Deep Noticing

{photo essay} inspiration from my daily walk + garden and life updates

This morning on my walk, something pink on the muscadine vines caught my eye. Flowers? This was my first thought. But I didn’t remember muscadine’s flowers as being pink, nor did I think they bloomed this early in the season.

I peered in closer to look. The vine’s new tendrils reached out like a cat’s whiskers. I saw it then—the soft pink hue was a new delicate leaf unfurling.

My phone’s camera can’t quite capture it clearly, but you get the idea.

In all the spring seasons of my life, I’d never noticed this phenomenon of muscadine’s newly minted, pink leaves. I tucked this discovery away, like a little prize in my heart.

Further on my walk, I tread past a patch of dewberries. I knew instantly they were likely Rubus trivialis, only I had never noticed this: the flower’s petals close up for the dark and then open again for the light. I snapped this photo of the flower just waking up. Another discovery!

See the multiple stamens? Because I’m teaching myself botany, I notice the patterning of plants. The stamen is the male reproductive part of the flower. The presence of many stamens, along with five petals on the flower, tell me that dewberries belong in the Rose family- Rosaceae.

Deep noticing of the natural world is my act of devotion these days. Such beauty offers itself to us whenever we step outside, but one must be attuned to catch these ephemeral moments.

Garden Updates

We moved into a new house last weekend which means that I had to leave my beginner’s garden behind. Luckily, we only moved around the corner and because our old spot will be unoccupied for a time, I can still visit my garden until I am ready to move my raised beds over to our new home.

I am endeared to this place, this little garden plot, because it taught me so much. If you want to humble yourself, start a garden. Start co-creating with nature.

I knew we would be moving and I also knew I wouldn’t be able to put together a garden in our new house right away, so I threw down a bunch of flower seeds about a month ago. I want to have flowers this summer.

Looks like a sunflower is already about to bloom.

I also noticed these flowers blooming by my carrot bed. I only learned about these this morning, from Jenks Farmer’s substack, Plant People. Jenks’ post taught me that this is Toad Flax. It’s now a welcome “weed” in my garden.

Monarda punctata

Monarda punctata is perhaps my favorite wildflower of all time. Last spring, I tossed some seeds on the ground and I had a few blooms by late summer. This year, I am amazed see so many new plants coming up! Spotted Bee Balm or Horsemint as Monarda punctata is also called is in the mint family, so it will spread easily. Last year, I counted many different types pollinators buzzing around the flowers.

Monarda punctata in bloom last September. It’s a common wildflower on roadsides and one that is easy to walk right by until you see it. Then you can’t pull yourself away… that is my experience.

I have parsley growing galore this year because I let last year’s go to seed and shook out the seed heads into my garden bed. Now, I have an abundance of baby parsley plants amongst some weeds.

I am also allowing weeds to come up in this bed this year. I want to learn them, too.

Parsley is super high in Vitamin C. I am adding it to my salads.

Each morning when I visit now, I let my garden know how grateful I am. This space has been a wonderful teacher.

Now, onto the new adventure!

xo,

Katie