Wildflowers

When we moved into our house, the first thing I dumped was the big bag of weed and feed. Generations may have occupied the house and ceaselessly been at war with the wooded bird sanctuary just past the old stone fence. No amount of weedkiller, fertilizer, or grass seed would create a thriving lawn there. Looking over the ground that fall I decided that the woodland would win, and maybe I’d help it out a bit.

The next spring, the four kids and I sprang into motion, pulling invasive barberry, oriental bittersweet, and garlic mustard. There were others, but those were the primary problems. Even now, over twenty-five years later, we patrol regularly for the invasives. This morning, I just spotted some garlic mustard. We burned lots of calories pulling, cutting, and yanking stubborn vines. After about a month, one day we pulled down a particularly bad vine and revealed the sign beyond – Audubon Sanctuary. The realtor selling the house had just assumed it was unbuilt woodland beyond us, waiting for the next wave of development. They, being oblivious to its protected status, saved us lots of money.

Most years, we’ve done a bit more than protecting the patch from the invasives. We’ve planted native species that belong in our area and enhance the value of the plot to pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. It is in all ways an extension of the sanctuary beyond our fence.

The decision to create this micro-environment has had some lasting effects on the family. To protect the plants, and to enchant the kids, we laid out pathways in the yard. This time of year, especially, you can walk the paths and watch spring progress through the emergence of spring ephemeral flowers. Here’s a trout lily with it’s bronze and green leaves. It sports a yellow flower exactly like a large lily, but in miniature. A few feet away, there is a bloodroot with it’s white flowers. Just emerging a few feet away is a Dutchman’s breeches; it’s flowers will ready to bloom a bit later. Don’t catch them in bloom now, and you won’t see them again until next spring.

Up through about July, there is a continual play of colors and blooms. Most of them are small and not too showy. It’s enough to keep me wandering along the trails, cup of coffee in hand every morning. The trails wind around the pond the kids dug out, and even though the area is tiny, it’s chock full of interest.

One of the pleasures is watching the birds swoop in from the sanctuary for drinks and baths in the pond. You may be the custodian, but it’s their woodland.

Daily writing prompt

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

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