The Iowa County Almanac

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

MATCHLESS WILDFLOWERS

I can never get so crabby that wildflowers won't bring me around. All winter I compile the mean, grumpy, fed-up, burned out, snippy list. Every time it snows or rain, I review that list and get mad all over again. But let one yellow violet push aside a wet, brown leaf, and I wonder what the heck got me so peeved. A world that carpets the woods with Virginia Bluebells does not care for my stupid irritations. It goes right on blooming and finally, I will give in. Woods, you had me at Anemone.

I don't care how many guidebooks you own or how nimbly your fingers fly through Google-land, you cannot identify some of those wildflowers that appear in the spring. It's maddening. You find the picture of the specimen you hold in your hand, your heart races, and then the book says, no, that flower has green sepals and they are always in pairs. Your flower has yellow sepals. Of course you can always walk with your friend, Robert, who teaches you that when in doubt, call it a Spring Beauty.

I pity those of you who have flowers all year round. It's like you get all the birthday presents you will ever get all at once. There's no more anticipation, surprise, discovery. From the bleak mid-winter come the indomitable and delicate blossoms of spring. Try your hand at matching these flowers with their name. There may be multiple pictures for each name.

Virginia Bluebells Waterleaf Wild Rose

Bloodroot Wild Orchis Multiflora Rose

Blue Vervain Phlox Wintercress

Chicory Rue Anemone Yellow Sweet Clover

Wild Columbine Spring Beauty Arrowhead

Daisy Canada Thistle Bellwort

Dutchman's Breeches Turk's Cap Buttercup

Forkleaf Toothwort Violets

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Dog Tooth Violet

May Apple Gooseberry Blossoms

Wild Geranium Clover
Lobelia

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Answers tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING IN THE COUNTRY

I collect Magic Lantern slides. They went out of style a century ago, but nothing’s ever come along to match that magical light show. The colorful slides were hand-painted on glass. A small kerosene lamp inside the Magic Lantern provided the light source. Light from the weak flame shone through the pictures onto a small screen, and that flickering provided the only movement for otherwise still pictures.

Many children had little Sears kits with a small lantern, a set of slides, a script, tickets for the neighbors, and a poster. If there were portraits of famous American poets, the child would read the poems. If there were lyrics, the audience would sing. Many lantern shows took place at union halls or churches or schools. Some slides had ads and others had admonitions for ladies in the front row to "please remove your hats." When lime light was discovered, brighter and bigger pictures could be projected.

Magic Lanterns shows were mysterious and surprising. There are endless magical projections flickering over the fields, woods, and waters that rival those flickering images. They are there for the noticing. Every day.