These plants may appear only briefly during the year, but their presence, like dear friends, reminds me of the sweetness of life and gives me a spontaneous joy upon seeing them. Especially after this long, snowy winter, the Hellebore, Trout Lillies, Marsh Marigold, Trillium, and Blood Root simultaneously blooming breathes new life and energy within me. There’s a marvelous quality to each of these plants – as with any plant – but perhaps because of their timing, I am always grateful to see them again.
Hellebore is one of my favorites. On my runs along the Potash Brook, Hellebore is one of the first glimpses of spring green to greet my eyes. There’s an inspired vigor to the way its leaves muscle through the detritus of winter’s floods and make their way skyward before summer’s canopy becomes too dense. I find myself thinking of Hellebore when I have my own detritus to push through after an internal winter’s flood….
The leaves are deeply sinused, ovate and large. To my eye, they abstractly resemble the waters of the streams they border – I’ve juxtaposed photos of the Hellebore and Potash Brook – only feet away from each other. This is the clearest illustration of something I’ve thought about often – how proxemic relationships might influence physical form, and internal modes of being. You can judge for yourself.
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| Blood Root |
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| Marsh Marigold |
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| Hellebore |
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| Trillium |
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| Potash Brook |
