God’s Bouquet
You must bloom where you are planted
In the garden we call life,
And bring some special beauty to
Each corner where there’s strife.
Perhaps you’re but a dandelion,
Wishing you were a rose,
Yet in this place of growing things,
You’re the one God chose.
It’s up to you to finish what
The Good Lord has begun,
By growing just the way you should
And face the rising sun.
There’s room for you, if you but choose,
In a glorious array
Of beauty from God’s garden,
that He’ll add to his bouquet.
Author unknown.
What is a wildflower? [From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
“Wildflower” is not an exact term. Terms like native species (naturally occurring in the area), exotic or, better, introduced species (not naturally occurring in the area), of which some are labelled invasive species (that out-compete other plants – whether native or not), imported (introduced to an area whether deliberately or accidentally) and naturalized (introduced to an area, but now considered by the public as native) are much more accurate.
Come join us now as we explore many beautiful wildflowers that have been found in Milam County.
Hibiscus
Besides being beautiful, these wildflowers have special uses around the world. The roots, leaf juice, flower and stem all have a unique value. Read the Hibiscus Wildflower page to learn more.
Hibiscus at the Corner
by Cindy Lynn
The Sun was hidden while I cried,
I wondered lost, in sight unseen,
Then there upon the fence I spied
Hibuscus red, and leaves of green.
With petals wide to kiss my cheek,
The leaves unfurl and beckon so,
Around the corner fence it peeks,
Hibiscus red that warms my soul.
Download Wildflower Hibiscus PDF file
[Image above by Alice B. Russell, retired Extension Specialist, NC State University and Erv Evans, Consumer Horticulturist, NC State University]
Blue-Eyed Grass
Don’t let the name fool you! Blue-Eyed grass is not a true grass but it grows like a grass and the color, well it could be blue, white or even yellow! Come read more interesting information about this beautiful wildflower.
Blue-Eyed Grass
by Mary Austin
BLUE-EYED grass in the meadow
And yarrow blooms on the hill,
Cattails that rustle and whisper,
And winds that are never still;
Blue-Eyed grass in the meadow,
A Linnet’s nest near by,
Blackbirds caroling clearly
Somewhere between earth and sky;
Blue-Eyed grass in the meadow,
And the laden bee’s low hum,
Milkweeds all by the roadside,
To tell us summer is come.
Download Blue-Eyed Grass PDF file
Maroon Blanketflower
Legend of the Indian Blanket
“There once lived an old Indian blanket maker, whose talent for weaving gorgeous blankets was greatly admired among Great Plains Indians. Indians would travel many miles to trade for one of his colorful blankets richly woven in patterns of red and yellow.
“When the old blanket maker realized that his time was short, he began weaving his own burial blanket. When he died his family lovingly wrapped him in the blanket, which was his gift to the Great Spirit.
“The Great Spirit was pleased with the gift, but saddened that only those in the Happy Hunting Grounds would be able to appreciate the blanket maker’s colorful creation. He decided, therefore, to give the beautiful gift back to those that the old Indian had left behind.
“The following spring gorgeous wildflowers bearing the same colors and design as the old Indian’s blanket appeared in profusion over the blanket maker’s grave.
The lovely flowers (Blanket Flowers) quickly spread across the plains for all to enjoy.” Tulsa World
Download the Maroon Blanketflower PDF file
Passion Flower
Where the passion flower grows
by: Charles M. Moore
Lay down on your pillow
and turn the lights down low
let me take you to the garden
where the passion flower grows
Close your eyes and enter dreams
as love’s emotion sets the scene
and flitters through the garden
where the passion flower grows
Touch the tender petals
of the flower as she grows
a tentative endeavour
as your feelings overflow
Let me draw you to the place
where ecstasy can be embraced
the beauty of the garden
where the passion flower grows
Feel your mind exploding
In the heavy scented air
experience the shiver
as your captured unaware
A little touch of heaven
where imagination flows
the valley in the garden
where the passion flower grows.
Download the Passion Flower PDF file.
Turk’s Cap
By: Albert Laighton (1829-1887)
They are autographs of angels, penned
In Nature’s green-leaved book, in blended tints,
Borrowed from rainbows and the sunset skies,
And written everywhere—on plain and hill,
In lonely dells, ‘mid crowded haunts of men;
On the broad prairies, where no eye save God’s
May read their silent, sacred mysteries.
Thank God for flowers! They gladden human hearts;
Seraphic breathings part their fragrant lips
With whisperings of Heaven.
Download the Turk’s Cap PDF file.
[Above photo by Page Lee]
Queen Anne’s Lace
Queen-Anne’s Lace, by William Carlos Williams
Her body is not so white as
anemony petals nor so smooth—nor
so remote a thing. It is a field
of the wild carrot taking
the field by force; the grass
does not raise above it.
Here is no question of whiteness,
white as can be, with a purple mole
at the center of each flower.
Each flower is a hand’s span
of her whiteness. Wherever
his hand has lain there is
a tiny purple blemish. Each part
is a blossom under his touch
to which the fibres of her being
stem one by one, each to its end,
until the whole field is a
white desire, empty, a single stem,
a cluster, flower by flower,
a pious wish to whiteness gone over—
or nothing.
Download the Queen Anne’s Lace PDF file.