Columbines

I put up an image of an autumn scene as my desktop background a couple of weeks ago, but then I didn't like it. Maybe it was all those fallen leaves and the work associated with them! I swapped it for the image above, spring ephemerals including forget-me-nots, small red columbines on the left, dancing pink-and-yellow ones on the left and a spray of yellow buds with one blossom in the center. I try to enjoy the seasons as they come around, but late fall and winter are too dark and cold for me. If you want the image above as a background, just right-click on it and set it as your desktop.

My neighbor and I got a lot of enjoyment out of watching these large columbines develop and unfurl. It was the first time we had them in the garden.

A former neighbor planted these white columbines and we always think of Edna when they bloom. Their form, which resembles a group of white doves, gives the flowers their name.

Ephemeral they may be, but their fleeting beauty is worth taking time to appreciate. After I cleared away the fleshy volunteer sunflowers and black-eyed susans from this part of the garden, there were the delicate leaves and roots of this perennial, waiting for spring to dazzle us once more.

--Bernice Paglia