Trailing arbutus with three flowers ( Yes, one is hiding)I still remember the first time we found the trailing arbutus that grows here. It was before we lived here, before the house, before the trailer. This was our place to get away then. We came here, and walked the deer paths to explore our 30 acres in the country.
It was probably May. We were walking a path along the side of a hill. An aroma from my childhood wafted by. I knew it was trailing arbutus. When I found it, I immediately fell to the ground to stick my nose into those tiny flowers. I scared Ed half to death because he thought I fell. (I’ve been known to do that.)
Every year we look for it. Our conditions are not ideal for the plant so we don’t have much of it growing here. It’s always a thrill to find it, and I still drop to the ground to stick my nose in the tiny flowers. I go down more slowly, and take longer to get up, but the thrill is still the same.
The plants are usually found on north or east facing hillsides under deciduous trees, where the leaves blow off during the winter. Depending on where you live, it might not be too late to look for it. It remains for me, a plant with a drop-to- the-ground enchanting fragrance.
1 comment:
I have always thought of the fragrance of this wildflower very lovely. We also call it a Mayflower; although I often find it in our region near the end of April.
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