Dear Curiosity Journal,
A pale flash of pink elicits my eye. I spy my first Spring Beauty of the season, then another. I scan down the hillside and my eyes light up as a panorama of popping wildflowers come into view. Although the light has almost left the forest floor for the day, their bright blossoms are unmistakable. This is the charm of knowing a plant so intimately. You recognize her as you would an old friend who never changes. Without a second thought, I’m on my knees admiring the soft petals hanging from her enervated head. She fully embodies her name, right down to her root, where she fashions “fairy spuds”, which are small edible corms likened to potatoes with a sweeter flavor. The fading light enlivens my imagination and I envision vibrant squads of fairy families following the flowers to a staple food source with miniscule spades, celebrating spring foraging in their own whimsical way, without eliciting our eye.
~Joy