Wildflowers by Minnie Kansman

Nature Connections

Wildflowers

By Minnie Kansman

The Wild Lupines are just beginning to bloom here in the subalpine meadows and foothills of Colorado. Their monochromatic shades from light blues to lavenders and purples remind me of an artist’s pallet. Coming across a meadow filled with them on an early morning hike is a sight to behold.

Since my childhood, I have been madly in love with wildflowers. In the first days of Spring, my mother would often take us for walks in the Michigan woods behind our home in search of “Spring Warnings.” These were signals to us that the gray days of Winter were receding, and the abundance of a new season was upon us.

Hepatica, dressed in lavenders, pinks, and or purples, were often the first to be spotted. Their soft fuzzy stems and yellow stamens have a fairy-like quality to them. They all seemed so sweet and fragile-looking, yet so brave to be the first peaking up through the ground after a cold, harsh winter.

Hepatica

Credit: Pixabay.com

Another of my favorites is the Bloodroot. We had large patches of this now endangered wildflower growing in the forest near us. As a child, I was fascinated with their name and often secretly picked one to see if it’s sap really did look like blood. Yes, it did!

Bloodroot

Credit: Pixabay.com

Another early Spring wildflower is the Jack-in-the-pulpit. They are very proficient at camouflage and difficult to spot among the emerging green shoots of other plants. It was a joy to discover one and open it’s nodding flap to look for “Jack” hidden inside.

Jack in the Pulpit

Credit: Pixabay.com

Trillium was one of my Mother’s favorites, and we would sometimes come across an entire forest floor flooded with those perfect white three-petal blossoms. If you were especially lucky, you might find a solid red or yellow one among the grouping.

Trillium

Credit: Pixabay.com

Wildflowers are native-born, indigenous plants that are a part of a delicate interrelationship of species. They provide shelter and food for native wildlife in the form of nectar, seeds, and pollen. They are an important energetic piece of the Spirit of Place in an undisturbed area, and unfortunately, urban sprawl is threatening their habitat. Once a woodland habitat is disturbed, restoration of that area is often impossible to recreate.

There are over 40 Wildflowers Rescue groups in the United States made up of volunteers dedicated to preserving and promoting stewardship of these species. Their purpose is twofold, to save wildflower species from extinction and to educate the public.

Rescuing wildflowers usually starts with someone calling them to alert that a known area of wildflower habitat is destine to be lost due to construction and development. Volunteers, with permission from the landowners, arrive with shovels and pots in hand, to dig up, repot and move the wildflowers from harm’s way. They are then replanted in a safer location, or sold by the rescue groups to raise funds for their cause.

I am grateful for these groups as a last resort, yet often wonder why we are not more mindful builders in the first place. It should be illegal to disturb these dwindling native habitat areas; they should be protected by environmental laws. Only when we start to value the beauty of our surrounding spaces will we begin to keep them safe.

Minnie’s next trip with Nature Travel Adventures is to the Scottish Highlands— scheduled for May 2021. There are a few spots left. The Nature Spirits of Findhorn, the Callanish Stone Circle, and Isle of Skye and Isle of Iona are all part of this Sacred Journey. The full detailed itinerary is now posted on her website www. minniekansman.com.

About Minnie Kansman

Courtesy of Minnie Kansman

Minnie Kansman and her business Eco~Balance Humanity in Harmony with Nature have assisted others with Feng Shui, Sacred Space Clearing, and Nature Spirit Connection since 1994.

A certified Master Feng Shui Consultant and Educator and Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, Minnie lives lightly on the land and honors the power of Spirit in all things.

The author of Spirit Gardens: Rekindling our Nature Connection, and Missing Nana: Lessons from the Nature Spirits, a playful children’s story about the afterlife based on love, available on her website.

Join Minnie for her Nature Connections live stream the fourth Weds. of the month at 4 pm ET, and contact her for long-distance and on-site Feng Shui Consultations and Space Clearing Ceremonies.

Check out her website for a Forest Therapy walk near you. www.minniekansman.com

ecobalance99@gmail.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/minniekansman.org/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/NatureConnectionsWithMinnieKansman/

Missing Nans: Lessons from the Nature Spirits by Minnie Kansman

http://starnations.org/star-nations-publishing/books/