The visible marks of extraordinary wisdom and power
appear so plainly in all the works of creation.
John Locke
Tonight has the a sadness about it as I sit warm inside my home. Outside a freeze is to occur with morning temperatures dropping into the upper 20s. Everything is so beautiful. The fruit trees are blooming or have already set fruit, the berries are poised to bloom, and so many plants have appeared much too soon. Spring is that beautiful shade of gentle green that lasts for only a brief time. It reflects the delicacy of new life, yet it is much too tender to withstand a sudden chill. I've been busy recording all of the beauty around me.
VIOLETS
Violets have long been my favorite sign of spring. When I was a a child, I would rush home from school, change out of the mandatory dress and into slacks, and wander off to the woods. After a long winter, I knew where I could find the first violet of each species.
Generally, the earliest violet was this yellow one, the Halberdleaf violet. It could be found on the side of the mountain where the afternoon sun lingered the longest.
My favorite flowers in my spring garden are those that are native and that I have collected from the woods. I believe the one to the right to be a Striped Violet. Transplanted into my shade garden, it forms a beautiful ground cover with the stems trailing along the ground a foot or so in length. It also blooms for a long time.
The ancient Greeks considered the violets as a symbol of fertility and included it in love potions while
folk medicine considered them to be a remedy for sore throats. The violet also serves as a host plant for the Fritillary butterfly.
