Sunday, November 1, 2009

Fall Color Nature Note (And No, I'm Not Talking About Leaves)

Sometimes I'm a bit slow to catch on. For instance, fall in coastal Mississippi is amazing. It's taken me exactly three years to work this out. By amazing, I mean that the fall wildflowers here on the coast are truly something to see. In fact, the colors do ucky-gushy things to my soul and I find myself wandering through fields, basket over my arm, picking wild flowers, how absolutely cheesy 70's TV-movie-ish. It's truly a bit sickening.

In Texas, where I was born and raised, the bluebonnet is KING of wildflower land and every good central Texan holds their breath all winter hoping that the rain is just right and that spring will bring fields awash with bluebonnets, indian paintbrush, and indian blankets. Every family takes an afternoon to have a bluebonnet photo opt and children across the state are dressed in their Easter best to pose in the fields of blue.

Given this background, it is perhaps possible to understand that I've been thrown and slow to realize that here in the soggy bottom coastal south the fall is when nature turns on the show. Don't get me wrong, spring in Mississippi does mean azealas and daylilies and other softer shows. It's attractive. Yet, for purely wild beauty that takes my breath away and sadly does make my heart want to sing, give me the sunflowers, gerardia, purple aster, ageratum, and goldenrod that spring out of the edge of the forest, line the roadways, and cover the fields at this time of year.

8 comments:

  1. I agree- I love them all, and can't tell you how many times I've stopped along the side of the road to pick a handful of the beautiful flowers. They make my heart sing as well. *hugs*

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  2. I can see you in your gingham dress and pig tails running through the fields!!!*S*-Lu

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  3. Beautiful flowers!! :)

    Over here, most of the autumn colours are supplied by bright leaves and berries. That said, late into Sept and Oct the tall pink mallow by the patio started sprouting and flowering again ... and Mum found roses still flowering in sheltered parts of the garden up 'til a few weeks ago. Recent gales have blown all the leaves off the trees now!

    Talking of wind ... I see that TS Ida is creeping up on you. :( Bad Ida! Take care, Bethany! *hugs*

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  4. Tis an ill wind that blows nobody good. I get to spend another day and night in Dixie.

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  5. Wiz, I knew you'd understand.

    Lu, in college I did have a blue-check gingham dress that I wore with pig tales and tights... SCARRY!!

    Tea, Ida turned out to be a lot of bluster. :) No damage here, just some rain and wind. Sounds like a pretty mild fall for you folks.

    Fin Darling, I'm glad that you were able move the tickets. It made it all less stressful.

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  6. Fall is also my favorite time for flowers here. :) I do miss those bluebonnets though.

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