Fabric of Words

 

Each new morning

new creation

is breathed into being.

I am drawn into

attentive awareness

by my muse,

the Holy Spirit.

Gifts are presented by the Giver; 

woven through this day,

which I humbly strive to weave

into a fabric of words.

My camera captures 

components of creation,

fragments from the natural world,

images to ignite the writing. 

Small pieces of joy

return each year

in the greenwash of spring:

I look into the intensely blue sky

through a filter of Dogwood blossoms;

white purity in the shape of a cross. 

Along this trickle of stream

Forget-me-nots are remembered

for their delicate loyalty.

Wading in watery wetlands,

Yellow Iris, in feminine dress,

live short, yet luxurious lives.

Rinsed by soft rain,

arching leaves of grass

hold jeweled droplets 

in graceful balance.

Gifts presented by the Giver,

woven through this day. 

© 2021 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Flowering Dogwood ~ Grand Rapids Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Forget-Me-Not ~ Wabasis Lake Park - Kent County - Michigan

3. Yellow Iris ~ Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan

4. Grasses ~ Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Name the Colors

Name the color of:

Hepatica petals; soft and freshly opened in early May sunshine.

Forget-me-nots; flourishing in cold water springs on a June morning.

Wild Lupine; thriving in July, high in the Colorado Rockies.

Wild Grapes; plentiful and ripening in September after their leaves have fallen.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photo Locations:

1. & 2.  Townsend Park,  Kent County,  Michigan

5. & 6.  Crested Butte, Colorado

3, 4, 7, & 8  Wabasis Lake Park,  Kent County,  Michigan

Round-lobed Hepatica - Hepatica Americana

Forget-me-not -  Myosotis scorpioides

Silvery Lupine - Lupinus argenteus

Wild Grape - Vitis sp.

Forget-Me-Not

Didn't everyone's Grandma and Great Grandma have Forget-Me-Nots growing in the corner of a moist, shady garden? Perhaps they grew the Tufted Forget-Me-Not, which is very adaptable to garden soils.

The species featured on this page is the True Forget-Me-Not. The wild one.

I found them in cold, clear water. A barely flowing streamlet, with no defining edges. It began as several springs seeping from a nearby slope (above the "Springhouse"*). Then the springs merged into a slow, meandering waterway; mostly invisible under the dense growth of plants. This streamlet was laden with Water Cress, Sedges, Cattails, and, lest I forget, these tiny blue beauties.

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

With my knee boots on, I eased into the deep mat of aquatic vegetation. A heavy dew had settled on all the plants overnight, and these flowers still held tiny beads of moisture.


A slender, weak perennial.
Erect at first,
partially reclining later.
Sprawling upon
Water Cress,
leaning on Sedges.

Sky blue flowers
with yellow center.
Growing on small, curving,
divergent branches.
Uncoiling
as flowers bloom.

Flowers: 1/4" (6mm) wide, corolla 5-lobed

Flowering: May - September

Leaves: 1-2" long, oblong, blunt, hairy, mostly stalkless

Height: 6-24"

Habitat: streamsides, wet places; prefer cold, clear water

Other:

• Introduced from Europe and once extensively cultivated.
• It is now naturalized around streams, lakes and ponds.
• In bud, the tightly coiled flower cluster resembles the tail of a scorpion, hence the species name (scorpioides).

How did you like it?
Your Grandma loved it!
If you are blessed
with children,
or blessed
with grandchildren...

Please remember
to show them,
(or to grow them)
the Forget-Me-Not,
so they will...
Forget-You-Not.

True Forget-Me-Not  (Myosotis scorpioides)




Photo Location:

Wabasis Lake, (Wabasis Lake Park) Kent County Parks, Michigan

* "Springhouse" - On the lower level, 100 yards west of boat launch.
                                A great place for your kids to play in the cold, shallow water.