I confess that I was excited about this type of flower, St. John’s-Wort, which has been present in my vocabulary since Bob ran a health food store/co-op in southern West Virginia in the 1980s. Good for depression, I heard, but never expected to run into it in my neighborhood. But here it is. St. John’s-Wort….
The Yellow Season: Birdsfoot Trefoil
It’s above 80 degrees F. The humidity is high and so is the ozone. After a simple walk, I’m covered in sweat. Days are hot; nights pop with fireworks. July is flashy, bright, intense. It’s full of yellow wildflowers. I think this is Birdsfoot Trefoil, or, Lotus corniculata. Because I am a beginner…
Spirit of the Rivers
I visited Aurora Hospital to see my mother, who had been admitted to the emergency room. They turned me away due to COVID-19 guidelines. Not yet ready to return home, I visited the Wayside near the Spirit of the Rivers statue, across Memorial Drive from the hospital. The statue of three Native Americans preparing to…
Wisconsin Wildflowers, Late June
I am a neophyte at identification and am out of practice at photography. Here is what I saw yesterday. Sidewalk view After consultation with my wildflower book and online resources, I decided that this is bittersweet nightshade. It’s an invasive plant, but the flowers are pretty. I found it twining around the burdock next to…
Authors' Roundtable
I attended FestivALL’s Authors’ Roundtable today. FestivALL is the name of Charleston, West Virginia’s city-wide arts festival. I wanted to learn more about the present state of poetry in West Virginia and it is going strong. The four poets, Mary B. Moore, Elizabeth Savage, Cameron Barnett, and James Harms, were each remarkable, and the emcee,…