Native Plant Poetry Month: Week One Summary
By Lise Fracalossi
Wonder what Native Plant Poetry Month is? See my explanation here.
We wrapped up week one of Native Plant Poetry month with three poems from poets past and present on three different native plants!
Day 1: “The Blue-Flag in the Bog”
The purple-blue flower of Iris versicolor (blue-flag iris).
Our first poem for Native Plant Poetry month was Millay’s “The Blue-Flag in the Bog,” which celebrates the Iris versicolor (blue-flag iris), one of our native irises.
All my heart became a tear,
All my soul became a tower,
Never loved I anything
As I loved that tall blue flower!
(Note: I’m you to the public Ko-fi post for links to the poem, info about the plant, and other goodies. However, Ko-fi absolutely butchers images when they are uploaded. The best version will be the one here).
Day 2: “Mountain Laurel”
Today’s we celebrate mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), via the poem of the same name by Kasey Jueds, published in EcoTheo Collective.
Mountain laurel in bloom. Photographed by Lise Fracalossi
Even never having seen
mountain laurel in June, try to hold it close: near dark, a trembling
of tiny lamps, candling the wished-upon hours.
Day 3: “Ghost-Flowers”
Day 3’s poem was “Ghost-Flowers” by poet Mary Thacher Higginson.
The pale white, crook-shaped flowers of Monotropa uniflora (ghost pipes).
Photographed by Lise Fracalossi.
No Angelus, except the wild bird’s lay,
Awakes these forest nuns; yet night and day
Their heads are bent, as if in prayerful mood.
“Hey, what’s that Ko-fi that you keep mentioning?” It’s a Patreon-like way to support your favorite creators, either monthly or as a one-time thing. If you’re interested in receiving these posts a few days early (and even more goodies!), you can support Red Trillium Gardens for as little as $3/month. Sign up here..