Ephemeral Spring

I have been enjoying the bounty of spring. The early warmth and lush greenery was welcome after such a piddling, grey winter. I've been spending as much time as possible outside. I finally ID'd wild lettuce and found it in my neighborhood only to have it fade before I could do anything with it.

The ephemeral quality of spring especially has me on my toes this year. I feel like my senses are finally open to the plants after many years of learning them on paper. I am discovering things that have been under my nose the whole time. This is a nice break from feeling like nothing grows near me. Quite the contrary. I'm finding I have everything I need right here within reach. This has to do more with my personal development and an attitude change, rather than any change in the diversity of the plants around me. Now that I know I will be in the DC area for a significant amount of time, I've started to view it as my home and have begun to see it with a little more possibility. A visit from one of my herbal friends also helped. Getting lost in the woods with an herbalist is the best kind of lost to be.

Right now I'm getting lost in the flowers, wild rose, multiflora rose, honeysuckle, and even elderflower (after a long search she caught me by surprise today). I have both strawberries and rhubarb at home and gathered an armful of roses and eldeflower today. I may soon be making something delicious. Next post...