Wildflowers: Resilience, Beauty and Grace

Posted byLisa at Micro of the MacroPosted inEnvironment, Health & Well-Being, RepostTags:, , , , , , , , ,
The Mesa in northern New Mexico, with the foothills of the Rocky Mountains & a Buddhist temple in the background

I must have flowers, always, and always. ~Claude Monet

I first fell in love with wildflowers on a trip to Taos, New Mexico.  The first few times I visited, drought conditions prevailed, and I remember hand-written signs hanging all over my little hostel encouraging water conservation.  But a couple years later, the drought ended, and I returned to discover a profusion of wildflowers in the northern part of the state: along roadways, in expansive fields, and surrounding rivers & canyons. It was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed, and my deep appreciation for these beauties was born.

Near Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado

Since that time, I have become a seeker of wildflowers.  Anywhere I travel now, I look for them, even in small patches.  I believe their resilience and willingness to tenderly reveal themselves after sometimes years of drought is a spiritual act, one that we can reflect on and learn from.

Where flowers bloom so does hope.  ~Lady Bird Johnson

On a hiking trail inside Joshua Tree National Park in California

Not only do wildflowers delight our senses, they serve practical purposes as well.  According to an article from the US Forest Service website, wildflowers support entire ecosystems for pollinators, birds, and small animals. Butterflies and other insects, small birds, and animals depend on seeds, nectar, and pollen for their food supply and life support system.

Lupine among the aspens, alongside Kachina Trail in Northern Arizona

Like many parts of the Southwest, Northern Arizona is often strewn with wildflowers, especially during monsoon season.  An article from Mother Earth News, The Benefits of Growing Wildflowers, explains Wildflowers are as much the heartbeat of our planet as the oceans. All living creatures interact with wildflowers whether they know it or not. For 130 million years, wildflowers have blessed the earth with their amazing skill sets and stunning beauty. They freely bestow upon us a grace that helps sustain all of life.  Therefore, planting native species, the article goes on to say, is most advantageous. 

In the Mojave Desert, Southern California

The Amen of nature is always a flower. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wildflowers are beautiful and beneficial miracles of Nature.  They help ensure the survival of pollinators, and therefore, humans.  We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their willingness to reveal their tender beauty, sometimes after years of being dormant, in an effort to help sustain life on our planet.

On the coast of Big Sur, California, with a very vocal little bird!

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy to have such things about us. ~Iris Murdoch

Wildflower Blessings,

Lisa

The original version of this post was one of my most-liked from 2020. Thanks for (re)reading! 🌞

Next Thursday, September 15th, Marsha from Always Write and I are co-hosting a blogger meet-up at a restaurant in Mayer, Arizona, near Prescott Valley.  If you can meet us for lunch (& lots of fun!) please RSVP to one of us.  Hope to see you there!

The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented herein. Any statements about the possible health benefits of any subject discussed have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.

50 thoughts on “Wildflowers: Resilience, Beauty and Grace”

  16. I can’t tell you a single name of a wildflower (well, maybe one or two), but I always enjoy them as I pass by them on the trail runs. A bright spot in a sea of green and brown. Linda has the Seek app now and has taken to identifying as many as she can. Loved the quotes by the way.

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  23. Wildflowers – a real feature where we live on the West Coast, Langebaan. When we visited our hometown a month ago, we were just in time to see the last of the spring wildflower season … that made me so happy! I think I have done about 4 posts about wildflowers recently – that’s how much I love them 🌸🌸.

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  24. Pingback: The Gift Economy – Micro of the Macro

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