Springtime Flora

It seems only fitting to begin an overview of Springtime plants with a description of the daffodil: one of the most pervasive, bright emblems of early Spring. Daffodils are native to North America and southern Europe. They grow best in full sun or partial shade and can thrive in most types of soil. I harbor a personal affection for daffodils. Their cheerful countenance is one of the first things to pull me out of my usual Winter funks. My childhood home had a field of tall grass beside it, and in the back of the field was a patch of bright yellow daffodils. When I think about the magical parts of growing up, I think of the daffodils. 

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

– excerpt from I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

Dogwood trees typically bloom in April and May with pink or white blossoms. The fruits produced from some breeds of Cornus trees are edible (but do your research before feasting because others are not)! The fruits of these trees have been eaten for centuries in Eastern Europe and even used as a remedy for colds and cases of flu. During the American civil war, soldiers used dogwood bark to brew tea to ease pains and fevers. 

Tree, we take leave of you; you’re on your own.

Put down your taproot with its probing hairs

that sluice the darkness and create unseen

the tree that mirrors you below the ground.

For when we plant a tree, two trees take root:

the one that lifts its leaves into the air,

and the inverted one that cleaves the soil

to find the runnel’s sweet, dull silver trace

and spreads not up but down, each drop a leaf

in the eternal blackness of that sky.

The leaves you show uncurl like tiny fists

and bear small button blossoms, greenish white,

that quicken you. Now put your roots down deep;

draw light from shadow, break in on earth’s sleep

– Planting a Dogwood by Roy Scheele

Whenever I see lupine flowers, I think of a book I read as a child called Miss. Rumphius. Written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney and published in 1982, Miss Rumphius is an absolutely beautiful children’s book (though I hesitate to classify it as such, seeing that it remains one of my favorite books today regardless of age) about the life of a woman who wants to make the world a more beautiful place. I don’t want to offer spoilers for those of you that haven’t yet read it (please do), but eventually, the woman in the story, Miss Alice Rumphius, decides that she will make the world more beautiful by planting lupines. When I see lupines blooming in Spring and Summer, I understand her choice. There is something otherworldly about them. Lupines thrive in full sunlight and their blooms range from purple, blue, pink, and white to red, yellow, and even bicolor. They are native primarily to North America. Most plants in the lupine family are toxic to humans and animals, so admire their beauty to your heart’s content, but don’t try munching on these particular Springtime flowers! 

Lupine, lupine, hold me steady

Through the tangled hills I roam

Searching, maybe, for a meaning

Something worthwhile, something to call me home.

– Excerpt from Mountain Flower by Ellie Stelter