“A flower blossoms for its own joy.” ~Oscar Wilde
The dogs and I went wildflower hunting, and in spite of how winter has seemed to hold on past its time, we found plenty. Well, I admit that I was more interested in the wildflowers than my furry walking buddies even if it does look here as though Frankie might be thinking about pointing out a few toothwort blooms.
You have to make sure you look early to catch the bloodroot bloom that’s at the top of the post. But these are such lovely flowers that seem to pop up out of the leaf cover from nowhere to brighten the ground. The leaves are wrapped around the flower stem and don’t unfurl until after the bloom is bright in the sunshine.
“The earth laughs in flowers.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sometimes it does seem as if the earth is laughing with those flowers as some of the blooms can be a little different. Take the Dutchman’s Britches for example. Whoever named these flowers must have known some Dutchmen.
Here we have some toothwort and spring beauty. The color of the blooms are similar. It seems many of the early wildflowers in my area are white with pink touches. The spring beauty flowers have been blooming for a while. Cold doesn’t seem to slow them down. I wasn’t surprised to see the bluebells with buds but a little surprised that some of them were already ready to ring in the wind.
Of course the bluebell is purple in spite of being named blue. I have to wonder if whoever named it was colorblind. It is widespread on the cliffsides in my wildflower area. In the story I’m working on right now, my character and a couple of kids go wildflower hunting.
I like having flowers in my stories. I had all those rhododendron in my book, An Appalachian Summer. And blooming meadows were a big part of my book When the Meadow Blooms. Then there was Lacey’s spring dandelion dance in The Blessed. Plus, I can’t forget naming my little community Rosey Corner in Angel Sister and carrying the name along in Small Town Girl and Love Come Home.
I didn’t have those Rosey Corner books at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest yesterday, but I did share about how I came up with the characters for those stories in my Writer’s Workshot presentation. I got to share them and about some of my other characters along with a few writing tips with a roomful of writers in various stages of their writing dreams. When I asked if any of them had been published, a few hands went up, but when I asked if they all wanted to publish something, every hand went up. That’s why they were there at the writers’ workshop to see what they could learn about writing.
One fourteen year old girl came in with her father. Made me think of my own dreams of writing at fourteen. At the time I’m almost sure I would not have had the nerve to show up at a writers’ workshop. Of course, I’m also almost sure that my parents thought it was cute that I wanted to scribble down stories, but I doubt they thought anything would ever come of it when I was fourteen.
Other writers of various ages listened politely and a few were nice enough to come by my book table later to say I’d given them things to try or to think about as they create their own characters. Believe it or not, I even got my Power Point presentation to work. I’d share it with you here, but I haven’t figured out how to do that yet. I know I looked like a greenhorn to the Power Point experts in my group yesterday, but they were kind and didn’t laugh at me. Well, except when I said something that was supposed to make them laugh. Then it’s always good to see those smiles.
“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.” ~Anita Krizzan
What is your favorite wildflower?
Comments 20
On an average day how far do you walk? It is so neat that you always have someone that is at your side and that you find the coolest things on your walk there are so many items out in the woods that noone even looks at and it is a shame. My favorite wildflower here in eastern Iowa is the Queen Ann’s Lace. It is all over the road way as you are driving and it is off white just so pretty mid to end of summer. I love being the passenger in our truck as I spot so many neat things I may not be able to walk in our woods but out the window makes me happy. Have a good week Ann!
Author
Sounds as if you use your eyes and have found ways to enjoy nature without walking out into the fields. We can see so many things wherever we are if we’ll just look. I love the Queen Anne’s lace too. Always have an abundance of it in some places on the farm. Sometimes I’ve found a bloom that looks pink. Not sure why, but it’s fun to find one that’s a bit differeny. I probably walk about two miles each day with the dogs.
It’s hard to narrow down a favorite, I have so many. I guess if I had to pick, it would be a beautiful red rose.
Oh, you asked for a favorite wildflower. Black eyed susans.
Author
A favorite flower of any kind is good, Connie. Both a red rose and a black-eyed Susan are good favorite picks.
Thank you for sharing all these Beautiful Flowers I long all the wildflowers that grow I love the violets !
Author
Violets have been a favorite among those of you who have commented, Sarah. Some people try to poison them and keep them out of their lawns. I love seeing a carpet of purple in my yard in the spring. I’m fine with dandelions too except in my strawberry patch. 🙂
I loved your photos of wildflowers (with their names!) you have found on your daily walks across your property. The beautiful flowers blooming in the springtime make this my favorite time of the year to enjoy our Creator’s handiwork.
So glad to hear that your workshop session went well!
Author
Wildflowers are a gift and a blessing in the spring, Roberta. Or any time. I feel cheated when I miss some of the blooms by going too late to check them out. I suppose when I get too old to make the trek, I can enjoy all my pictures. Thanks for your good wishes about the workshop session. Everybody must have prayed me through it. 🙂
I loved all the wildflowers you showed and the fact that you knew their names. They are beautiful. My favorite has to daffodils and tulips but I love seeing beautiful colored flowers springing up here and there. They make me smile!
I am so glad you enjoyed the Book Fest. I hope to go next year. Have a wonderful week!!
Author
The book fest was good, Pamela, and seemed well attended. Wil Wheaton, their headliner author, was very popular. People stood in line for a long time to get a book signed by him. I had to look him up to see who he was, but I’m not great at knowing actors. My son knew immediately that he’d been in Star Trek and some other show that I didn’t even remember.
I’m glad you enjoyed the flower pictures. I go every year and take the same pictures, but now that everything is digital, I don’t feel as though I’m wasting film and I can snap pictures to my heart’s content.
I’m glad you found lots of wildflowers and can identify them. I would not know the names of them.
I do enjoy seeing any kind of flowers in the Spring.
Author
I have to check in my flower book sometimes to recall the names, Marlene, but those I see every spring are finally in my memory. I’ll have to go flower hunting again a little later after some of the later wildflowers bloom. This year has been a little odd with a warm February and a cold March, but I’m thinking spring is here to stay now. At least I hope so.
Any little pop of color in the early spring is always delightful to spot. I enjoy them, but seldom know their names. But I love the violets when they arrive. They’re scattered throughout my yard, along with the sunny dandelions, which are technically weeds to many. But I love their sunny little faces.
Thanks for sharing all the wildflower photos! Have a beautiful week. 🙂
Author
I love those weeds too, Lavon. The violets and the dandelions. I’ve always thought of the dandelions as sunspots in the grass in the early spring. I like putting flowers into my stories’ settings. The violets and dandelions had frost on them this morning, but they just keep on blooming.
Wild violets is a favorite of mine. I keep remembering the quote, “Forgiveness is the fragrance of the violet on the heel of the one who crushed it.” It was the favorite of my maiden aunt, Corda Denney, who helped raise me after I was orphaned young. She loved all things lavender and purple, but the main thing she loved! What a sacrificial love she had for me and others. Her kindness bloomed in the life of many. Now, in the small yard of my apartment, violets are abundant as though her footprints pressed them into the earth. And mine, it seems, is the only yard around the complex to have them!
Thank you for sharing your comments and the lovely quotation about violets!
Author
What a wonderful comment, Sandra. I love the quote and your memories of your aunt, Corda. I’m sure she was blessed to take a mother spot in your life, and what a treasure those violet are in your yard that keep her memory and love close to you. Blessings can abound if we take time to notice them. I’m glad you are noticing yours.
Buttercups (waxed yellow flowers found in the great northwest mountains)
Author
I have found some of those here too, Janet. They do shout spring.