While this has been a glorious spring OUT THERE, it has not come without some significant challenges. My family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of grandfather, father, and father-in-law Tony Farrugia. Tony was clearly the biggest fan of this blog as it offered him a glimpse of his grandchildren and the spirit of youth in nature. His warm, positive spirit will be missed.

We returned to New Jersey from Tony’s home in Toronto one week ago with heavy hearts. I was quickly reminded of the solace of nature as the scents of spring wafted through our open windows. I knew we would find a least a little comfort in the sweet, intoxicating bouquet.

It is clearly not a time to be an ecological purist.  My youngest son and I went for a hike following our noses and it led us to the ubiquitous multiflora rose. Now this is a plant that has been the target of many a string of expletives, from probably the moment that I first learned to curse. Even before then I probably invented a curse word as I bounded through the head-high meadows of my childhood only to get caught on the sharp thorns of this plant. From adults it earns most of its curses from its highly invasive nature, colonizing meadows and clogging trails. We have been battling this plant in our backyard in the wild strip of land that runs along the Bedens Brook.

Multiflora rose is not without at least some merit. Isn’t that the way in nature? This week that has been apparent in the sweet smell of wild rose drifting across the countryside.  Emerson enjoyed their rapturous scent, avoiding the thorns while sniffing bunches of their small white blossoms. Each time he would lift his head, nose twitching and dusted in pollen, wearing a large smile. “I really like that!”

This weekend, we will again go after the multiflora rose in the backyard with clippers. Isn’t that the way with human nature? The older children will clear it away from the brook so that they can explore and find natural treasure or just keep their feet cool on a hot summer day. Next year, for a brief period of time, they will all stop again and take note of this plant’s sweet gift.

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It’s cold out. Even the kids notice it. There is so much to see and do outside but sometimes it takes a little coercion to get our children outside. Or the parents outside. A little bit of snow helps, at least for my youngest.

While most of our favorite outdoor pastimes in winter involve snow, Emerson surprised me with the last bit of snow we had. Though it was only a tiny bit, we enjoyed some of the usual activities. I hope he never tires of tracking, of the mystery and discovery. In fact, in addition to tracking, my five year old really enjoyed the simple aesthetics of snow. “Everything looks so different” he tells me.

Out in the cold, dreary meadow, the Queen Anne’s lace has taken on a new persona. Adorning the stark architecture of last year’s lacy flowers, are little tufts of snow. Each dried flower holds in its grasp, a small collection of snow, once destined to blanket the ground, but instead, now hovering above. We admire the show - quite a phenomenon. We meet a student from Montgomery High School, shooting pictures as part of his photography class. I suggest he check out the magic in those old flowers.

That is exactly what Emerson and I do. Emerson smiles and wades out among the flowers, dodging the occasional thorny rose bush. He grabs the stem of a Queen Anne’s lace and bends the flower to get a better look. He gets a curious grin while examining the dried flower. “Hey Daddy, look - a snow cone!” He eats the snow right off the top of the Queen Anne’s lace! He grabs the next flower and eagerly repeats the action, his grin growing now. He invites me to try it. I join in this joyous celebration of wildflowers in winter. Thank you Emerson for this delicious treat!

Our Holiday celebrations center around family, food and fun. The time between Christmas and New Years is shared with the extended family at a variety of locations. Among this year’s celebration was a house warming Holiday dinner for sister/Auntie Lyn and cousin Julia who just moved back to New Jersey after many years in California. The fellowship included lots of stories, some games, and probably too much feasting and gift-giving. The usual big family hike has not yet happened this year though I have enjoyed several outings with some of the kids.

It seemed most important to get outside with my youngest. I wanted to get away from the seemingly endless festivities, get outdoors to expend some energy, get some fresh air and get back to something more basic. I was able to convince him that we might make some good discoveries if we went hiking. I also mentioned “treasure hunting”, our code-word for geocaching.

We enjoyed our hike outside. It included trails, bridges and some off-trail rambling. We watched sparrows feeding in the brush and a woodpecker up above on a dead limb. We enjoyed the antics of squirrels. We threw rocks in the water and floated stick boats in a stream.  One surprise treasure, just a few days before New Years, was a flower blooming near a stream. Emerson seemed surprised to find the gold of a dandelion in bloom in winter. I have seen dandelions in bloom every month of the year around here but we took time to admire the flower’s eloquent model of determination and persistence, despite the odds.

I’m not sure exactly when I developed my interest in wildflowers but I know the seeds of this passion came from my mother. She had a green thumb and surrounded her family with a variety of flowering plants that she cultivated both around and inside our house.

My daily excursions into the wild brought me in contact with a new and unfamiliar array of flowers. I admired these for they were wild; they chose where to grow and needed not my mothers guiding hand to flourish. Finding a new wildflower was like discovering treasure, and making a new friend. (more…)