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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Harbinger-of-Spring

A harbinger “makes known the approach of another [or] heralds”, according Random House. I’ve heard this expression for years, tagged onto countless species of spring blooms and songbirds, among them the crocus and the bluebird. But during my hike in Edgar Evans State Park (see March 2 post), I stumbled upon the true Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa), a flower that actually wears this name, an early blooming member of the parsley family, also known as “salt and pepper”. Among decaying leaves, while the forest hardwoods are still barren of bud and leaf, these delicate clusters of white brighten the drab landscape and whisper their promise of warmer days to come.

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