sniff out and some pools of water to cool off in while I’m finding the best flower pictures. I’ve picked just a few to share. I took a lot of pictures because well, it’s fun to take flower and creek pictures. The picture up top has a variety of flowers. There’s trillium, shooting star, purple phlox, and blue bells.
The yellow flower below is wood poppy although when I was a kid we always called them buttercups. That’s actually a different flower that grows over by the creek too. But whatever you call these yellow beauties they do brighten up a hillside.
I thought I wasn’t going to be able to find this one, the jack-in-the-pulpit. I’d spotted several of the leaves down the creek but no flower stem with the leaf. But then this one was blooming tight beside the path as I was climbing up the cliff from the creek to head to the house. I always feel like I miss spring when I don’t catch sight of this one.
Another one I enjoy seeing is ginger root. These blooms hide at the bottom of the leaves and can make for interesting attempts to get a good picture. But this one was right up on a moss covered rock showing its bloom without a problem. They bloom against the ground because they are pollinated by bugs that crawl instead of bees that fly.
Another flower that can sometimes be hard to capture in all its beauty is the bent head trillium. The bloom is under those big umbrella leaves. Sort of like the Mayapple flowers that have buds but aren’t blooming yet. The bent head trilliums are just getting started. They blanket some of the cliffsides and look beautiful. They come in this color and white and a light purple that looks like a mix of the colors.
Hope you enjoyed joining me for this wildflower walk. And to reward you for going along and for fun, leave a comment of your favorite wildflower here or wherever, and I’ll throw your name in my drawing hat to win your choice of one of my books. As always you have to be at least 18 years old to enter. We’ll make it a fast giveaway with the deadline to enter April 24, 2021 at midnight EST.
So which is your favorite wildflower?
Comments 46
I love Bluebonnets. But I love all spring flowers, reminds me of new beginings.
Author
I think that’s why so many of us love spring, Linda, the idea of new beginnings. Oh, and that lovely sun getting warmer too. Although, amazingly enough, the forecast is calling for a little snow here tonight and tomorrow. I think they need a new forecast!
When I was a child my dear Aunt Helen would gather us together to make the annual pilgrimage to her woods to see Jack in all his splendor! I will forever think of her when I take my grands on that pilgrimage!!
Author
My grandkids may remember me that way someday too, Bonnie, since I always want to take them on a wildflower walk down the creek. So far, I think they’ve enjoyed the creek more than the flowers, but my youngest son is always taking pictures of flowers like me these days. When he goes on business trips, he’s always bringing back pictures of flowers.
I found a jack in the pulpit for the first time last year. They are really unique plants. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
Author
They are unique for sure, Margaret. I think that’s why I like them so much. And the idea of a flower being named for a preacher named Jack in the pulpit is fun. At least that’s how I like to think about them.
Dear Ann, Thank you for bringing so much beauty/joy into our world with your words and pictures. I enjoyed this very much and find something fascinating about each wildflower. To me, an old fashioned wild violet is close to my heart. My aunt, who helped raise me like another mother, loved them. They were her birthday flower! She bloomed all over my life and still, though living in town now, I find my yard covered in those sweet reminders (she is gone now), Not so with lawns nearby.
The quote about forgiveness being the fragrance of the violet on the heel of the one who crushed it, is blessed thought,
Author
It so sweet that you are always reminded of your precious aunt when you see violets, Sandra. I love how you remember her as having bloomed all over your life. What a treasure she must have been. Some people prefer plain old grass to dandelions and violets, but I say let the flowers bloom.
I love the Trillium. Our Garden Club cares for a park called Trillium Park but we have very few trillium left. We plant geraniums and lots of impatients there and weeding is every other, Thursday Evening. We always enjoy getting together and working. I just returned from my son’s home and spent time weeding, even though it is early in the season here but just love to see green coming up after a long winter. How lucky we are to have seasons so we can enjoy new things in the spring of the year. Love reading your columns and books. Sincerely,
Elaine Salsbury, from MN
Author
Thank you, Elaine, for reading my words. It makes writing so much more fun when I know some readers enjoy my stories. And I’m with you in that I enjoy the seasons of the year. There are times in February when I think maybe the winter season might be a week or two too long. 🙂 But spring always comes. It’s neat that you have a garden park that you keep beautiful for people to enjoy. What a great circle of friends to have – those who love flowers and making things beautiful. I do like seeing the trilliums. I was worried I’d be too early to see them blooming the other day, but there were some bloomed and many more ready to bloom. I may have to take another walk down my wildflower creek soon.
You have some pretty wildflowers in your area. We are having loads of yellow flowers blooming beside the roadways. I’m not sure the name of them, but they sure are pretty. Other wildflowers I like is the faithful Dandelion. I love the little yellow flowers popping up in the yard at the first sign of warmer weather. The fuzzy seed pods are also fun to blow apart even if I am 69 years old, ha!
Author
I’m like you, Connie, in that I enjoy the dandelions when everybody else is fussing about them. In the early spring I think they look like sunspots in the green grass. I wrote a devotional about them that you may have already read. But if you haven’t and would like to, it’s the third one down on my devotional page here on my website. https://www.annhgabhart.com/devotional/ At one time, I played with the idea of writing a devotional book. I still sometimes play with the idea, but I haven’t gotten it done yet.
Please, Ann, play with the idea of writing a devotional book with a deadline in mind. I, along with your other fans/readers, would read and appreciate your words of inspiration.
Author
That’s so nice. You might just encourage me enough to try it. I actually wrote about 12 or so of them back when I was considering it. I don’t know that I could ever come up with enough for one a day, but maybe one a week?? Or just not worry about them matching dates and just bind them together. And what fun it would be if I could use my own pictures! Thank you for your kind remark, Jean Ann.
