Wild Beauty: Without flowers … no humans
An invitation to participate in May’s Inspiration Calendar: Wild Beauty: Wildflowers
On this day when the sun reminds us of its power and glory, my thoughts turn to the wild beauty it creates.
One of the smallest and most beautiful books I’ve ever owned came with a two-dollar price tag at a local book sale. It may be the best $2 I ever spent, as, I swear, it came with Hollywood special effects ... when opened, the light of wisdom and beauty filled the space around it as Loren Eiseley told a tale of ancient wonder.
“Flowers changed the face of the planet. Without them, the world we know – even man himself – would never have existed. Francis Thompson, the English poet, once wrote that one could not pluck a flower without troubling a star. Intuitively he had sensed like a naturalist, the enormous interlinked complexity of life. Today we know that the appearance of the flowers contained also the equally mystifying emergence of man. —Loren Eiseley
This morning, rather than following the dotted line through my scheduled to-dos, wildflowers grabbed me as they sometimes do … not even real wildflowers, but merely an idea they were throwing into the mix. As this year began, I started a daily calendar of inspiration as just a little thing to share. January offered quotes I particularly liked; February provided an opportunity to learn more about Hermann Hesse; March held 31 places for memes I’ve made over the years; and April sent me off on a quest to find 30 young-in-spirit books. Suddenly, this extra-curricular activity is becoming a main event bringing me joy and a deeper connection to each day.
What began as a trifle turns into banquet.
And May is coming with the thought of flowers … wildflowers specifically. When I searched my photo database, 232 wildflower images popped up, and since I’m bad at tagging, I knew there were more and finding 31 images would be easy.
But wait! How could this project be more fun and offer more? Could it expand to a community project?
The community aspect intrigued me with the possibility that it might show me wildflowers that I might never see in person …. and that i led to the following invitation.
INVITATION … if you would like to share your wildflower images (photo or art) for inclusion in the May issue of daily inspiration … currently titled “May Wild Beauty … Wildflowers at large” …. please do the following:
Email no more than 3 images to jwycoff@gratitudemojo.com
Around 2 MB, square or landscape
Common and scientific name
Where found … generally
Your name and Substack link
NOTE: “uncommon” wildflowers, especially outside of California particularly wanted. Unless you have a blockbuster California poppy, lupine, etc., I’m already well-stocked. Mainly looking for “small scenes,” individual flowers or clusters but will leave pages for a few landscapes of super blooms.
Special thanks: annual subscriptions of GratitudeMojo will be comped for all Substackers who submit images. If an image is used, it will carry your name and Substack link. The May calendar flipbook will go out free to everyone as well as the normal one-day-at-a-time post on Notes.
Deadline: April 18, 2024
I’m going to put these together with a flower-oriented quote, so if you have a favorite, please share that also.
Calling all wildflower artist and photographers … please come play and celebrate the generosity of the sun!
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson
I'm going to restack with a note to Pamela Leavey, who write 'Words and Pictures'. She has some amazing flower photos. Perhaps she would share with you, Joyce.