Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Wildflowers Again

Elizabeth Joy at Wildflower Morning is having a virtual round-up of SPRING as her readers share with one another using weekly wildflower themes as a guide. This week's theme has been literary wildflowers. I already posted once, but would enjoy sharing a few more items about wildflowers that appear on the printed page. So, this last night of this week's event I would like to share a little more.


Last year you might remember that I posted about this lovely book called Wild Flowers Every Child Should Know by Frederic William Stack. Found for $6.00 at a Rare and Used Bookstore in town, I purchased it for mostly emotional reasons. During my childhood years I had a grandmother and mother who adored wildflowers! I can remember a lesson my grandmother taught me when I was very young. After collecting a variety of wildflowers in the field we came home where she taught me all the names of each flower part and then helped me to draw them on an art pad. A flower press was usually taken with us on family trips to the mountains. Sometimes we would take a drive up Mill Creek to gather wildflower plants and mosses so we could help Mom make hanging baskets or terrariums so we could enjoy nature's beauty at home. But I digress. This wildflower book contains text, photos in color and in black and white, and a beautiful title page photograph in color of small children picking wildflowers in a meadow. I was happy to find pressed wildflowers between some of the pages; wildflowers that some previous owner of the book had placed their to press and dry. This book was written by Mr. Stack, a field collector o the Museums of Scientific Section of Vassar Brothers Institute and of Natural History at Vassar College for his boy, "Sunny Jim", whose interest in wild flowers prompted the purpose and this volume.

The watercolor sketches were some my sister and I found in one of our mother's art pads. Mom was always eager for spring and sometimes would sketch and color her favorite spring flowers in her journal or art pad during the cold winter months. The grass widow was always one of the first wildflowers to bloom in our valley and was a sure sign that spring was here! And the yellow violets were not far behind, blooming in abundance and showing their cheerful faces throughout the woodlands. Sis and I have taken these simple sketches and made them into post cards that we can share with friends.



Be sure to stop by Elizabeth Joy's blog for a listing of other Wildflowers in Winter participants. They have been posting many interesting posts in this theme.

9 comments:

  1. I am entranced by this post! What a wonderful legacy you have from your grandmother and mother....it's the sort of thing I have read about in novels...hiking the mountain medows and sketching and pressing wild flowers.

    I never knew there were yellow violets! I've learned another new thing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think it is so precious for little girls to spend time with grandma and mama in the way you did, out in the forest and field, looking at things of nature, drawing pictures, looking through books. The flower drawings are wonderful! I love those grass widows. When do you think we should start looking for them?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your mother taught you well about beautiful things around you as is evidenced by the beauty of your blog. Enjoy your legacy...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my what a wonderful legacy! Just beautiful. I would love to try sketching.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous5:41 PM

    those are really cute flower watercolor drawings.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed spending (just a little) time here tonight. I'll need to return. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's a fantastic book and the wildflower drawings/paintings are terrific too. I'm supposed to be learning to draw/paint, but don't seem to have enough time in my days...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh tis LOVELY!! what a great find.
    I love old books on fleurs, trees, birds, & bugs
    deena

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh tis LOVELY!! what a great find.
    I love old books on fleurs, trees, birds, & bugs
    deena

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on my blog post. I am always happy to hear from blog readers. Your words encourage and inspire me. I am glad you stopped by to share conversation, recipes, ideas, and thoughts on creating a welcoming home.