I love flowers of any kind, but until just recently I have not considered the names of a wildflower. I tell myself it is an age thing like slowing down and smelling the roses. Your pictures are beautiful, and I love the bright yellow blossom.
Author
I’ve been trying to teach myself the names of the wildflowers I see, Jean Ann, but sometimes I have to do some repetition exercises and keep looking up the names in my flower books. 🙂 The ones I posted, I do have down. I’ve also tried to learn what their leaves look like because that makes them easier to spot when they are just beginning to bloom.
I love flowers. Your photos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us. One of my favorites is the yellow poppies. Have a blessed week! 🙂
Author
Thank you, Melissa. I’m glad you enjoyed the flower photos. The yellow poppies is a favorite of mine too and one of my mom’s favorites although she really liked Dutchman’s breeches.
Thank you for the wonderful wildflower lesson! I enjoy wildflowers more because of an app that I downloaded. It is called Picture This. I use during my walks so I can know the name of what tree or bush or flower I find enchanting. Of the ones you shared if I had to only have one in my neighborhood it would be the simple wood poppy. It is cheery and has a welcoming face. I hope you are enjoying this delightful spring.
Author
I agree with your about the wood poppy, Karen. In the spring when things are just beginning to turn green and much still wears winter brown, the bright yellow blooms of the wood poppy can cheer up the place. I have one of the flower apps on my phone and it does well with flowers most of the time. But I don’t have much luck with trees. Too many have bark that looks too similar, I suppose. But the app is fun to use.
I have a ton of violets under my lilac bush and a Jack in the Pulpit by my foundation. They have been there for years and so welcome, because they are some of God’s beautiful gifts to us.
Author
I’m surprised you have a Jack in the pulpit in your yard, Donna Jean, but that’s really neat. My aunt used to have a little rock wildflower garden and I don’t think she could ever get the Jack in the pulpit to live. The wood poppy did take over. They thrived. Enjoy your gifts of beauty.
I loved seeing your pictures of the wildflowers there. Those of us in Texas look forward each year to the fields of Bluebonnets and the Indian Paintbrushes. They are especially abundant in the hill country areas.
Author
Another Texan on here mentioned the Indian paintbrushes, Lynda. I’ve never seen any in my wildflower area, but wish I could. So many beautiful wildflowers to see and it’s neat how they are more prevalent in some places than others. If we could see a blanket knit with those wildflowers across our nation, we’d be amazed by the beauty.
I love wildflowers! On our farm, we typically have the wood poppies, bluebells, Star of Bethlehem, Rock Columbine, Dutchman’s Breeches, and many others that I don’t know the names of. I love walking through our woods to take pictures as well. 🙂
Author
I’m guessing that you have a lot of good pictures, Elizabeth. I’ve never found any columbine growing wild but that would be neat. I’ve always wanted to see a lady’s slipper but I think I’ll have to go walking in some other area to find those. They’re in the mountains, I think.
Always fun to read of your experience in God’s beautiful creation. I enjoy driving through the countryside rather than walking and seeing the growth of spring, mountain turning green with new leaves, wild flowers shooting up randomly.
Author
Driving around to enjoy the beauty of spring is fun too, Roselyn. I always smile when I see those wildflowers alongside the roads. When I was a girl, the school bus I rode went on a road beside a cliffside and I loved spotting the wildflowers there. Watching a mountain turn green has to be a joy.
Loved seeing your wildflowers. Hard to pick just one for a favorite.
Author
I have a hard time picking a favorite too, Ola. Sometimes it’s simply whichever one I’m seeing at the time.
I love being surprised by wildflowers as I go for a walk. Right now my backyard is covered with spring beauties which I really love. I like finding the occasional Jack in the Pulpit, too.
Author
“Surprised by Wildflowers.” I love that, Birdie. I should have titled my blog post that. I may have to do another post about the wildflowers just so I can use it. 🙂 Spring beauties grow all over around here, but I don’t see that many down by the creek. They are usually in the fencerows next to hayfields. They are a delicate and beautiful flower, and the Jack in the pulpit is so unique you have to be surprised by it.
I loved seeing all your pretty flowers,Ann,but especially the gingeroot! My favorite flower is the purple lupine. 💜Isaiah 31💜
Author
The purple lupine is a beautiful flower, Emily. What I read about it said it was also sometimes called the Texas bluebonnet. None of those grow wild in my corner of the world.
Love your flowers. I don’t see many around where I live, but I sure love wild violets.
Author
I have plenty of violets everywhere, Lisa. Some down on the creek. I posted the picture I took of the purple violets on my Facebook page today. http://www.facebook.com/anngabhart. But I have plenty of them in the front yard. I know some people think they are nothing but weeds, but I sort of like the way they turn the lawn purple this time of the year.
I loved all your wildflower pics, but especially seeing the gingeroot.
Author
I was happy to get such a good picture of the ginger root without trying to rearrange the landscape. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the pictures, Jeanne.
In my part of Texas, we see bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, pink evening primroses (my favorite), Mexican hats, brown-eyed Susans, wood sorrel, and many others. I love seeing colorful wildflowers!
Author
I keep hoping to see an Indian paintbrush but I haven’t yet in my little corner of the world. I have seen primroses, not down along the creek but in other places. Wildflowers are the best, Suzanne.
So many pretty flowers here!
I was fascinated by the ginger root, and its being on the ground from crawling bugs. God certainly looks out for all his creatures, doesn’t He? 🙂
Author
Thanks for dropping by, Crystal. Flowers are amazing as is nature when you do see the connections where everything works in a kind of tandem. As you say, the Lord made it all to be good.