Saturday was one of those picture perfect days. Jack and I were at the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville, North Carolina. The forest, named for the author of the poem, “I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree,” is a rare treasure. At 3800 acres, it is one of the largest tracts of old growth forests left in the eastern U.S. As much as I love trees, I was setting my sights a little lower though, as I focused on the wildflowers blooming in astonishing abundance on the forest floor.
My forever patient and indulgent husband, whose interests definitely lie elsewhere, cheerfully followed me around for hours as I knelt, crawled and slithered through the forest at a snail’s pace. For one who loves wildflowers, this forest in full bloom was truly a sensational experience. If William Blake is right and you really can see “heaven in a wildflower” then on Saturday I was standing at the Pearly Gates. At the end of the day I had identified 49 different species of wildflowers and I fell asleep that night with visions of white trilliums, yellow bellwort and purple geraniums dancing through my head.
As much as I love writing about wildflowers, I’m going to let the pictures do the talking this time. Even if you can’t make it to Joyce Kilmer, go out into the woods this spring and find heaven in a wildflower.
Joy! Laura
If you would like the full list of wildflowers, including both common and botanical names, please email me and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
I would so like to get you to the Siskiyou Mountains in July, when the wildflowers are spectacular. Or in the Rogue Valley in May. I can entice you with pictures ….