Wildflower Wonder; Ephemeral Emergence
Arbutus trumpets
seduce bumblebees
three lobed
trillium wings
streak rose
shining stars
pearling forest floors
wild oats bow
bluebead swords
unfurl
wild lily
leaves clasp
palms in prayer
stained glass
hemlock sky
filters light
fragrant needles
fracture harsh white
sun glare….
‘spring beauties’
rise…
Postscript:
I have taken to the forest for the month of May. Every year I used to allow this month to be stolen by chores I thought I must accomplish – not this year – with the forests disappearing so rapidly across the globe – fire and slaughter reign – we are losing our wild flowers too.
No one mentions the loss of these vulnerable ephemerals who need the complexity of natural forests to thrive – is this because they are with us for such a brief moment in time?
Some may be distracted by spring chores like I was. Or apparent blindness may reveal the extent of human indifference… I think of the hikers that now swarm well – known trails of strip or partially cleared logged woods. People who know nothing about the plants under their feet or saplings that struggle to live on without their kin.
If we don’t care about our forests then why pay attention to the flowers that greet us each spring?
Since I have been gifted with a love for wild flowers since I was a child I have always found time to seek ephemerals out, but I sandwiched that time in between chores.
Until now.
My priorities have shifted. I am no longer interested in maintaining gardens (especially not one for food – our air, water and soils are polluted – ‘organic,’ a consumer catchword, is relative). And I am also ready to let my cultivated flower garden go. This spring the only effort I have put into the ground around my house has been dedicated to wild flowers. What interests me most is that in my late 70’s I am closing a circle. I started my life loving wild flowers fiercely, learning all the names of those I met as soon as I could talk, and now I am returning to my first love: wild nature in her natural state.
May is the month of Becoming. It is the month when wild flowers begin to bloom, the very first before leaf out, the rest before the sun gets too hot and temperatures rise. By the summer solstice the wild flowers have faded; some have already set seed.
I love being present for Ephemeral Emergence and for a time I am possessed by a joy beneath words.
Just like my phoebes!
Over The Edge and Beyond: Journal of a Naturalist 