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A Brief
History of Wildflowers
by Larry Banders
Wildflowers are the harbingers of spring, often peeking over
the last of the winter snow as they herald the warmth and
beauty of a new season of life. They grow in mountain
meadows, country lanes, vast flat plains, the desolation of
the southwestern desert and even pop up unbidden along city
streets and sidewalks. They bring brilliant color into a
world that has been cold, dark and often snowy for months on
end. It’s no wonder that they elicit smiles; they inspire
artists to paint them and children to pick them for their
mothers.
Wildflowers appeared quite miraculously millions of years
ago, suddenly and with no predecessors. Today there are over
twenty thousand species of wildflower just in America!
People began growing wildflowers domestically in the early
twentieth century; wealthy aristocrats with the time and
money to experiment were able to grow the flowers in their
gardens and thanks to their efforts, we can buy wildflower
seeds today for our own yards and gardens.
American Indians used many wildflowers as medicine,
inspiring herbalists, doctors and even pharmaceutical
companies to research and use their properties to make
people healthier. Ten percent (2,000) of American
wildflowers species are used medicinally today. Foxglove,
for example, is used today to treat heart disease. The
American Indians used Turtlehead for skin disorders (perhaps
acne?); Trout Lily leaves as a vegetable as well as to cure
hiccups, and the Marsh Marigold as a cough syrup.
Wildflowers are also a source of oxygen for our atmosphere
and provide food for animals and humans alike. As you can
see, these lovely plants are more than just a feast for the
eyes. They help us keep healthy, prevent disease and nourish
our planet.
There are names for each different wildflower, some bizarre
and seemingly unrelated to the plant, others are descriptive
and logical and still others are humorous. There is one, for
example, called the Sandpaper Plant that was named for the
texture of its leaves. The Cheese Bush was named so simply
because it smells like cheese.
Wildflowers have had an impact on nearly every area of our
lives, especially the fine arts. They have been depicted in
painting and photography, in song and in dance. Van Gogh,
Monet and Renoir all immortalized the beauty of wildflowers
in many of their masterpieces. The fascination continues
today as artists still try to capture the delicate, vibrant
colors of the flowers that are often in contrast with harsh
and even deadly surroundings such as cliffs or deserts. Judy
Buswell, for example, a contemporary American artist, uses
wildflowers in her paintings and greeting cards. She has
even sold her beautiful images to grace the covers of
journals, notebooks and checks.
Wildflowers often appear in literature both classic and
modern. Wuthering Heights, the classic novel and film,
mentions heather, a popular Scottish wildflower, several
times as an important element in setting the tone of the
story and personalities of the characters. Parents name
their children (mostly girls!) after wildflowers such as
Violet or Flax.
There are legends involving wildflowers, such as Black-Eyed
Susan and her search for her lover, Sweet William, most
likely told as a way of explaining why they both bloom at
exactly the same time and look so perfect together. Or the
Forget-Me-Not, the beautiful blue flower that a German
knight picnicking with his lady climbed down the stream to
pick. At the moment that a sudden spring flood from upstream
swept him away, he flung the bouquet at his lover and cried,
“Forget me not!” He was never seen again!
These delicate and exquisite flowers are so precious to so
many that there is even a Wildflower Ark in Middlesbrough,
England to preserve them in the event of a natural or
man-made catastrophe.
About the Author:
Larry Banders covers topics on flower decoration and
personalized gift choices.
He also covers tips on saving money with
Checks Unlimited
coupon codes when buying
cheap bank checks
from printers like
www.checksunlimited.com.
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