Trailing Arbutus
Trailing arbutus
First flower of Spring
Bashfully hiding away
I seek under leathery leaves in the moss
Til your soft petals I spy one glad day
~
Your pink and your creamy white blossoms peek out
From the ground which you hug tight and dear
The perfume of stately old ladies inhale
I cherish your fragrance all year
~
Your petals and blossoms make me pause with delight
As I pinch you and drink in the smell
Then I freeze you in photos and wish I could just
Save your sweet lovely perfume as well.
~
So stop to behold
Let your mind drift away
To days filled with teacakes and lace
Where ladies and gents
Stoop to drink in the scents
Of the trailing arbutus display
~
You’re here then you’re gone
So I must slip away
To the hillside where you lavishly grow
I’ll drink in your beauty
I’ll breathe out a thanks
To the One who created you so.
~
Sweet trailing arbutus
‘Tis goodbye for the season
But your memory lives deep in my heart
And come this time next year
I’ll come find you anew
And we’ll meet as we met like before
For now, we have memories, fond and alive
To carry us back to the woods
Where we’ll promise in Spring
In the earth that’s to come
To find trailing arbutus once more.
~
Can you tell that the trailing arbutus is my delight?
Once thought to be the first wildflower which the pilgrims spotted after enduring that horrible winter after landing in Plymouth, I can see why the Mayflower, as it is often called, brought them delight and cheer.
The trailing arbutus is a symbol of hope.
It bursts out in abundance when other Spring wildflowers are still bashfully testing the teasing Springtime temperatures. But you have to get down close to the ground if you want to find the arbutus, for it blooms underneath the leathery evergreen leaves.
The trailing arbutus is a plant that you can easily pass over while hiking, but I hope you don’t!
On Video
Get up close and personal with the trailing arbutus on this YouTube video, where I discover plenty around our homestead!
Where to find Trailing Arbutus
Look for the trailing arbutus near to hiking trails, alongside your driveway if you’re blessed to live near a forest, or along the roadside in the country.
The trailing arbutus thrives where there is microrhizal fungi, and in acidic soils. It is actually a part of the blueberry family, along with mountain laurels and azaleas. Delightfully, we have an abundance of all of those plants on our property here in upper East Tennessee. For that, we feel exceedingly blessed!
Past and Present
I have written about the trailing arbutus before, ever since discovering it a few years back.
This year, our arbutus is showing off proudly, and as of the writing of this blog post, we still have some pink and white blooms out on our banks, but they are beginning to come to the end of their season.
Feeling Poetic
I’ve never written a poem about a plant before now, but that was kind of fun.
Look up the trailing arbutus and see if you can find some in your area!
Also, be on the lookout for a new video coming out soon on my YouTube channel, in which I show some more footage of our lovely trailing arbutus at Ridge Haven Homestead.
Until then, God bless!
You can see some of the flowers from prior years in these posts:
Also
Stop and Smell the Trailing Arbutus
An additional source of information on the Trailing Arbutus can be found here, in an article which was interesting and informative.
I love flower that is pink.
I’ve found though, that since moving to the Tempe area, my green thumb has left with all the heat and all I do is kill everything I try to grow
Maybe don’t give up if it’s enjoyable to you!
Enchanting! This ode to the trailing arbutus beautifully captures the essence of spring’s delicate arrival. A poetic tribute to nature’s fleeting wonders.
Imperfectly expressed as it was written, I still enjoyed the process.